ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Behavior of seabirds during migration revealed
• How petals get their shape: Hidden map located within plant's growing buds
• Cheating favors extinction, yeast study finds: Feedback between population and evolutionary dynamics
• Synthetic biology research community grows significantly
• Electron-beam pasteurization of raw oysters may reduce viral food poisoning
• Finding a sensible balance for natural hazard mitigation with mathematical models
• In the Northeast, forests with entirely native flora are not the norm
• Biologists propose a new research roadmap for connecting genes to ecology
• Environmental labels may discourage conservatives from buying energy-efficient products
• The underground adventures of the Mediterranean frog Rana iberica
• Canada's distinctive tuya volcanoes reveal glacial, palaeo-climate secrets
• Exploring the saltiness of the ocean to study climate change
• First land animals kept fishlike jaws for millions of years
• Competing for milk can be a stressful thing for hyena twin siblings
• Lake found in Sierra Nevada with the oldest remains of atmospheric contamination in Southern Europe
• The politics of climate change

Behavior of seabirds during migration revealed Posted: 30 Apr 2013 04:44 PM PDT The behavior of seabirds during migration -- including patterns of foraging, rest and flight -- has been revealed in new detail using novel computational analyses and tracking technologies.

How petals get their shape: Hidden map located within plant's growing buds Posted: 30 Apr 2013 04:43 PM PDT Why do rose petals have rounded ends while their leaves are more pointed? Scientists have revealed that the shape of petals is controlled by a hidden map located within the plant's growing buds.

Cheating favors extinction, yeast study finds: Feedback between population and evolutionary dynamics Posted: 30 Apr 2013 04:42 PM PDT Cooperative behavior is widely observed in nature, but there remains the possibility that 'cheaters' can exploit the system, with uncertain consequences for the social unit as a whole. A new study has found that a yeast colony dominated by non-producers ('cheaters') is more likely to face extinction than one consisting entirely of producers ('co-operators'). The findings are the results of the first laboratory demonstration of a full evolutionary-ecological feedback loop in a social microbial population.

Synthetic biology research community grows significantly Posted: 30 Apr 2013 01:19 PM PDT A new analysis finds the number of private and public entities conducting research in synthetic biology worldwide grew significantly between 2009 and 2013.

Electron-beam pasteurization of raw oysters may reduce viral food poisoning Posted: 30 Apr 2013 12:16 PM PDT Researchers have studied how electron-beam pasteurization of raw oysters may reduce the possibility of food poisoning through virus.

Finding a sensible balance for natural hazard mitigation with mathematical models Posted: 30 Apr 2013 12:16 PM PDT Uncertainty issues are paramount in assessing risks posed by natural hazards and in developing strategies to alleviate their consequences. A new model estimates the balance between costs and benefits of mitigation following natural disasters, as well as rebuilding defenses in their aftermath.

In the Northeast, forests with entirely native flora are not the norm Posted: 30 Apr 2013 11:21 AM PDT Two-thirds of all forest inventory plots in the Northeast and Midwestern United States contain at least one non-native plant species, a new US Forest Service study found. The study across two dozen states from North Dakota to Maine can help land managers pinpoint areas on the landscape where invasive plants might take root.

Biologists propose a new research roadmap for connecting genes to ecology Posted: 30 Apr 2013 10:16 AM PDT A team of researchers is proposing a new investigative roadmap for the field of evolutionary developmental biology, or "evo devo," to better understand how innovation at the genetic level can lead to ecological adaptations over time. Evo devo seeks to understand the specific genetic mechanisms underlying evolutionary change.

Environmental labels may discourage conservatives from buying energy-efficient products Posted: 30 Apr 2013 10:16 AM PDT When it comes to deciding which light bulb to buy, a label touting the product's environmental benefit may actually discourage politically conservative shoppers.

The underground adventures of the Mediterranean frog Rana iberica Posted: 30 Apr 2013 10:14 AM PDT Although many amphibians have been reported to live or spend part of their life underground, the Mediterranean frog Rana iberica, has never been reported dwelling in subterranean habitats until now. A new study marks the first record of all life stages of the species from a drainage gallery of Serra da Estrela Natural Park in Portugal.

Canada's distinctive tuya volcanoes reveal glacial, palaeo-climate secrets Posted: 30 Apr 2013 10:14 AM PDT Deposits left by the eruption of a subglacial volcano, or tuya, 1.8 million years ago could hold the secret to more accurate palaeo-glacial and climate models, according to new research. The detailed mapping and sampling of the partially eroded Kima' Kho tuya in northern British Columbia, Canada, shows that the ancient regional ice sheet through which the volcano erupted was twice as thick as previously estimated.

Exploring the saltiness of the ocean to study climate change Posted: 30 Apr 2013 10:13 AM PDT Details are emerging from a recent research expedition to the Sub-Tropical North Atlantic. The objective of the expedition was to study the salt concentration (salinity) of the upper ocean. Scientists explored the essential role of the ocean in the global water cycle.

First land animals kept fishlike jaws for millions of years Posted: 30 Apr 2013 10:11 AM PDT For the first time, fossil jaw measurements confirm that land animals developed legs millions of years before their feeding systems changed enough to let them eat a land-based diet. The pattern had been hypothesized previously, but not really tested.

Competing for milk can be a stressful thing for hyena twin siblings Posted: 30 Apr 2013 08:00 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated for the first time in a free-ranging mammal that hunger and conflict for access to resources can be "stressful" for subordinate siblings and socially challenged dominant siblings, and hence increase their cost of maintaining homeostasis.

Lake found in Sierra Nevada with the oldest remains of atmospheric contamination in Southern Europe Posted: 30 Apr 2013 06:23 AM PDT Scientists found, in the Laguna de Rio Seco lagoon, at an altitude of 3,020 m., evidence of atmospheric pollution caused by lead and linked to metallurgical activities from 3,900 years ago (Early Bronze Age). Lead pollution increased gradually during the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, coinciding with the development and expansion of metallurgy in southern Europe.

The politics of climate change Posted: 29 Apr 2013 10:05 AM PDT US residents who believe in the scientific consensus on global warming are more likely to support government action to curb emissions, regardless of whether they are Republican or Democrat, according to a new study.

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