ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Wednesday, November 2, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Wednesday, November 2, 2011

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Workings of molecular motor revealed (November 2, 2011) -- The structure and function of a 'molecular motor' critical to the functioning of human organs and, when malfunctioning, implicated in cancer, kidney failure, and osteoporosis, has been revealed in unprecedented detail. ... > full story

UV light controls antibodies, improves biosensors (November 2, 2011) -- From detecting pathogens in blood samples to the study of protein synthesis, Quartz Crystal Microbalance sensors have many uses in modern biology. Now researchers have found a way to increase the number of right-side-up antibodies in this well-established molecule detection process -- using light. ... > full story

Growing without cell division: Mechanism responsible for cell polyploidy pinpointed? (November 2, 2011) -- Biologists may have pinpointed for the first time the mechanism responsible for cell polyploidy, a state in which cells contain more than two paired sets of chromosomes. ... > full story

Health risk from eating well-done meat may be underestimated (November 2, 2011) -- Mice are often used to test whether substances in food are harmful to humans. This requires that mice and humans metabolize substances in the same way. Humans have certain enzymes in more parts of the body than mice. The health risk associated with harmful substances in food may therefore be underestimated. ... > full story

Food chemical regulations rely heavily on industry self-policing and lack transparency, report finds (November 2, 2011) -- Safety decisions concerning one-third of the more than 10,000 substances that may be added to human food were made by food manufacturers and a trade association without review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to a new analysis. The report illustrates potential problems with the US food additive regulatory program. ... > full story

Bigger birds in central California, courtesy of global climate change, study suggests (November 1, 2011) -- Birds are getting bigger in central California, and that was a big surprise for researchers. They uncovered the trend while working analyzing data from thousands of birds caught and released each year at two sites near San Francisco Bay and Point Reyes National Seashore. The study found that birds' wings have grown longer and birds are increasing in mass. ... > full story

New tool developed for the study of spatial patterns in living cells (November 1, 2011) -- By embedding fixed arrays of gold nanoparticles into fluid lipid bilayers, scientists can study with unprecedented detail how the spatial patterns of chemical and physical properties on membranes can determine the fate of a cell -- whether it lives or dies, remains normal or turns cancerous. ... > full story

Pesky ants found in Hawaii demonstrate invasive characteristics (November 1, 2011) -- Odorous house ants - so called because they tend to invade houses and smell like coconut when smashed - have found their way to Hawaii. And, according to entomologists, it doesn't seem as though they have plans to end their vacations. ... > full story

Key element of cell division: How daughter cells receive the same number of chromosomes (November 1, 2011) -- Scientists have uncovered the molecular process of how cells are bypassing the body's inbuilt "health checkpoint" with unequal numbers of chromosomes that have a higher risk of developing cancer. ... > full story

Urban 'heat island' effect is a small part of global warming; white roofs don't reduce it, researchers find (November 1, 2011) -- Heat emanating from cities -- called the "urban heat island" effect -- is not a significant contributor to global warming, researchers have found. They also concluded that if all the roofs in urban areas were painted white, it would increase, not decrease, global warming. ... > full story

Large asteroid to pass by Earth Nov. 8, but what if it didn't? (November 1, 2011) -- An asteroid the size of an aircraft carrier will fly near Earth on Nov. 8, 2011. While there is no danger of it hitting the planet, an asteroid impact expert says a similar-sized object hitting Earth would result in a 4,000-megaton blast, magnitude 7.0 earthquake and, should it strike in the deep ocean, 70-foot-high tsunami waves 60 miles from the splashdown site. ... > full story

Bacteria may readily swap beneficial genes: Microbes trade genetic coding for antibiotic resistance and more (November 1, 2011) -- Researchers say they've found evidence of a massive network of recent gene exchange connecting bacteria from around the world: 10,000 unique genes flowing via horizontal gene transfer among 2,235 bacterial genomes. Much as people can exchange information instantaneously in the digital age, bacteria associated with humans and their livestock appear to freely and rapidly exchange genetic material related to human disease and antibiotic resistance through a mechanism called horizontal gene transfer (HGT). ... > full story

Aggressive piranhas bark to say buzz off (November 1, 2011) -- Piranhas are best known for their bite, but did you know they make sounds too? A team of researchers knew that piranhas could produce at least one sound, but they didn't know when and why the fish become vocal. Filming and recording sounds produced by piranhas competing for food, they found that the fearsome fish have a repertoire of three sounds to threaten competitors. ... > full story

Shared genes with Neanderthal relatives: Modern East Asians share genetic material with prehistoric Denisovans (November 1, 2011) -- During human evolution our ancestors mated with Neanderthals, but also with other related hominids. Researchers have now shown that people in East Asia share genetic material with Denisovans, who got the name from the cave in Siberia where they were first found. ... > full story

Scientists predict faster retreat for Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier; Underwater ridge critical to future flow (November 1, 2011) -- The retreat of Antarctica's fast-flowing Thwaites Glacier is expected to speed up within 20 years, once the glacier detaches from an underwater ridge that is currently holding it back, according to a new study. The study is the latest to confirm the importance of seafloor topography in predicting how these glaciers will behave in the near future. ... > full story

Live longer with fewer calories? Key enzyme involved in aging process found (November 1, 2011) -- By consuming fewer calories, aging can be slowed down and the development of age-related diseases such as cancer and type 2 diabetes can be delayed. The earlier calorie intake is reduced, the greater the effect. Researchers have now identified one of the enzymes that hold the key to the aging process. ... > full story

Fighting fire with fire: 'Vampire' bacteria have potential as living antibiotic (November 1, 2011) -- A vampire-like bacterium that leeches onto specific other bacteria -- including certain human pathogens -- has the potential to serve as a living antibiotic for a range of infectious diseases, a new study indicates. ... > full story

Watermelon reduces atherosclerosis, animal study finds (November 1, 2011) -- In a recent study, watermelon was shown to reduce atherosclerosis in animals. ... > full story

Vaccine for cattle offers hope to poorest farmers (November 1, 2011) -- A new approach to vaccinating cattle could help farmers worldwide, research suggests. Scientists have developed a technique using a harmless parasite, which lives in cows but has no effect on their health, to carry medicines into the animals' bloodstream. ... > full story

Savannas and forests in a battle of the biomes (November 1, 2011) -- Climate change, land use and other human-driven factors could pit savannas and forests against each other by altering the elements found by researchers to stabilize the two. Without this harmony, the habitats, or biomes, could increasingly encroach on one other to the detriment of the people and animals that rely on them. ... > full story

Landsat's TIRS instrument comes out of first round of thermal vacuum testing (November 1, 2011) -- The Thermal Infrared Sensor that will fly on the next Landsat satellite came out of its first round of thermal vacuum testing recently at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. ... > full story

From tropics to poles: Study reveals diversity of life in soils (October 31, 2011) -- Microscopic animals that live in soils are as diverse in the tropical forests of Costa Rica as they are in the arid grasslands of Kenya, or the tundra and boreal forests of Alaska and Sweden, according to new research. Scientists have generally accepted that a wider range of species can be found above ground at the equator than at Earth's poles. But this study proves for the first time that the same rules don't apply to the nematodes, mites and springtails living underground. ... > full story

How major signaling pathways are wired to our genome gives new insight into disease processes (October 31, 2011) -- Scientists have determined that master transcription factors determine the genes regulated by key signaling pathways. In this way, signaling pathways are targeted to genes that are most relevant to each cell type and tailor gene expression to control cell state, growth, differentiation, and death. By manipulating signaling pathways, scientists may find new therapies for cancer and other diseases or ways to push cells into more specialized states, such as neurons to treat nerve damage or insulin-producing beta cells for diabetes. ... > full story

Meerkats recognize each other from their calls (October 31, 2011) -- Wild meerkats living in the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa recognize group members from their calls, behavior researchers have established for the first time. The researchers assume that meerkats can tell the individual group members apart. ... > full story

CSI-style investigation of meteorite hits on Earth (October 31, 2011) -- Volcanologists have forensically reconstructed the impact of a meteorite on Earth and how debris was hurled from the crater to devastate the surrounding region. ... > full story

Healthy mouth bacteria provide ideal conditions for gum disease (October 31, 2011) -- Gum disease can only develop with the help of normal bacteria living in the mouth, new research has revealed. ... > full story

Researchers build largest protein interaction map to date (October 31, 2011) -- Researchers have built a map that shows how thousands of proteins in a fruit fly cell communicate with each other. This is the largest and most detailed protein interaction map of a multicellular organism, demonstrating how approximately one third of the proteins cooperate to keep life going. ... > full story

Florida Keys ecosystem threatened by multiple stressors (October 31, 2011) -- Scientists have found that pressure from increasing coastal populations, ship and boat groundings, marine debris, poaching, and climate change are critically threatening the health of the Florida Keys ecosystem. ... > full story

Natural killer cells could be key to anthrax defense (October 31, 2011) -- Researchers have found new allies for the fight against anthrax. Known as natural killer cells, they're a part of the immune system normally associated with eliminating tumor cells and cells infected by viruses. But natural killer cells also attack bacteria -- including anthrax, according to a new study. ... > full story

Elaborate bird plumage due to testosterone? (October 31, 2011) -- In many bird species males have a more elaborate plumage than females. This elaborate plumage is often used to signal body condition, to intimidate rivals or to attract potential mates. In many cases plumage colouration also depends on the hormone testosterone. Researchers have now investigated whether this also holds true for sex role-reversed bird species. ... > full story

Human-caused climate change major factor in more frequent Mediterranean droughts (October 31, 2011) -- Wintertime droughts are increasingly common in the Mediterranean region, and human-caused climate change is partly responsible, according to a new analysis. In the last 20 years, 10 of the driest 12 winters have taken place in the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. ... > full story

Study analyzes only known footage of the largest woodpecker that ever lived (October 31, 2011) -- Most believe the imperial woodpecker faded unseen into history in the late 20th century in the high mountains of Mexico. But now the largest woodpecker that ever lived can be seen once more in an 85-second flight that offers us a lesson its behavior, and ours. ... > full story

Global warming target to stay below 2 degrees requires more action this decade, scientists say (October 31, 2011) -- Climate scientists say the world's target to stay below a global warming of 2 degrees, made at the United Nations conference in Copenhagen in 2009 and Cancun 2010 will require decisive action this decade. ... > full story

Different paths to drug resistance in Leishmania: Evolution by changes in gene, region and chromosome number, not by mutation in genes (October 31, 2011) -- Two remarkable discoveries have been revealed by researchers into genome analysis of Leishmania parasites. These results uncovered a surprising level of variation at the genome structure level. ... > full story

Yeast model connects Alzheimer's disease risk and amyloid beta toxicity (October 31, 2011) -- In a development that sheds new light on the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), a team of scientists has identified connections between genetic risk factors for the disease and the effects of a peptide toxic to nerve cells in the brains of AD patients. ... > full story

Tropical rainforests original generators of biodiversity (October 31, 2011) -- The tropical rainforests harbor a multitude of living resources. Where, when and how did this wealth of biodiversity appear? To find answers to these fundamental questions, biologists have realized the first evolutionary history of a family of plants characteristic of this ecosystem: palms (Arecaceae or Palmae). ... > full story

Prehistoric greenhouse data from ocean floor could predict Earth's future, study finds (October 30, 2011) -- New research indicates that Atlantic Ocean temperatures during the greenhouse climate of the Late Cretaceous Epoch were influenced by circulation in the deep ocean. These changes in circulation patterns 70 million years ago could help scientists understand the consequences of modern increases in greenhouse gases. ... > full story

Intestinal stem cells respond to food by supersizing the gut (October 30, 2011) -- Many organs, from muscles and intestines to the liver, change size during adulthood. A new study shows that adult stem cells are key to these changes. Working with fruit flies, biologists discovered that after eating, the gut secretes insulin that activates stem cells into overdrive to grow the gut. In flies, the midgut can quadruple in size within four days. The finding could have implications for diabetes and obesity in humans. ... > full story

Novel strategy stymies SARS and other viruses: Versatile inhibitor prevents viral replication (October 30, 2011) -- Broad-spectrum antiviral drugs are urgently needed but have so far eluded discovery. Researchers have now identified a new point of attack. Moreover, they show that targeting of this molecule inhibits the growth of a wide range of viruses, including the SARS virus – at least in cell culture. ... > full story

'New paradigm' in the way drugs can be manufactured: New method to build important heparin drug (October 30, 2011) -- Researchers working to change forever the way some of the most widely used drugs in the world are manufactured have announced an important step toward making this a reality. ... > full story

Python study may have implications for human heart health (October 29, 2011) -- A surprising new study shows that huge amounts of fatty acids circulating in the bloodstreams of feeding pythons promote healthy heart growth, results that may have implications for treating human heart disease. ... > full story

How motherhood behavior is influenced by alterations in brain function (October 29, 2011) -- Instinctive mothering behavior towards care of newborns has long been recognized as a phenomenon in humans and animals, but now research has shown that motherhood is associated with the acquisition of a host of new behaviors that are driven, at least in part, by alterations in brain function. ... > full story

Specific gene linked to cold sore susceptibility, study finds (October 28, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a human chromosome containing a specific gene associated with susceptibility to herpes simplex labialis, the common cold sore. The study looks at how several genes may affect the severity of symptoms and frequency of this common infection. The findings, if confirmed, could have implications for the development of new drugs to treat outbreaks. ... > full story

Simple nerve cells regulate swimming depth of marine plankton (October 28, 2011) -- As planktonic organisms the larvae of the marine annelid Platynereis swim freely in the open water. They move by activity of their cilia, thousands of tiny hair-like structures forming a band along the larval body and beating coordinately. With changing environmental conditions the larvae swim upward and downward to their appropriate water depth. Scientists have now identified some signalling substances in the larval nervous system regulating swimming depth of the larvae. These substances influence the ciliary beating and thus hold the larvae in the preferred water depth. The scientists discovered a very simple circuitry of nerve cells underlying this regulation, reflecting an early evolutionary state of the nervous system. ... > full story

Celestial compass obscured by urban light pollution for some nocturnal animals (October 28, 2011) -- Urban light pollution has been shown to reduce the visibility of not only the stars, but also of an important navigational signal for some nocturnal animals. During clear moonlit nights, a compass-like pattern of polarized light that is invisible to the human eye stretches across the sky. The nighttime skyglow over major cities renders this celestial compass unobservable over large areas, according to a new study. ... > full story

Do bacteria age? Biologists discover the answer follows simple economics (October 28, 2011) -- When a bacterial cell divides into two daughter cells and those two cells divide into four more daughters, then 8, then 16 and so on, the result, biologists have long assumed, is an eternally youthful population of bacteria. Bacteria, in other words, don't age -- at least not in the same way all other organisms do. But a study questions that longstanding paradigm. Researchers conclude that not only do bacteria age, but that their ability to age allows bacteria to improve the evolutionary fitness of their population by diversifying their reproductive investment between older and more youthful daughters. ... > full story

Rising to a global health challenge, students coax yeast cells to add vitamins to bread (October 28, 2011) -- Any way you slice it, bread that contains critical nutrients could help combat malnutrition in impoverished regions. That is the goal of a group of undergraduate students who are enhancing common yeast so that it makes vitamin-producing bread. ... > full story

Governments must plan for migration in response to climate change, researchers say (October 28, 2011) -- Governments around the world must be prepared for mass migrations caused by rising global temperatures or face the possibility of calamitous results, say scientists. ... > full story