ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Scientists find cell fate switch that decides liver, or pancreas?
• Arctic marine mammals are ecosystem sentinels
• Cat parasite found in western Arctic Beluga deemed infectious
• Embryology: Scientists crack open 'black box' of development and see a 'rosette'
• Mixed genes: Interactive world map of human genetic history reveals likely genetic impacts of historical events
• Crazy ants dominate fire ants by neutralizing their venom
• Graphene's love affair with water: Water filters allow precise and fast sieving of salts and organic molecules
• America's natural gas system is leaking methane and in need of a fix
• Cortical convolutions controlled in sections: Non-coding DNA sequence affects brain's characteristic folding, study shows
• Mechanism of crude oil heart toxicity on fish revealed from oil spill research
• Robotic construction crew needs no foreman
• Energy harvesting takes wing in merger of engineering and biology
• Air pollution increases risk for hypertension in pregnant women
• Two new weapons in the battle against bacteria
• Light-induced degradation in amorphous silicon thin film solar cells
• Vitamin B12 accelerates worm development: New model for isolating the effects of nutrients on gene expression and physiology
• Plants recycle, too: Biologists have now identified a new protein complex which is crucial for endocytosis in plants
• Nanoparticles with a core–shell structure can minimize the overheating of cells during bioimaging experiments
• Science used to reveal masterpiece's true colors: Chemist uncovers paint details of Renoir masterpiece at Art Institute of Chicago
• Foods and moods: Considering the future may help people make better food choices
• Rare bacteria outbreak in cancer clinic tied to lapse in infection control procedure
• Article addresses report on genome-based therapeutics, companion diagnostics
• Response to oxidation in live cells evaluated by new method
• Test for persistent Lyme infection using live ticks shown safe in clinical study
• IOC should ban lead shot to help wildlife, water, report announces
• Sanfilippo B: Promising new therapy for devastating genetic disorder
• Exercise targets cellular powerhouses to improve heart function

Scientists find cell fate switch that decides liver, or pancreas? Posted: 13 Feb 2014 12:35 PM PST Stem cell scientists have a new theory for how stem cells decide whether to become liver or pancreatic cells during development. A cell's fate, the researchers found, is determined by the nearby presence of prostaglandin E2, a messenger molecule best known for its role in inflammation and pain. The discovery could potentially make liver and pancreas cells easier to generate both in the lab and for future cell therapies.

Arctic marine mammals are ecosystem sentinels Posted: 13 Feb 2014 12:35 PM PST As the Arctic continues to see dramatic declines in seasonal sea ice, warming temperatures and increased storminess, the responses of marine mammals can provide clues to how the ecosystem is responding to these physical drivers.

Cat parasite found in western Arctic Beluga deemed infectious Posted: 13 Feb 2014 12:35 PM PST Scientists have found for the first time an infectious form of the cat parasite Toxoplasma gondii in western Arctic Beluga, prompting a health advisory to the Inuit people who eat whale meat.

Embryology: Scientists crack open 'black box' of development and see a 'rosette' Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:23 AM PST We know much about how embryos develop, but one key stage -- implantation -- has remained a mystery. Now, scientists have discovered a way to study and film this 'black box' of development. This new method revealed that on its way from ball to cup, the blastocyst becomes a 'rosette' of wedge-shaped cells, a structure never before seen by scientists.

Mixed genes: Interactive world map of human genetic history reveals likely genetic impacts of historical events Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:23 AM PST When individuals from different groups interbreed, their offspring's DNA becomes a mixture of the DNA from each admixing group. Pieces of this DNA are then passed along through subsequent generations, carrying on all the way to the present day. Researchers have now produced a global map detailing the genetic histories of 95 different populations across the world, spanning the last four millennia.

Crazy ants dominate fire ants by neutralizing their venom Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:22 AM PST Invasive "crazy ants" are rapidly displacing fire ants in areas across the southeastern US by secreting a compound that neutralizes fire ant venom, according to a new study. It's the first known example of an insect with the ability to detoxify another insect's venom.

Graphene's love affair with water: Water filters allow precise and fast sieving of salts and organic molecules Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:22 AM PST Graphene has proven itself as a wonder material with a vast range of unique properties. Among the least-known marvels of graphene is its strange love affair with water. Graphene is hydrophobic -- it repels water -- but narrow capillaries made from graphene vigorously suck in water allowing its rapid permeation, if the water layer is only one atom thick -- that is, as thin as graphene itself. This bizarre property has attracted intense academic and industrial interest with intent to develop new water filtration and desalination technologies.

America's natural gas system is leaking methane and in need of a fix Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:22 AM PST The US natural gas system is letting more methane, a potent greenhouse gas, escape into the air than previously thought, a new study confirms.

Cortical convolutions controlled in sections: Non-coding DNA sequence affects brain's characteristic folding, study shows Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:22 AM PST Researchers have tied a particular gene to the development of cortical convolutions -- the prominent but enigmatic folds covering the surface of the human brain. Their discovery should shed some light on these characteristic contours, which have been the subject of wild speculation for ages, and perhaps also provide a better understanding of how such brain ridges form, how they evolved from our pre-human ancestors and, ultimately, how they influence brain function.

Mechanism of crude oil heart toxicity on fish revealed from oil spill research Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:22 AM PST While studying the impact of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill on tuna, a research team discovered that crude oil interrupts a molecular pathway that allows fish heart cells to beat effectively. The components of the pathway are present in the hearts of most animals, including humans.

Robotic construction crew needs no foreman Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:21 AM PST On the plains of Namibia, millions of tiny termites are building a mound of soil—an 8-foot-tall "lung" for their underground nest. During a year of construction, many termites will live and die, wind and rain will erode the structure, and yet the colony's life-sustaining project will continue. Inspired by the termites' resilience and collective intelligence, a team of computer scientists and engineers has created an autonomous robotic construction crew. The system needs no supervisor, no eye in the sky, and no communication: just simple robots—any number of robots—that cooperate by modifying their environment.

Energy harvesting takes wing in merger of engineering and biology Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:21 AM PST A bird flapping its wings or a fish's deep dive may be pictures of nature in action, but in their elegant simplicity scientists see the complex challenges of merging technology with a biological system. The motion of animals could power small devices that allow biologists to collect information about behavior that eludes them under the limitations of current technology.

Air pollution increases risk for hypertension in pregnant women Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:24 AM PST Breathing the air outside their homes may be just as toxic to pregnant women -- if not more so -- as breathing in cigarette smoke, increasing a mom-to-be's risk of developing deadly complications such as preeclampsia, according to findings from a new study.

Two new weapons in the battle against bacteria Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:24 AM PST Proteases are vital proteins that serve for order within cells. They break apart other proteins, ensuring that these are properly synthesized and decomposed. Proteases are also responsible for the pathogenic effects of many kinds of bacteria. Now chemists have discovered two hitherto unknown mechanisms of action that can be used to permanently disarm an important bacterial protease.

Light-induced degradation in amorphous silicon thin film solar cells Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:24 AM PST Researchers have taken a leap forward towards a deeper understanding of an undesired effect in thin film solar cells based on amorphous silicon -- one that has puzzled the scientific community for the last 40 years. The researchers were able to demonstrate that tiny voids within the silicon network are partly responsible for reducing solar cell efficiency by some 10 to 15 percent as soon as you start using them.

Vitamin B12 accelerates worm development: New model for isolating the effects of nutrients on gene expression and physiology Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:24 AM PST Every day our cells take in nutrients from food and convert them into the building blocks that make life possible. However, it has been challenging to pinpoint exactly how a single nutrient or vitamin changes gene expression and physiology. Scientists have now developed a novel interspecies model system that allows these questions to be answered.

Plants recycle, too: Biologists have now identified a new protein complex which is crucial for endocytosis in plants Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:22 AM PST Cells communicate through proteins embedded in their cell membranes. These proteins have diverse functions and can be compared with antennas, switches and gates. For the well-being of the cell, it has to adjust the composition of its membrane proteins and lipids constantly. New proteins are incorporated, while old proteins get recycled or eliminated. The process by which membrane material gets internalized is called endocytosis. Biologists have now identified a new protein complex which is crucial for endocytosis in plants.

Nanoparticles with a core–shell structure can minimize the overheating of cells during bioimaging experiments Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:16 AM PST Upconversion nanoparticles -- new types of luminescent nanomaterials that release high-energy photons after laser light stimulation -- can penetrate deeper into tissue and are more photochemically stable than conventional bioimaging agents, such as quantum dots and organic dyes. Luminescent nanocrystals doped or impregnated with small amounts of rare-earth ytterbium (Yb) ions are particularly effective at photon upconversion. The specific lasers used to excite Yb dopants, however, can also heat water molecules in biological samples causing cell death or tissue damage.

Science used to reveal masterpiece's true colors: Chemist uncovers paint details of Renoir masterpiece at Art Institute of Chicago Posted: 13 Feb 2014 08:27 AM PST Chemists have been using a powerful scientific method to investigate masterpieces by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Winslow Homer and Mary Cassatt. They recently identified the chemical components of paint, now partially faded, used by Renoir in his painting "Madame Léon Clapisson." The artist used carmine lake, a brilliant but light-sensitive red pigment.

Foods and moods: Considering the future may help people make better food choices Posted: 12 Feb 2014 01:43 PM PST A new article finds that there's more to stress eating than simply emotion; in fact, thinking about the future may help people make better food choices.

Rare bacteria outbreak in cancer clinic tied to lapse in infection control procedure Posted: 12 Feb 2014 12:32 PM PST Improper handling of intravenous saline at a West Virginia outpatient oncology clinic was linked with the first reported outbreak of Tsukamurella spp., gram-positive bacteria that rarely cause disease in humans.

Article addresses report on genome-based therapeutics, companion diagnostics Posted: 12 Feb 2014 12:32 PM PST The promise of personalized medicine is the ability to tailor therapy to the patient's genome and their cancer's genome using a series of tests, but the system guiding the development of those tests is complex, and plagued with challenges.

Response to oxidation in live cells evaluated by new method Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:29 AM PST Researchers have developed a new method for accurately measuring a key process governing a wide variety of cellular functions that may become the basis for a "health checkup" for living cells. The technique measures changes in the cell's redox potential, which can provide insight into how well certain genes are working, and whether or not the activities they control, such as differentiation and growth, are functioning normally.

Test for persistent Lyme infection using live ticks shown safe in clinical study Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:29 AM PST In a first-of-its-kind study for Lyme disease, researchers have used live, disease-free ticks to see if Lyme disease bacteria can be detected in people who continue to experience symptoms such as fatigue or arthritis after completing antibiotic therapy.

IOC should ban lead shot to help wildlife, water, report announces Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:28 AM PST With the world watching the Sochi Winter Olympics including the biathlon shooting events, now is the time for the International Olympic Committee to ban the use of lead shot to prevent wildlife poisoning and health threats to surface and groundwater, says a new paper.

Sanfilippo B: Promising new therapy for devastating genetic disorder Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:28 AM PST A promising new therapy has -- for the first time -- reduced damage to the brain that can be caused by Sanfilippo B (MPS IIIB), a rare and devastating genetic disease.

Exercise targets cellular powerhouses to improve heart function Posted: 12 Feb 2014 08:27 AM PST Whether lifting weights in a gym or just walking around the block, exercise has many benefits, such as helping people lose weight and build stronger muscles. Some studies suggest that it may reduce the risk of developing cancer and other diseases. Researchers now report that moderate, long-term physical activity appears to improve cardiovascular health in mice by targeting the heart cells' powerhouses -- the mitochondria.

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