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Saturday, June 9, 2012

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News


Engineered robot interacts with live fish

Posted: 08 Jun 2012 07:08 AM PDT

A bioinspired robot has provided the first experimental evidence that live zebrafish can be influenced by engineered robots.

Parasitic plants steal genes from their hosts

Posted: 08 Jun 2012 07:08 AM PDT

The Malaysian parasitic plant Rafflesia cantleyi, with its 50cm diameter flowers, has 'stolen' genes from its host Tetrastigma rafflesiae. Analysis of these genes shows that their functions range from respiration to metabolism, and that some of them have even replaced the parasites own gene activity.

Does cooperation require both reciprocity and alike neighbors?

Posted: 08 Jun 2012 07:05 AM PDT

Scientists have developed a new theoretical model on the evolution of cooperation. Evolution by definition is cold and merciless: it selects for success and weeds out failure. It seems only natural to expect that such a process would simply favour genes that help themselves and not others. Yet cooperative behaviour can be observed in many areas, and humans helping each other are a common phenomenon. Thus, one of the major questions in science today is how cooperative behaviour could evolve.

Oceanic circulation: Heat loss strengthens the gyre circulation

Posted: 08 Jun 2012 07:05 AM PDT

A new study explains decadal variations in the oceanic circulation south of Greenland and Iceland. 

Environmental benefit of biofuels is overestimated, new study reveals

Posted: 08 Jun 2012 07:05 AM PDT

Two scientists are challenging the currently accepted norms of biofuel production. Calculations of greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions from bioenergy production are neglecting crucial information that has led to the overestimation of the benefits of biofuels compared to fossil fuels, a new analysis shows.

Rain may not always be a welcome thing to waterbirds

Posted: 07 Jun 2012 03:02 PM PDT

Scientists have found that waterbird communities can be the "canary in the coal mine" when it comes to detecting the health of urban estuary ecosystems. Their research revealed that the types of waterbirds that inhabit urban estuaries are influenced not only by urban development, but also by a far more natural process -- rain.

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