ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Wednesday, November 9, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Wednesday, November 9, 2011

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European biofuels are as carbon intensive as petrol, new study suggests (November 8, 2011) -- New research into greenhouse gas emissions from oil palm plantations provides robust measures now being used to inform international policies on greenhouse gas emissions. ... > full story

Castles in the desert: Satellites reveal lost cities of Libya (November 8, 2011) -- Satellite imagery has uncovered new evidence of a lost civilization of the Sahara in Libya's south-western desert wastes that will help re-write the history of the country. The fall of Gaddafi has opened the way for archaeologists to explore the country's pre-Islamic heritage, so long ignored under his regime. ... > full story

Aging could influence climate change: Individual carbon dioxide emissions decline in old age (November 8, 2011) -- New demographic analysis reveals that the carbon dioxide emissions of the average American increase until around the age of 65, and then start to decrease. For the United States this means that, although the aging of the population will lead to a slight overall rise in CO2 emissions over the next four decades, the long-term trends indicate that increasing life expectancy will result in a reduction in emissions. ... > full story

Sea life 'must swim faster to survive' to survive climate change (November 8, 2011) -- Fish and other sea creatures will have to travel large distances to survive climate change, international marine scientists have warned. Sea life, particularly in the Indian Ocean, the Western and Eastern Pacific and the subarctic oceans will face growing pressures to adapt or relocate to escape extinction, according to a new study. ... > full story

Researchers ink nanostructures with tiny 'soldering iron' (November 8, 2011) -- Researchers have shed light on the role of temperature in controlling a fabrication technique for drawing surface chemical patterns as small as 20 nanometers. This technique could provide an inexpensive, fast route to growing and patterning a wide variety of materials on surfaces for the fabrication of electrical circuits and chemical sensors, or for the study of how pharmaceuticals bind to proteins and viruses. ... > full story

Nanotubes in environment 'rob' green algae of space and light (November 8, 2011) -- Nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes, which are found in an ever-increasing number of products, are ending up more and more frequently in our surroundings. If and how they affect aquatic ecosystems are questions which are still unanswered. An new study shows that while carbon nanotubes do not have toxic effects on green algae they do inhibit its growth by depriving the plant of light and space. ... > full story

Removing sugar-sweetened beverages from schools associated with reduced access to, but not consumption of these beverages among adolescents (November 8, 2011) -- State policies banning all sugar-sweetened beverages in schools are associated with reduced in-school access and purchase of these beverages, however these policies are not associated with a reduction in overall consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, according to a new report. ... > full story

Ancient DNA provides new insights into cave paintings of horses (November 8, 2011) -- An international team of researchers has used ancient DNA to shed new light on the realism of horses depicted in prehistoric cave paintings. The team, which includes researchers from the University of York, has found that all the colour variations seen in Paleolithic cave paintings – including distinctive ‘leopard’ spotting - existed in pre-domestic horse populations, lending weight to the argument that the artists were reflecting their natural environment. ... > full story

Biologists use flies and mice to get to the heart of Down syndrome (November 8, 2011) -- A novel study involving fruit flies and mice has allowed biologists to identify two critical genes responsible for congenital heart defects in individuals with Down syndrome, a major cause of infant mortality and death in people born with this genetic disorder. ... > full story

Critical step to opening elusive class of compounds to drug discovery (November 8, 2011) -- Taxanes are a family of compounds that includes one of the most important cancer drugs ever discovered, Taxol, among other cancer treatments. But the difficulty producing these complex molecules in the lab has hampered or blocked exploration of the family for further drug leads. Scientists have now successfully achieved a major step toward the goal of synthetically producing Taxol and other complex taxanes on a quest to harness chemical reactions that could enable research on previously unavailable potential drugs. ... > full story

Culprit identified: Fungus causes deadly bat disease (November 8, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered that the fungus Geomyces destructans is the cause of deadly white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats, according to new research. The study provides the first direct evidence that the fungus G. destructans causes WNS, a rapidly spreading disease in North American bats. ... > full story

Hi-tech scans catch prehistoric mite hitching ride on spider (November 8, 2011) -- Scientists have produced amazing three-dimensional images of a prehistoric mite as it hitched a ride on the back of a 50-million-year-old spider. At just 176 micrometres long and barely visible to the naked eye, the mite -- trapped inside Baltic amber (fossil tree resin) -- is believed to be the smallest arthropod fossil ever to be scanned using X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning techniques. ... > full story

Tropical forests fertilized by nitrogen air pollution, scientists find (November 7, 2011) -- Scientists braved ticks and a tiger to discover how human activities have perturbed the nitrogen cycle in tropical forests. Studies at two remote Smithsonian Institution Global Earth Observatory sites in Panama and Thailand show the first evidence of long-term effects of nitrogen pollution in tropical trees. ... > full story

Flash forward 100 years: Climate change scenarios in California's Bay-Delta (November 7, 2011) -- Scientists investigated how California's interconnected San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the Bay-Delta system) is expected to change from 2010 to 2099 in response to both fast and moderate climate warming scenarios. Results indicate that this area will feel impacts of global climate change in the next century with shifts in its biological communities, rising sea level, and modified water supplies. ... > full story

Brain parasite directly alters brain chemistry (November 7, 2011) -- A research group from the University of Leeds has shown that infection by the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii, found in 10-20 percent of the UK's population, directly affects the production of dopamine, a key chemical messenger in the brain. ... > full story

Why oxygen becomes the undoing of proteins (November 7, 2011) -- Scientists have published a new study explaining why enzymes used for the production of hydrogen are so sensitive to oxygen. They used spectroscopic methods to investigate the time course of the processes that lead to the inactivation of the enzyme's iron center. ... > full story

Hospital tests reveal the secrets of an Egyptian mummy (November 7, 2011) -- An ancient Egyptian mummy has had quite an afterlife, traveling more than 6,000 miles, spending six decades in private hands, and finally, in 1989, finding a home at the World Heritage Museum (now the Spurlock Museum) at the University of Illinois. The mummy's travels did not end there, however. It has made two trips to a local hospital -- once in 1990 and again this year -- for some not-so-routine medical exams. ... > full story

Scientists find evidence of ancient megadrought in southwestern U.S. (November 7, 2011) -- A new study has revealed a previously unknown multi-decade drought period in the second century A.D. The findings give evidence that extended periods of aridity have occurred at intervals throughout our past. Almost 900 years ago, in the mid-12th century, the southwestern U.S. was in the middle of a multi-decade megadrought. It was the most recent extended period of severe drought known for this region. But it was not the first. The second century A.D. saw an extended dry period of more than 100 years characterized by a multi-decade drought lasting nearly 50 years, according to the study. ... > full story

Sequencing 1,000 fungal genomes (November 7, 2011) -- A 79-year-old collection of fungal cultures will aid in the sequencing 1,000 fungal genomes in the next 5 years. ... > full story

Meningitis may be eradicated: New vaccine brings hope (November 6, 2011) -- Outbreaks of meningitis can quickly reach epidemic proportions across a number of African countries, afflicting tens of thousands of people. Now a new vaccine appears capable of completely eradicating the disease. ... > full story

It takes two: Brains come wired for cooperation, neuroscientists discover (November 6, 2011) -- The brain was built for cooperative activity, whether it be dancing on a TV reality show, building a skyscraper or working in an office, according to new research by neuroscientists. ... > full story

Dirt prevents allergy, Danish research suggests (November 6, 2011) -- If infants encounter a wide range of bacteria they are less at risk of developing allergic disease later in life, new research from Denmark suggests. ... > full story

NASA airborne mission maps remote, deteriorating glaciers (November 5, 2011) -- NASA's airborne expedition over Antarctica this October and November has measured the change in glaciers vital to sea level rise projections and mapped others rarely traversed by humans. ... > full story

Brain probe that softens after insertion causes less scarring (November 4, 2011) -- A hard probe inserted in the cerebral cortex of a rat model turns nearly as pliable as the surrounding gray matter in minutes, and induces less of the tough scarring that walls off hard probes that do not change, researchers have found. ... > full story

New International Space Station camera reveals the cosmic shore (November 4, 2011) -- Part of human fascination with space is the chance to look back at our own planet from afar. The unique vantage from the International Space Station affords a vista both breathtaking and scientifically illuminating. ... > full story

Climate shift could leave some marine species homeless (November 4, 2011) -- Rising temperatures will force many species of animals and plants to move to other regions and could leave some marine species with nowhere to go, according to new research. ... > full story

Alternate ending: Living on without telomerase (November 4, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered an alternative mechanism for the extension of the telomere repeat sequence by DNA repair enzymes. ... > full story

Hybrid power plants can help industry go green: Affordable solar option for power plants (November 4, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a technology that combines the conventional fuel used in today's power plants with the lower pressures and temperatures of steam produced by solar power. His new "hybrid" power plant is a potentially cost-effective and realistic way to integrate solar technology into existing power plants. ... > full story

Pulsating response to stress in bacteria discovered (November 4, 2011) -- Turning on the heater is a reasonable response to a cold environment: switch to a toastier state until it warms up outside. Biologists have long thought cells would respond to their environment in a similar way. But now researchers are finding that cells can respond using a pulsating mechanism. The principles behind this process are surprisingly simple and could drive other cellular processes, revealing more about how the cells -- and ultimately life -- work. ... > full story

Analysis reveals malaria, other diseases as ancient, adaptive and persistent foes (November 4, 2011) -- One of the most comprehensive analyses yet done of the ancient history of insect-borne disease concludes for the first time that malaria is not only native to the New World, but it has been present long before humans existed and has evolved through birds and monkeys. ... > full story

Solar energy: Solar concentrator increases collection with less loss (November 4, 2011) -- Converting sunlight into electricity is not economically attractive because of the high cost of solar cells, but a recent, purely optical approach to improving luminescent solar concentrators may ease the problem, according to researchers. ... > full story

Evolution during human colonizations: Selective advantage of being there first (November 4, 2011) -- The first individuals settling on new land are more successful at passing on their genes than those who did not migrate, according to new research. ... > full story

Dormant malaria parsites in red blood cells may contribute to treatment failure, study suggests (November 4, 2011) -- Researchers have shown for the first time in a rodent model that the earliest form of malaria parasites can lay dormant in red blood cells and "wake up," or recover, following treatment with the antimalarial drug artesunate. ... > full story

Experts recommend the inclusion of rainwater-collection systems in cities (November 4, 2011) -- Plain, sloping roofs can collect up to 50 percent more rainwater than flat roofs with gravel. This water is also of higher quality. These are the conclusions of a study conducted by researchers in Spain that suggests the incorporation of systems to collect rainwater in urban planning. The water collected can be used to water streets and gardens, wash floors or vehicles and fill cisterns. ... > full story

Newborn period may be crucial time to prevent later diabetes, animal study suggests (November 3, 2011) -- Pediatric researchers who tested newborn animals with an existing human drug used in adults with diabetes report that this drug, when given very early in life, prevents diabetes from developing in adult animals. If this finding can be repeated in humans, it may become a way to prevent at-risk infants from developing Type 2 diabetes. ... > full story

Thousand-color sensor reveals contaminants in earth and sea: Technology spots environmental hazards (November 3, 2011) -- A researcher has developed a special camera that can detect more than 1,000 colors -- and can diagnose contaminants and other environmental hazards in real time. ... > full story

Astrobiologists discover 'sweet spots' for the formation of complex organic molecules in the galaxy (November 3, 2011) -- Scientists have compiled years of research to help locate areas in outer space that have extreme potential for complex organic molecule formation. The scientists searched for methanol, a key ingredient in the synthesis of organic molecules that could lead to life. Their results have implications for determining the origins of molecules that spark life in the cosmos. ... > full story

Fertilized oocytes digest paternal mitochondria (November 3, 2011) -- During fertilization, the entire spermatozoon enters the oocyte. However, most of its organelles, including mitochondria, are not transmitted to the offspring. A new study demonstrates for the first time how the spermatozoon organelles are digested by the oocyte shortly after fertilization. These findings could improve cloning and medically-assisted reproductive technology and help to better understand the evolutionary origin of the elimination of paternal mitochondria. ... > full story

Australian technology aims to make storing radioactive waste safer (November 3, 2011) -- Australian researchers have developed new technology capable of removing radioactive material from contaminated water and aiding clean-up efforts following nuclear disasters. ... > full story

Gene therapy shows promise as hemophilia treatment in animal studies (November 3, 2011) -- For the first time, researchers have combined gene therapy and stem cell transplantation to successfully reverse the severe, crippling bleeding disorder hemophilia A in large animals, opening the door to the development of new therapies for human patients. ... > full story

Chromosomal 'breakpoints' linked to canine cancer (November 3, 2011) -- Researchers have uncovered evidence that evolutionary "breakpoints" on canine chromosomes are also associated with canine cancer. Mapping these "fragile" regions in dogs may also have implications for the discovery and treatment of human cancers. ... > full story

Discovery of new gene could improve efficiency of molecular factories (November 3, 2011) -- The discovery of a new gene is helping researchers envision more-efficient molecular factories of the future. ... > full story

Fruit fly intestine may hold secret to fountain of youth: Long-lived fruit flies offer clues to slowing human aging and fighting disease (November 3, 2011) -- One of the few reliable ways to extend an organism's lifespan, be it a fruit fly or a mouse, is to restrict calorie intake. Now, a new study in fruit flies is helping to explain why such minimal diets are linked to longevity and offering clues to the effects of aging on stem cell behavior. ... > full story

Humans and climate contributed to extinctions of large Ice Age mammals, new study finds (November 3, 2011) -- Both climate change and humans were responsible for the extinction of some large mammals, according to research that is the first of its kind to use genetic, archeological, and climatic data together to infer the population history of large Ice Age mammals. The large international team's research is expected to shed light on the possible fates of living species of mammals as our planet continues its current warming cycle. ... > full story

Nicotine as a gateway drug: Biological mechanism in mice identified (November 3, 2011) -- A landmark study in mice identifies a biological mechanism that could help explain how tobacco products could act as gateway drugs, increasing a person's future likelihood of abusing cocaine and perhaps other drugs as well, according to researchers. The study is the first to show that nicotine might prime the brain to enhance the behavioral effects of cocaine. ... > full story

'Saber-toothed squirrel': First known mammalian skull from Late Cretaceous in South America (November 3, 2011) -- Paleontologists have discovered two skulls from the first known mammal of the early Late Cretaceous period of South America. The fossils break a roughly 60 million-year gap in the currently known mammalian record of the continent and provide new clues on the early evolution of mammals. ... > full story

Solar power could get boost from new light absorption design (November 3, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new material that absorbs a wide range of wavelengths and could lead to more efficient and less expensive solar technology. ... > full story

Kicking hybrids out of carpool lanes backfires, slowing traffic for all, study finds (November 3, 2011) -- The end of a California program granting free access to carpool lanes by solo drivers of hybrid cars has unintentionally slowed traffic in all lanes, according to a new report. It turns out that when regular-use lanes became more congested with the addition of more hybrids, the carpool lanes slowed down as well. ... > full story