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Thursday, December 15, 2011

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News


Dinosaurs with killer claws yield new theory about evolution of flight

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 02:15 PM PST

New research has revealed how dinosaurs like Velociraptor and Deinonychus used their famous killer claws, leading to a new hypothesis on the evolution of flight in birds.

Artichokes grow big in Texas

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 11:47 AM PST

Marketable yield, yield components, quality, and phenolic compounds of artichoke heads were investigated in response to three irrigation regimes and four nitrogen rates under subsurface drip irrigation. Results showed that irrigation was more effective than N management for optimizing artichoke yield. Time of harvest had the largest effect on artichoke nutritional quality, followed by deficit irrigation. The study will help introduce artichoke cultural practices into commercial production in water-limited regions of the southern United States.

New eco-friendly foliar spray provides natural anti-freeze

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 10:58 AM PST

A new, biodegradable foliar/floral spray that increases plant resistance to both cold damage and cold mortality has been introduced to the commercial market. The spray improved cold tolerance by approximately 2°F to 9°F, depending on the variety of plant and the duration/ intensity of frost or freeze. Use of the non-toxic spray could add the equivalent of approximately 0.25 to almost 1.0 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone to the cold hardiness rating of plants.

Glow of recognition: New detectors could provide easy visual identification of toxins or pathogens

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 07:29 AM PST

Researchers have developed a new way of revealing the presence of specific chemicals -- whether toxins, disease markers, pathogens or explosives. The system visually signals the presence of a target chemical by emitting a fluorescent glow.

Mercury releases into the atmosphere from ancient to modern times

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 07:28 AM PST

In pursuit of riches and energy over the last 5,000 years, humans have released into the environment 385,000 tons of mercury, the source of numerous health concerns, according to a new study that challenges the idea that releases of the metal are on the decline.

Pythons and people take turns as predators and prey

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 07:28 AM PST

People and giant snakes not only target each other for food -- they also compete for the same prey, according to a new study.

Follow your nose: Compared to Neanderthals, modern humans have a better sense of smell

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 07:18 AM PST

High-tech medical imaging techniques were recently used to access internal structures of fossil human skulls. Researchers used sophisticated 3-D methods to quantify the shape of the basal brain as reflected in the morphology of the skeletal cranial base. Their findings reveal that the human temporal lobes, involved in language, memory and social functions as well as the olfactory bulbs are relatively larger in Homo sapiens than in Neanderthals.

Complex sex life of goats could have implications for wildlife management

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 06:48 AM PST

A new study of the mating habits of mountain goats reveals the vastly different strategies of males in different populations and could shed light on the unseen impacts of hunting.

Increasing atmospheric concentrations of new flame retardants found

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 06:48 AM PST

Compounds used in new flame-retardant products are showing up in the environment at increasing concentrations, according to a recent study.

Why buttercups reflect yellow on chins: Research sheds light on children’s game and provides insight into pollination

Posted: 13 Dec 2011 05:33 PM PST

Scientists have found that the distinctive glossiness of the buttercup flower, which children like to shine under the chin to test whether their friends like butter, is related to its unique anatomical structure.

Salt-tolerant crops show higher capacity for carbon fixation

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 09:47 AM PST

Scientists compared carbon fixation by five plant species under conditions of salinity. Salt tolerance and its relationship with plant CO2 fixation were analyzed. The net photosynthetic rate, gS, and transpiration rate were measured at atmospheric CO2 during the daytime and related to the total chlorophyll, carbon, and mineral contents of the crops. Tomato and watermelon proved to be more efficient in CO2 fixation than the other crops tested.

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