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Thursday, February 16, 2012

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News


Time of year important in projections of climate change effects on ecosystems

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 12:53 PM PST

Based on more than 25 years of data, ecologists looked at how droughts and heat waves affect grass growth during different months of the year.

Extreme summer temperatures occur more frequently in U.S. now, analysis shows

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 11:31 AM PST

Extreme summer temperatures are already occurring more frequently in the United States, and will become normal by mid-century if the world continues on a business as usual schedule of emitting greenhouse gases. By analyzing observations and results obtained from climate models, a new study has shown that previously rare high summertime (June, July and August) temperatures are already occurring more frequently in some regions of the 48 contiguous United States.

Computer sleuthing helps unravel RNA's role in cellular function

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 11:31 AM PST

Computer engineers may have just provided the medical community a new way of figuring out exactly how one of the three building blocks of life forms and functions. They have used a complex computer program to analyze RNA motifs – the subunits that make up RNA.

Climate change may increase risk of water shortages in hundreds of US counties by 2050

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 11:30 AM PST

More than one in three counties in the US could face a "high" or "extreme" risk of water shortages due to climate change by the middle of the 21st century, according to a new study. The report concluded seven in 10 of the more than 3,100 counties could face "some" risk of shortages of fresh water.

Out of Africa? Data fail to support language origin in Africa

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 11:30 AM PST

Last year, a report claiming to support the idea that the origin of language can be traced to West Africa appeared in Science. The article caused quite a stir. Now a linguist has challenged its conclusions, in a commentary just published in Science.

Prions play powerful role in the survival and evolution of wild yeast strains

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 11:28 AM PST

Scientists have tested nearly 700 wild yeast strains isolated from diverse environments for the presence of known and unknown prion elements, finding them in one third of all strains. All the prions appear capable of creating diverse new traits, nearly half of which are beneficial. These unexpected findings stand as strong evidence against the common argument that prions are merely yeast "diseases" or rare artifacts of laboratory culture.

Lava formations in Western U.S. linked to rip in giant slab of Earth

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 11:28 AM PST

Scientists have proposed mass melting as a new force behind volcanic activity in the Columbia River region.

Tiny chameleons discovered in Madagascar: Small enough to stand on the tip of a finger

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 05:30 AM PST

Four new species of miniaturized lizards have been identified in Madagascar. These lizards, just tens of millimeters from head to tail and in some cases small enough to stand on the head of a match, rank among the smallest reptiles in the world.

Malaria parasite goes bananas before sex

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 07:09 AM PST

New research shows how the malaria parasite changes into a banana shape before sexual reproduction, a finding that could provide targets for vaccine or drug development and may explain how the parasite evades the human immune system.

Research reveals the true cost of a burger

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 07:08 AM PST

Society could considerably reduce its carbon footprint if more of us switched to a vegetarian diet, according to new research.

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