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Saturday, January 28, 2012

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News


NASA study solves case of Earth's 'missing energy'

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 02:32 PM PST

Two years ago, scientists released a study claiming that inconsistencies between satellite observations of Earth's heat and measurements of ocean heating amounted to evidence of "missing energy" in the planet's system. Where was it going? Or, they wondered, was something wrong with the way researchers tracked energy as it was absorbed from the sun and emitted back into space? An international team of atmospheric scientists and oceanographers set out to investigate the mystery.

What really happened prior to 'Snowball Earth'?

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 11:05 AM PST

The large changes in the carbon isotopic composition of carbonates which occurred prior to the major climatic event more than 500 million years ago, known as "Snowball Earth," are unrelated to worldwide glacial events, a new study suggests.

Making poisonous plants and seeds safe and palatable: Canola now, cannabis next?

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST

Every night millions of people go to bed hungry. New genetic technology can help us feed the world by making inedible seeds edible and tasty.

Heart of silk: Scientists use silk from the tasar silkworm as a scaffold for heart tissue

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 10:59 AM PST

Damaged human heart muscle cannot be regenerated. Scar tissue grows in place of the damaged muscle cells. Scientists are seeking to restore complete cardiac function with the help of artificial cardiac tissue. They have succeeded in loading cardiac muscle cells onto a three-dimensional scaffold, created using the silk produced by a tropical silkworm.

Giant cell reveals metabolic secrets

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 10:54 AM PST

Chemical reactions within the cell produce intermediate and end products in the form of small molecules called metabolites. Using an approach called metabolomics, researchers have elucidated the localization and dynamics of 125 metabolites within a single giant cell of the freshwater alga Chara australis1. The team's findings provide important insights into the fundamental processes of cells in general.

New biodiversity map of Andes shows species in dire need of protection

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 07:39 PM PST

The Andes-Amazon basin of Peru and Bolivia is one of the most biologically rich and rapidly changing areas of the world. A new study has used information collected over the last 100 years by explorers and from satellite images which reveals detailed patterns of species and ecosystems that occur only in this region. Worryingly, the study also finds that many of these unique species and ecosystems are lacking vital national level protection. Endemic species are restricted to a specific area and occur nowhere else. These species are especially vulnerable to climate and environmental changes because they require unique climates and soil conditions.

Can the economy bear what oil prices have in store?

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 07:36 PM PST

The economic pain of a flattening oil supply will trump the environment as a reason to curb the use of fossil fuels, say scientists.

Strategic research plan needed to help avoid potential risks of nanomaterials

Posted: 25 Jan 2012 08:31 AM PST

Despite extensive investment in nanotechnology and increasing commercialization over the last decade, insufficient understanding remains about the environmental, health, and safety aspects of nanomaterials. Without a coordinated research plan to help guide efforts to manage and avoid potential risks, the future of safe and sustainable nanotechnology is uncertain, says a new report.

Life discovered on dead hydrothermal vents

Posted: 24 Jan 2012 03:42 PM PST

Microbiologists have found that the microbes that thrive on hot fluid methane and sulfur spewed by active hydrothermal vents are supplanted, once the vents go cold, by microbes that feed on the solid iron and sulfur that make up the vents themselves.

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