ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

---

• The future of plant science: A technology perspective
• Unexpected crustacean diversity discovered in northern freshwater ecosystems
• Gasoline worse than diesel when it comes to some types of air pollution
• Helping protect vulnerable birds from impacts of climate change
• Effects of environmental toxicants reach down through generations
• Nearby chimpanzee populations show much greater genetic diversity than distant human populations
• Artificial 'womb' unlocks secrets of early embryo development
• When one side does not know about the other one: Specialization and cooperation of the brain hemispheres
• Fukushima one year on: poor planning hampered Fukushima response
• Breaking up isn't hard to do: The secret lives of corals on dark and stormy nights
• New possibilities for immune suppression through cyclic plant peptides

The future of plant science: A technology perspective Posted: 02 Mar 2012 05:18 PM PST Plant science is key to addressing the major challenges facing humanity in the 21st Century, according to experts. Researchers argue that the development of new technology is key to transforming plant biology in order to meet human needs.

Unexpected crustacean diversity discovered in northern freshwater ecosystems Posted: 02 Mar 2012 04:39 PM PST Freshwater ecosystems in northern regions are home to significantly more species of water fleas than traditionally thought, adding to evidence that regions with vanishing waters contain unique animal life.

Gasoline worse than diesel when it comes to some types of air pollution Posted: 02 Mar 2012 04:39 PM PST The exhaust fumes from gasoline vehicles contribute more to the production of a specific type of air pollution-secondary organic aerosols -than those from diesel vehicles, according to a new study.

Helping protect vulnerable birds from impacts of climate change Posted: 02 Mar 2012 04:39 PM PST Scientists have completed an innovative study of the effects of climate change on bird species of greatest concern. This novel study prioritizes which birds are most at risk and will help guide conservation measures in California. Endangered species and wetland birds are two highly vulnerable groups.

Effects of environmental toxicants reach down through generations Posted: 02 Mar 2012 07:18 AM PST Scientists have now demonstrated that a variety of environmental toxicants can have negative effects on not just an exposed animal but the next three generations of its offspring. The animal's DNA sequence remains unchanged, but the compounds change the way genes turn on and off -- the epigenetic effect, according to molecular biologists. The researchers saw females reaching puberty earlier, increased rates in the decay and death of sperm cells and lower numbers of ovarian follicles that later become eggs.

Nearby chimpanzee populations show much greater genetic diversity than distant human populations Posted: 02 Mar 2012 07:17 AM PST Chimpanzee populations living in relatively close proximity are substantially more different genetically than humans living on different continents, according to a new study. The study suggests that genomics can provide a valuable new tool for use in chimpanzee conservation, with the potential to identify the population of origin of an individual chimpanzee or the provenance of a sample of bush meat.

Artificial 'womb' unlocks secrets of early embryo development Posted: 02 Mar 2012 07:15 AM PST Pioneering work has helped reveal for the first time a vital process in the development of the early mammalian embryo.

When one side does not know about the other one: Specialization and cooperation of the brain hemispheres Posted: 02 Mar 2012 07:15 AM PST Whenever we are doing something, one of our brain hemispheres is more active than the other one. However, some tasks are only solvable with both sides working together. Researchers are investigating, how such specializations and co-operations arise. Based on a pigeon-model, they are showing for the first time in an experimental way, that the ability to combine complex impressions from both hemispheres, depends on environmental factors in the embryonic stage.

Fukushima one year on: poor planning hampered Fukushima response Posted: 02 Mar 2012 05:30 AM PST One year after  an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, 2011, an independent investigation panel has highlighted the country's failures in disaster planning and crisis management for the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The article shows that agencies were thoroughly unprepared for the cascading nuclear disaster, following a tsunami that should have been anticipated.

Breaking up isn't hard to do: The secret lives of corals on dark and stormy nights Posted: 01 Mar 2012 11:34 AM PST Forming a unique part of the animal kingdom, corals have built the only living entity visible from space: the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists have recently discovered a previously unknown reproductive strategy in corals, adding another dimension to our understanding of their complex life cycles.

New possibilities for immune suppression through cyclic plant peptides Posted: 01 Mar 2012 05:39 AM PST Scientists have decoded a mechanism in cyclic plant peptides, known as cyclotides, from the family of coffee plants (Rubiaceae) that could open up new possibilities for immune suppression.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Environment News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610