ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Tuesday, September 6, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Tuesday, September 6, 2011

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Bedrock nitrogen may help forests buffer climate change, study finds (September 6, 2011) -- For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that forest trees have the ability to tap into nitrogen found in rocks, boosting the trees' growth and their ability to pull more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. If trees can access more nitrogen than previously thought, that could lead to more storage of carbon on land and less carbon remaining in the atmosphere. ... > full story

Stomach bacterium damages human DNA; Risk factor for gastric cancer (September 6, 2011) -- The stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori is one of the biggest risk factors for the development of gastric cancer, the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. Molecular biologists in Switzerland have now identified a mechanism of H. pylori that damages the DNA of cells in the gastric mucosa and sets them up for malignant transformation. ... > full story

Scientists discover secret life of chromatin: DNA/histone combination, a destination for cell signals, also talks to other proteins (September 6, 2011) -- Chromatin -- the intertwined histone proteins and DNA that make up chromosomes -- constantly receives messages that pour in from a cell's intricate signaling networks: Turn that gene on. Stifle that one. But chromatin also talks back, scientists report, issuing orders affecting a protein that has nothing to do with chromatin's central role in gene transcription -- the first step in protein formation. ... > full story

All for the grandkids: Promiscuity in female birds results in genetic 'trade-up,' more offspring, research finds (September 6, 2011) -- It's all about the grandkids! That's what a team of biologists has learned about promiscuous female birds and why they mate outside their social pair. ... > full story

Breast cancer risk drops when diet includes walnuts, researchers find (September 6, 2011) -- The risk of breast cancer dropped significantly in mice when their regular diet included a modest amount of walnut, researchers report in a new study. ... > full story

New map shows where tastes are coded in the brain (September 5, 2011) -- Each taste, from sweet to salty, is sensed by a unique set of neurons in the brains of mice, new research reveals. The findings demonstrate that neurons that respond to specific tastes are arranged discretely in what the scientists call a 'gustotopic map.' This is the first map that shows how taste is represented in the mammalian brain. ... > full story

Sparing or sharing? Protecting wild species may require growing more food on less land (September 5, 2011) -- In parts of the world still rich in biodiversity, separating natural habitats from high-yielding farmland could be a more effective way to conserve wild species than trying to grow crops and conserve nature on the same land, according to a new study. ... > full story

Mystery of disappearing bird digit solved? (September 5, 2011) -- What is the origin of digits in birds? The question has long puzzled evolutionary biologists. Using genomic analysis, researchers have now solved a key part of this mystery. ... > full story

Potential vaccine readies immune system to kill tuberculosis in mice (September 5, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a potential vaccine against tuberculosis that completely eliminates tuberculosis bacteria from infected tissues in some mice. The vaccine was created with a strain of bacteria that, due to the absence of a few genes, are unable to avoid its host's first-line immune response. Once this first-line defense has been activated, it triggers the more specific immune response that can protect against future infections. ... > full story

Harmless soil-dwelling bacteria successfully kill cancer (September 5, 2011) -- A bacterial strain that specifically targets tumors could soon be used as a vehicle to deliver drugs in frontline cancer therapy. The strain is expected to be tested in cancer patients in 2013. ... > full story

Growth hormone helps repair the zebrafish ear (September 5, 2011) -- Loud noise, especially repeated loud noise, is known to cause irreversible damage to the hair cells inside the cochlea and eventually lead to deafness. In mammals this is irreversible. However, both birds and fish are able to re-grow the damaged hair cells and restore hearing. New research shows that growth hormone is involved in this regeneration in zebrafish. ... > full story

Tree-killing pathogen traced back to California (September 5, 2011) -- California has emerged as the top suspect as the source of a pathogen responsible for a global pandemic of cypress canker disease. The genetic detective work by researchers in the U.S. and in Italy spotlights the hazards of planting trees and other vegetation in regions where they are not native. ... > full story

First stem cells from endangered species (September 5, 2011) -- Starting with normal skin cells, scientists have produced the first stem cells from endangered species. Such cells could eventually make it possible to improve reproduction and genetic diversity for some species, possibly saving them from extinction, or to bolster the health of endangered animals in captivity. ... > full story

U.S. high school science standards in genetics are 'inadequate,' according to experts (September 5, 2011) -- More than 85 percent of states have genetics standards that are inadequate for preparing America's high school students for participation in a society and health care system that will be increasingly impacted by genetics-based personalized medicine, according to experts. ... > full story

Rock rafts could be 'cradle of life' (September 4, 2011) -- Floating rafts of volcanic pumice could have played a significant role in the origins of life on Earth, scientists from have suggested. ... > full story

Sporulation may have given rise to the bacterial outer membrane (September 4, 2011) -- Bacteria can generally be divided into two classes: those with just one membrane and those with two. Now researchers have used a powerful imaging technique to find what they believe may be the missing link between the two classes, as well as a plausible explanation for how the outer membrane may have arisen. ... > full story

Climate in the past million years determined greatly by dust in the Southern Ocean (September 4, 2011) -- Scientists have quantified dust and iron fluxes deposited in the Antarctic Ocean during the past 4 million years. The research study shows evidence of the close relation between the maximum contributions of dust to this ocean and climate changes occurring in the most intense glaciation periods of the Pleistocene period, some 1.25 million years ago. Data confirms the role of iron in the increase in phytoplankton levels during glacial periods, intensifying the function of this ocean as a carbon dioxide sink. ... > full story

Manipulating plants' circadian clock may make all-season crops possible (September 3, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a key genetic gear that keeps the circadian clock of plants ticking, a finding that could have broad implications for global agriculture. ... > full story

Researchers investigate new mechanism for predicting how diseases spread (September 3, 2011) -- Researchers have investigated the outcomes of a previously ignored mechanism in modeling how humans travel. By challenging a long-held assumption, they hope to create models that can more accurately predict the spread of disease and the spread of human-mediated bioinvasions. ... > full story

Elusive prey: Selection pressures imposed by predator fungi have shaped escape behavior in microscopic worms (September 3, 2011) -- New research offers evidence that for the first time illuminates a biological and ecological path that links genes to molecule to neural circuit to behavior to environment. ... > full story

Attractive dads have more grandchildren, zebra finch study shows (September 3, 2011) -- A study of zebra finches has shown that males' attractiveness influences the number and size of eggs their daughters produce -- not genetically but through the effect of their attractiveness on their mate's behavior. ... > full story

Aquarius makes first ocean salt measurements (September 3, 2011) -- NASA's Aquarius instrument has successfully completed its commissioning phase and is now "tasting" the saltiness of Earth's ocean surface, making measurements from its perch in near-polar orbit. ... > full story

Climatic benefits from carbon sequestration are largely offset by increased nitrous oxide emissions, study finds (September 3, 2011) -- Recent studies have shown that human nitrogen additions to terrestrial ecosystems increase the terrestrial carbon dioxide uptake from the atmosphere. A new study reports now that the climatic benefits from carbon sequestration are largely offset by increased nitrous oxide emissions, a further side-effect of human nitrogen additions to terrestrial ecosystems. ... > full story

Powerful antioxidant resveratrol prevents metabolic syndrome in lab tests, study finds (September 2, 2011) -- Researchers in Canada have discovered that resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant found in common foods, prevents a syndrome in some offspring that could lead to later health issues such as diabetes. Resveratrol is found in fruits, nuts and red wine, and has been shown to extend the lifespan of many species. ... > full story

New insight in how cells' powerhouse divides (September 2, 2011) -- New research puts an unexpected twist on how mitochondria, the energy-generating structures within cells, divide. The work could have implications for a wide range of diseases and conditions. ... > full story

Up from the depths: How bacteria capture carbon in the 'twilight zone' (September 2, 2011) -- Located between 200 and 1,000 meters below the ocean surface is a "twilight zone" where insufficient sunlight penetrates for microorganisms to perform photosynthesis. Details are now emerging about a microbial metabolic pathway that helps solve the mystery of how certain bacteria capture carbon in the dark ocean, enabling a better understanding of what happens to the carbon that is fixed in the oceans every year. ... > full story

Woolly rhino fossil discovery in Tibet provides important clues to evolution of Ice Age giants (September 2, 2011) -- Fossil discoveries from Tibet offer new insights into the origin of the cold-adapted Pleistocene megafauna. A new research paper posits that the harsh winters of the rising Tibetan Plateau may have provided the initial step towards cold-adaptation for several subsequently successful members of the late Pleistocene mammoth fauna in Europe, Asia, and to a lesser extent, North America. The Tibetan Plateau, therefore, may have been another cradle of the Ice Age giants. ... > full story

Cryptococcus infections misdiagnosed in many AIDS patients, study suggests (September 2, 2011) -- Most AIDS patients, when diagnosed with a fungal infection known simply as cryptococcosis, are assumed to have an infection with Cryptococcus neoformans, but a new study suggests that a sibling species, Cryptococcus gattii, is a more common cause than was previously known. The difference between these strains could make a difference in treatment, clinical course, and outcome. ... > full story

New microscope might see beneath skin in 4-D (September 2, 2011) -- Other devices can take 3-D pictures of tissue below the surface of skin, but a new microscope adds an extra dimension: a spectroscopic "fingerprint" that measures the wavelength (or color) of light reflected off each point within a sample in a single snapshot. Researchers hope this innovation may one day be used for early detection of skin cancer. ... > full story

Biological 'computer' destroys cancer cells: Diagnostic network incorporated into human cells (September 2, 2011) -- Researchers have successfully incorporated a diagnostic biological "computer" network into human cells. This network recognizes certain cancer cells using logic combinations of five cancer-specific molecular factors, triggering cancer cells destruction. ... > full story

First long-term study of WTC workers shows widespread health problems 10 years after Sept. 11 (September 2, 2011) -- In the first long-term study of the health impacts of the World Trade Center (WTC) collapse on Sept. 11, 2001, researchers have found substantial and persistent mental and physical health problems among Sept. 11 first responders and recovery workers. ... > full story

To clear digital waste in computers, 'think green,' researchers say (September 2, 2011) -- A digital dumping ground lies inside most computers, a wasteland where old, rarely used and unneeded files pile up. Such data can deplete precious storage space, bog down the system's efficiency and sap its energy. Computer scientists now propose adapting a real-world approach to the cleanup effort. ... > full story

World Trade Center-exposed NYC firefighters face increased cancer risk, study finds (September 2, 2011) -- In the largest cancer study of firefighters ever conducted, researchers have found that New York City firefighters exposed to the Sept. 11 World Trade Center (WTC) disaster site were at least 19 percent more likely to develop cancer in the seven years following the disaster as their non-exposed colleagues and up to 10 percent more likely to develop cancer than a similar sample from the general population. ... > full story

Feeding cows natural plant extracts can reduce dairy farm odors and feed costs (September 2, 2011) -- With citizens' groups seeking government regulation of foul-smelling ammonia emissions from large dairy farms, scientists report that adding natural plant extracts to cow feed can reduce levels of the gas by one-third while reducing the need to fortify cow feed with expensive protein supplements. ... > full story

Glowing, blinking bacteria reveal how cells synchronize biological clocks (September 2, 2011) -- Biologists have long known that organisms from bacteria to humans use the 24 hour cycle of light and darkness to set their biological clocks. But exactly how these clocks are synchronized at the molecular level to perform the interactions within a population of cells that depend on the precise timing of circadian rhythms is less well understood. ... > full story

Warming streams could be the end for spring-run Chinook salmon in California (September 1, 2011) -- Warming streams could spell the end of spring-run Chinook salmon in California by the end of the century, according to a study by scientists at UC Davis, the Stockholm Environment Institute and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. ... > full story

Insect gut microbe with a molecular iron reservoir: Researchers analyze the structure of an iron storage protein (September 1, 2011) -- Iron plays an important role in almost every life form. Low iron can lead to deficiency symptoms and reduced growth, whereas too much iron may harm biomolecules like DNA. Researchers in Germany have now elucidated the spatial structure of a bacterial enzyme in Microbacterium arborescens which is able to accumulate several hundred iron ions in its center -- depending on the iron supply situation in its environment: for example in the larval gut of the beet armyworm Spodoptera exigua. ... > full story

'Plastic bottle' solution for arsenic-contaminated water threatening 100 million people (September 1, 2011) -- With almost 100 million people in developing countries exposed to dangerously high arsenic levels in their drinking water, and unable to afford purification technology, scientists described a simple, inexpensive method for removing arsenic based on chopped up pieces of plastic beverage bottles coated with a nutrient found in many foods and dietary supplements. ... > full story

A 'nano,' environmentally friendly, and low toxicity flame retardant protects fabric (September 1, 2011) -- The technology in "fire paint" used to protect steel beams in buildings and other structures has found a new life as a first-of-its-kind flame retardant for children's cotton sleepwear, terrycloth bathrobes and other apparel, according to new report. ... > full story

Humans shaped stone axes 1.8 million years ago: Advanced tool-making methods pushed back in time (September 1, 2011) -- A new study suggests that Homo erectus, a precursor to modern humans, was using advanced toolmaking methods in East Africa 1.8 million years ago, at least 300,000 years earlier than previously thought. The study raises new questions about where these tall and slender early humans originated and how they developed sophisticated tool-making technology. ... > full story

Medicinal chemists modify sea bacteria byproduct for use as potential cancer drug (September 1, 2011) -- Scientists have modified a toxic chemical produced by tiny marine microbes and successfully deployed it against laboratory models of colon cancer. More work is needed before a human treatment can be considered, but it appears to be a novel way to kill tumor cells. ... > full story

Extreme 2010 Russian fires and Pakistan floods linked meteorologically, study suggests (September 1, 2011) -- Two of the most destructive natural disasters of 2010 were closely linked by a single meteorological event, even though they occurred 1,500 miles (2,414 km) apart and were of completely different natures, a new NASA study suggests. ... > full story

Cutting soot emissions: Fastest, most economical way to slow global warming? (September 1, 2011) -- A new study of dust-like particles of soot in the air -- now emerging as the second most important, but previously overlooked, factor in global warming -- provides fresh evidence that reducing soot emissions from diesel engines and other sources could slow melting of sea ice in the Arctic faster and more economically than any other quick fix. ... > full story

Down to the wire: Inexpensive technique for making high quality nanowire solar cells (September 1, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a solution-based technique for fabricating core/shell nanowire solar cells using the semiconductors cadmium sulfide for the core and copper sulfide for the shell. These inexpensive and easy-to-make nanowire solar cells hold great promise for future solar cell technology. ... > full story

Tasmanian tiger's jaw was too small to attack sheep, study shows (September 1, 2011) -- Australia's iconic thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, was hunted to death in the early Twentieth century for allegedly killing sheep; however, a new study has found that the tiger had such weak jaws that its prey was probably no larger than a possum. ... > full story

Rare Siamese crocodiles hatched in Lao PDR (September 1, 2011) -- Biologist have successfully hatched a clutch of 20 Siamese crocodiles, a species threatened across its range by hunting, habitat fragmentation and loss, and other factors. ... > full story

NASA Earth-observing satellite arrives in California for launch (September 1, 2011) -- On Tuesday, Aug. 30, NASA's next Earth-observing research satellite arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to begin preparations for an October launch. The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) is the first of a new generation of satellites that will observe many facets of our changing Earth. ... > full story

NASA satellite observes unusually hot July in the U.S. Great Plains (August 31, 2011) -- Much of the United States sweated through an unusually humid heat wave during July, a month that brought record-breaking temperatures to many areas across the Great Plains. As temperatures soared, NASA satellites observed the unusual weather from above. ... > full story