ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Thursday, June 16, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Thursday, June 16, 2011

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Scientists override errant form of genetic signaling for first time: Changing genetic 'red light' to green holds promise for treating disease (June 16, 2011) -- Researchers found a new way to surpass a common mutation that is estimated to cause a third of genetic disorders. The mutation causes the body to create shortened, disabled proteins, which lead to disease like cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and cancer. The newly discovered approach directs the body to create normal, full-length proteins and could aid the development of treatment strategies to change the course of these, and other debilitating genetic conditions. ... > full story

'Glowing hands' in the waiting room improves kids' handwashing (June 16, 2011) -- Hand-hygiene in children was improved with the use of a glowing gel that, when black lit, illustrates bacteria on hands, even after washing. ... > full story

Dating an ancient episode of severe global warming (June 16, 2011) -- Using sophisticated methods of dating rocks, scientists have pinned down the timing of the start of an episode of an ancient global warming known as the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum, with implications for the triggering mechanism. ... > full story

When singing mice choose a mate, a skillful song gets the gal (June 16, 2011) -- Like rock stars of the rodent world, the flashiest performers of a Central American mouse species get the most attention from the ladies, a new study shows. ... > full story

Leaky genes put evolution on the fast track, researchers find (June 16, 2011) -- Small genetic mutations that add up over time could create an evolutionary express lane that leads to the rapid development of new traits, researchers report. ... > full story

Using olive oil in your diet may prevent a stroke (June 16, 2011) -- A new study suggests that consuming olive oil may help prevent a stroke in older people. ... > full story

The mushroom with no name (June 16, 2011) -- A rare species of fungus discovered growing in Scotland has been chosen to feature in a nationwide competition to give it a name. ... > full story

NASA satellite gallery shows Chilean volcano plume moving around the world (June 15, 2011) -- Since its eruption in early June, several NASA satellites have captured images of the ash plume from the eruption of the Chilean Volcano called Puyehue-Cordón Caulle and have tracked it around the world. NASA has collected them in an image gallery that shows the progression of the plume around the southern hemisphere. ... > full story

'SpongeBob' mushroom discovered in the forests of Borneo (June 15, 2011) -- A researcher has discovered Spongiforma squarepantsii, a new species of mushroom almost as strange as its cartoon namesake. ... > full story

Evidence of a natural origin for banned drug that plumps up livestock (June 15, 2011) -- There may be a natural solution to the mystery of how small amounts of a banned drug that disrupts thyroid function and plumps up livestock gets into their bodies -- and the bodies of humans, scientists are reporting. Their study reports the first evidence that the substance can form naturally in feed and food. ... > full story

Malaria vaccination strategy provides model for superior protection (June 15, 2011) -- A new study uncovers a powerful strategy for eliciting an immune response that can combat the parasite during multiple stages of its complex life cycle and describes what may be the most effective next-generation vaccination approach for malaria. ... > full story

European experts propose method to harmonize nuclear emergency plans (June 15, 2011) -- A team of European radiological protection specialists has developed a method to calculate benchmark values to help establish whether the local population should be required to take shelter or be evacuated or relocated following a nuclear accident. The study shows that these levels are more restrictive in wet environments than in dry ones. ... > full story

Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets may reduce both tumor growth rates and cancer risk (June 15, 2011) -- Eating a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet may reduce the risk of cancer and slow the growth of tumors already present, according to a new study. ... > full story

Wild winds: Changes in weather patterns creating more severe storms (June 15, 2011) -- A climate expert attributes the increase in the number and severity of tornadoes and severe storms in 2011 to a change in weather patterns. ... > full story

'Casanova gene' in female songbirds: Females inherit 'infidelity gene' from their fathers (June 15, 2011) -- It is assumed that many bird species are monogamous, yet infidelity is a widespread phenomenon. The advantage for the male seems obvious as in this way he can increase the number of his offspring. A female, however, mostly faces costs. The cuckolded partners often reduce their parental care. In addition, the extra lovers also may transmit diseases. Nevertheless, some females actively seek such contacts. Researchers investigated a large number of zebra finches and found a possible explanation for this behaviour. In a genetic long-term study they found that females inherit the disposition for their infidelity from their fathers. ... > full story

Using recycled cardboard in food packaging risks contaminating food with mineral oils, study finds (June 15, 2011) -- Harmful mineral oils from the printing inks used on cardboard can migrate into food if recycled cardboard is used for food packaging. It may contaminate food even if the recycled cardboard is used for the corrugated card transport box that holds individual packs. In tests on experimental packs of fine noodles, researchers in Zurich, Switzerland, found that food rapidly absorbed 10 times the recommended limit for concentration of these contaminating oils from the transport box. ... > full story

Wired for sound: A small fish's brain illustrates how people and other vertebrates produce sounds (June 15, 2011) -- Researchers have identified regions of a fish brain that reveal the basic circuitry for how humans and other vertebrates generate sound used for social communication. ... > full story

'Thermal pollution' in rivers not fully mediated by gravel augmentation (June 15, 2011) -- Although adding gravel to a river to replace lost sediments won't likely cool the whole river channel, it can create cool water refuges that protect fish from thermal pollution, according to a new study. ... > full story

Daytime sleepiness is associated with an increased craving for carbs among teens (June 15, 2011) -- In a new study, the intensity of self-reported craving for carbohydrates among 262 high school seniors increased in a linear relationship with the severity of subjective daytime sleepiness. The odds of having a strong craving for carbs were 50 percent higher among those with excessive daytime sleepiness. The rate of depression also was higher among students who had a strong craving for carbohydrates (34 percent) than among students who had little or no craving for carbs (22 percent). ... > full story

3-D tracking of single molecules inside cells using new multifocal plane microscopy method (June 15, 2011) -- Researchers are using a novel 3-D cell imaging method for studying the complex spatial-temporal dynamics of protein transport, providing a solution to this fundamental problem in cell biology. ... > full story

Rainwater harvest study finds roofing material affects water quality (June 15, 2011) -- Using rainwater from your roof to water plants seems simple enough, right? But a new study finds that the type of roofing material used can make a big difference in water quality. ... > full story

Stress may lead to better bird parenting (June 14, 2011) -- Birds with high levels of stress hormones have the highest mating success and offer better parental care to their brood, according to new biology research. ... > full story

Flooding of farmland does not increase levels of potentially harmful flame retardants in milk, study suggests (June 14, 2011) -- As millions of acres of farmland in the US Midwest and South recover from Mississippi River flooding, scientists report that river flooding can increase levels of potentially harmful flame retardants in farm soils. But the higher levels apparently do not find their way into the milk produced by cows that graze on these lands, according to a new study. ... > full story

Why hair turns gray: Communication between hair follicles and melanocyte stem cells key to mystery (June 14, 2011) -- A new study has shown that, for the first time, Wnt signaling, already known to control many biological processes, between hair follicles and melanocyte stem cells can dictate hair pigmentation. ... > full story

New cell type offers immunology hope (June 14, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered a new type of cell in the immune system. The new cell type, a kind of white blood cell, belongs to a family of T-cells that play a critical role in protection against infectious disease. Their findings could ultimately lead to the development of novel drugs that strengthen the immune response against particular types of infectious organisms. ... > full story

Salivating over wheat plants may net Hessian flies big meal or death (June 14, 2011) -- The interaction between a Hessian fly's saliva and the wheat plant it is attacking may be the key to whether the pest eats like a king or dies like a starving pauper, according to a new study. ... > full story

Ancestry plays vital role in nutrition and disease, study shows (June 14, 2011) -- Scientists are just beginning to consider the impact of gene-diet interactions in different populations in regards to disease prevention and treatment. In a new study, researchers reveal how humans of different ancestry process a certain type of fat called polyunsaturated (PUFA) fat. Their findings suggest that the dramatic increase in a particular type of fatty acid, omega-6 PUFAs, in the American diet, together with a genetic propensity, causes individuals of African descent to more efficiently convert these dietary PUFAs to long chain PUFAs in the human body. Long chain PUFA can then, in turn, be converted to inflammatory messengers. Increased inflammatory messengers have been associated with a variety of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, arthritis, allergies and asthma, and diabetes. ... > full story

Major flooding on the Mississippi River likely to cause large Gulf of Mexico dead zone (June 14, 2011) -- The Gulf of Mexico's hypoxic zone is predicted to be larger than average this year, due to extreme flooding of the Mississippi River this spring, according to an annual forecast. ... > full story

New insights on how solar minimums affect Earth (June 14, 2011) -- Since 1611, humans have recorded the comings and goings of black spots on the sun. The number of these sunspots waxes and wanes over approximately an 11-year cycle -- more sunspots generally mean more activity and eruptions on the sun and vice versa. Observations have shown, however, that magnetic effects on Earth due to the sun, effects that cause the aurora to appear, did not go down in synch with the cycle of low magnetism on the sun. Now, researchers report that these effects on Earth did in fact reach a minimum -- indeed they attained their lowest levels of the century -- but some eight months later. The scientists believe that factors in the speed of the solar wind, and the strength and direction of the magnetic fields embedded within it, helped produce this anomalous low. ... > full story

Poplar tree leaf bud extract could fight skin aging (June 14, 2011) -- Antioxidants are popular anti-aging ingredients in skin creams, and now scientists are reporting a new source of these healthful substances -- leaf buds of poplar trees. ... > full story

Algal turf scrubbers clean water with sunlight (June 14, 2011) -- By pulsing contaminated water over screens on which algae are allowed to grow, algal turf scrubbers can use sunlight to purify agricultural runoff while yielding byproducts that can be used as fertilizer, biofuel, or higher-value commodities such as nutraceuticals. Hectare-scale demonstration projects are in operation. ... > full story

Proving Darwin right: New study supports hypothesis that competition is stronger between more closely related species (June 14, 2011) -- A new study provides support for Darwin's hypothesis that the struggle for existence is stronger between more closely related species. While ecologists generally accept the premise, this new study contains the strongest direct experimental evidence yet to support its validity. ... > full story

Deadly amphibian disease found in the last disease-free region of central America (June 14, 2011) -- Scientists have confirmed that chytridiomycosis, a rapidly spreading amphibian disease, has reached a site near Panama's Darien region. This was the last area in the entire mountainous neotropics to be free of the disease. ... > full story

New clues about aging: Genetic splicing mechanism triggers both premature aging syndrome and normal cellular aging (June 14, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a new pathway that sets the clock for programmed aging in normal cells. The study provides insights about the interaction between a toxic protein called progerin and telomeres, which cap the ends of chromosomes like aglets, the plastic tips that bind the ends of shoelaces. ... > full story

Life-history traits of extinct species may be discoverable, large-scale DNA sequencing data suggest (June 14, 2011) -- Large-scale DNA sequencing data have been used to investigate a long-standing evolutionary assumption -- that DNA mutation rates are influenced by such life-history traits as the time between an individual's birth and the birth of its offspring. One of the implications of this research is that life-history traits of extinct species now could be discoverable. ... > full story

Undernourishment in pregnant, lactating females found key to next generation's disease (June 14, 2011) -- A study in primates establishes the critical role that undernourishment in mothers-to-be and lactating females has in creating Type 2 diabetes in offspring. ... > full story

Controlling starch in sugar factories (June 14, 2011) -- Factory trials have led to recommendations for controlling or preventing starch buildup in processed raw sugars and products made with those sugars. ... > full story

The energy debate: Coal vs. nuclear (June 14, 2011) -- A new study of consumers' attitudes toward coal and nuclear energy sources finds that factors other than global warming and the potential for nuclear power plant accidents figure into consumers' preferences. These factors include ecological degradation for coal and waste management, fuel transport and uranium mining for nuclear. ... > full story

Clever tool use in parrots and crows (June 13, 2011) -- The kea, a New Zealand parrot, and the New Caledonian crow are members of the two most intelligent avian families. Researchers have investigated their problem solving abilities as well as their innovative capacities. ... > full story

Dengue virus circulating between monkeys and mosquitoes could emerge to cause human outbreaks (June 13, 2011) -- Sylvatic dengue continues to flourish in Southeast Asia and West Africa, cycling between non-human primates and the mosquitoes that feed on them. Since the 1970s, the virus has received little scientific attention -- a situation that badly needs to be remedied, according to experts. ... > full story

Birdsong independent of brain size: Sex difference in the brain varies according to social status (June 13, 2011) -- The brains of all vertebrates display gender-related differences. In songbirds, for example, the size of the brain areas that control their singing behaviour could be linked to the size of their song repertoires. In many songbird species, only the males sing and indeed, they do have larger song control areas in the brain than females. However, even species where both sexes sing identically, display the same sex differences in their brain structure. Researchers in Germany have now demonstrated for the first time in the white-browed sparrow weaver, an African songbird, that the extent of these sex differences in the brain varies according to social status, and cannot be explained by singing behaviour as previously thought. ... > full story

New study of storm generation could improve rainfall prediction in West Africa (June 13, 2011) -- A new study of how storms are generated could improve rainfall prediction in dry regions of Africa, where drought and short growing seasons are common. A team of scientists from the UK, France and Australia used satellite observations of the Sahel region of West Africa to demonstrate that brief changes in soil moisture over areas of just tens of kilometers can affect storm generation. ... > full story

Tiny marine animals found to share 'diver's weight belt' technique with whales (June 13, 2011) -- A deep-sea mystery has been solved with the discovery that copepods -- tiny 3-millimeter-long marine animals eaten by herring, cod and mackerel -- use the same buoyancy control as whales. ... > full story

Single GFP-expressing cell is basis of living laser device (June 13, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a device in which a single cell genetically engineered to express green fluorescent protein is used to amplify the light particles called photons into nanosecond-long pulses of laser light. ... > full story

In very narrow spaces, liquids behave more like gels (June 13, 2011) -- Three molecules thick, or two, or one: how does an extremely thin layer of trapped liquid behave when we make it even thinner? Measurements made using the atomic force microscope show that the forces of friction increase with each step. Liquids begin to behave more like a gel, according to new research. ... > full story

How spiders breathe under water: Spider's diving bell performs like gill extracting oxygen from water (June 13, 2011) -- Water spiders spend their entire lives under water, only venturing to the surface to replenish their diving bell air supply. Yet no one knew how long the spiders could remain submerged until Roger Seymour and Stefan Hetz measured the bubble's oxygen level. They found that the diving bell behaves like a gill sucking oxygen from the water and the spiders only need to dash to the surface once a day to supplement their air supply. ... > full story

First wood-digesting enzyme found in bacteria could boost biofuel production (June 13, 2011) -- Researchers have identified an enzyme in bacteria which could be used to make biofuel production more efficient. ... > full story

Deciding to stay or go is a deep-seated brain function, monkey-watching researchers find (June 13, 2011) -- Foraging creatures decide at some point that the food source they're working on is no richer than the rest of the patch and that it's time to move on and find something better. Researchers have now found an area of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) that seems to be integral to this decision, firing with increasing activity until a threshold is reached, whereupon the animal decides it's time to move on. ... > full story