ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Deconstructing a mystery: What caused Snowmaggedon?
• Most lethal known species of prion protein identified
• 3-D laser map shows earthquake before and after
• Ocean microbe communities changing, but long-term environmental impact is unclear
• Ocean warming causes elephant seals to dive deeper
• How the zebra got its stripes
• Amazing skin gives sharks a push
• Cellular switches: From the RNA world to the 'modern' protein world
• Fruit fly turn-on: A sexy, youthful smell may make up for advancing age
• Global sea level rise: NASA mission takes stock of Earth's melting land ice
• Continental mosquito with 'vector' potential found breeding in UK after 60 year absence
• How DNA finds its match

Deconstructing a mystery: What caused Snowmaggedon? Posted: 09 Feb 2012 12:28 PM PST Scientists are using computer models to help unravel the mystery of a record-setting snowfall in the Washington, DC area in early 2010.

Most lethal known species of prion protein identified Posted: 09 Feb 2012 12:28 PM PST Scientists have identified a single prion protein that causes neuronal death similar to that seen in "mad cow" disease, but is at least 10 times more lethal than larger prion species.

3-D laser map shows earthquake before and after Posted: 09 Feb 2012 11:40 AM PST Geologists have a new tool to study how earthquakes change the landscape down to a few inches, and it's giving them insight into how earthquake faults behave.

Ocean microbe communities changing, but long-term environmental impact is unclear Posted: 09 Feb 2012 11:40 AM PST As oceans warm due to climate change, water layers will mix less and affect the microbes and plankton that pump carbon out of the atmosphere – but researchers say it's still unclear whether these processes will further increase global warming or decrease it. It could be either, they say.

Ocean warming causes elephant seals to dive deeper Posted: 09 Feb 2012 11:02 AM PST Global warming is having an effect on the dive behavior and search for food of southern elephant seals. Researchers have discovered that the seals dive deeper for food when in warmer water. The scientists attribute this behavior to the migration of prey to greater depths and now wish to check this theory using a new sensor which registers the feeding of the animals below water.

How the zebra got its stripes Posted: 09 Feb 2012 07:17 AM PST Horseflies are unpleasant insects that deliver powerful bites and now it seems that zebras evolved their stripes to avoid attracting the unpleasant pests. New research show that zebras have the least attractive hides for horseflies.

Amazing skin gives sharks a push Posted: 09 Feb 2012 07:17 AM PST Shark skin has long been known to improve the fish's swimming performance by reducing drag, but now a new study show that in addition, the skin generates thrust, giving the fish an extra boost. The duo also discovered that Speedo's shark skin-inspired Fastskin® FS II fabric surface does not improve swimming speed, although they point out that the figure hugging costumes probably enhance performance in other ways.

Cellular switches: From the RNA world to the 'modern' protein world Posted: 09 Feb 2012 07:16 AM PST Scientists have discovered the molecular mechanism of a G protein family. G proteins play a central role in cellular signal processing. They are described as molecular switches that oscillate between 'on' and 'off', regulated by effectors. Biochemists have now gained fundamental insights into the mechanics of these switches.

Fruit fly turn-on: A sexy, youthful smell may make up for advancing age Posted: 09 Feb 2012 07:14 AM PST Beauty is more than skin deep, at least for fruit flies studied in new research that demonstrates how age-related changes in pheromone production can reduce sexual attractiveness.

Global sea level rise: NASA mission takes stock of Earth's melting land ice Posted: 09 Feb 2012 07:05 AM PST In the first comprehensive satellite study of its kind, researchers have used NASA data to calculate how much Earth's melting land ice is adding to global sea level rise. Using satellite measurements from the NASA/German Aerospace Center Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), the researchers measured ice loss in all of Earth's land ice between 2003 and 2010, with particular emphasis on glaciers and ice caps outside of Greenland and Antarctica. The total global ice mass lost from Greenland, Antarctica and Earth's glaciers and ice caps during the study period was about 4.3 trillion tons (1,000 cubic miles), adding about 0.5 inches (12 millimeters) to global sea level. That's enough ice to cover the United States 1.5 feet (0.5 meters) deep.

Continental mosquito with 'vector' potential found breeding in UK after 60 year absence Posted: 08 Feb 2012 07:02 PM PST A species of mosquito has been discovered breeding in the UK that has not been seen in the country since 1945. Populations of the mosquito, found across mainland Europe and known only by its Latin name Culex modestus, were recorded at a number of sites in the marshes of north Kent and south Essex in 2010 and 2011.

How DNA finds its match Posted: 08 Feb 2012 10:23 AM PST It's been more than 50 years since James Watson and Francis Crick showed that DNA is a double helix of two strands that complement each other. But how does a short piece of DNA find its match, out of the millions of 'letters' in even a small genome? New work shows how it's done.

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