ScienceDaily: Top Environment News |
- Early spring means more bat girls
- Largest known crocodile could swallow a human
- Cell membrane is patterned like a patchwork quilt
- Building better asphalt with nanoclays
- Less is more, for female cowbirds: Findings contradict sexual selection theory
- What is your dog thinking? Brain scans unleash canine secrets
- Protein signal is crucial for accurate control of insect size
- Nutrient supply after algal bloom determines the succession of the bacterial population
- Different recipes for success in the world of plants
- Anthropologists discover new research use for dental plaque: Examining diets of ancient peoples
| Early spring means more bat girls Posted: 04 May 2012 02:20 PM PDT A study on bats suggests that bats produce twice as many female babies as male ones in years when spring comes early. |
| Largest known crocodile could swallow a human Posted: 04 May 2012 02:19 PM PDT A crocodile large enough to swallow humans once lived in East Africa, according to new research. It may have exceeded 27 feet in length. By comparison, the largest recorded Nile crocodile was less than 21 feet, and most are much smaller. |
| Cell membrane is patterned like a patchwork quilt Posted: 04 May 2012 10:58 AM PDT As the interface between the cell and its environment, the cell membrane, which consists of fats and proteins, fulfils a variety of vital functions. Scientists have performed the first comprehensive analysis of the molecular structure of this boundary layer, and revealed precisely how it is organized. In yeast cells, the entire membrane is made up of independent domains, each containing just one or a few protein types. If a protein is relocated to an inappropriate domain, it may even fail to function. The study shows that the membrane is a kind of patchwork quilt and should help scientists to gain a better understanding of basic cellular processes. |
| Building better asphalt with nanoclays Posted: 04 May 2012 10:57 AM PDT Using nanotechnology, researchers are paving the way for brand-new asphalt blends to fight off cracks, rutting and potholes. |
| Less is more, for female cowbirds: Findings contradict sexual selection theory Posted: 04 May 2012 08:05 AM PDT More modest male displays attract the females when it comes to brown-headed cowbirds, contrary to sexual selection theory, according to new research. While sexual selection theory predicts that females should find more flamboyant displays the most sexually attractive, the opposite holds true for brown-headed cowbirds, a small songbird common in North America. |
| What is your dog thinking? Brain scans unleash canine secrets Posted: 04 May 2012 08:05 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new methodology to scan the brains of alert dogs and explore the minds of the oldest domesticated species. The technique uses harmless functional magnetic resonance imaging, the same tool that is unlocking secrets of the human brain. The brain images of a fully awake, unrestrained dog, thought to be the first, opens up a door for understanding canine cognition and inter-species communication. |
| Protein signal is crucial for accurate control of insect size Posted: 04 May 2012 08:04 AM PDT Two independent groups of researchers have identified a hormone that is responsible for keeping the growth and development of insects on track. The results suggest that Dilp8 provides an important signal to slow body growth and delay insect development. This braking effect is an essential part of normal development since it allows sufficient time for tissues to form and the correct body size, proportions and symmetry to be achieved. |
| Nutrient supply after algal bloom determines the succession of the bacterial population Posted: 04 May 2012 08:01 AM PDT Algal blooms can considerably interfere with summer holidays by the sea. In the coastal zone of temperate regions a spring algal bloom is not a sign of excessive nutrient input, but most of all a consequence of the more intense solar irradiation in spring. When algal blooms end, the algae die and their remnants constitute an important nutrient supply for the whole ecosystem. Researchers have examined an algal bloom in the North Sea and identified the microorganisms involved in the degradation of algal remnants. With their findings, the researchers discovered a solution for the so-called Plankton paradox: By specializing in different degradation processes, bacteria apparently occupy separate ecological niches in the sea. |
| Different recipes for success in the world of plants Posted: 04 May 2012 08:01 AM PDT In order to prevail against native plants, non-native plant species develop special strategies. These differ in part considerably from the propagation strategies of endemic plant species. These results are an argument in support of the view that the need to differentiate between native and non-native species in ecological systems remains, according to researchers. |
| Anthropologists discover new research use for dental plaque: Examining diets of ancient peoples Posted: 02 May 2012 03:48 PM PDT While we may brush and floss tirelessly and our dentists may scrape and pick at our teeth to minimize the formation of plaque known as tartar or dental calculus, anthropologists may be rejoicing at the fact that past civilizations were not so careful with dental hygiene. Researchers have discovered that particles of plaque removed from teeth of ancient populations may provide clues about their diets. |
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