ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Where credit is due: How acknowledging expertise can help conservation efforts
• New methodology to find out about yeast changes during wine fermentation
• What songbirds tell us about how we learn
• DNA modifications measured in blood signal related changes in the brain
• Living organ regenerated for first time: Thymus rebuilt in mice
• Black carbon is ancient by the time it reaches seafloor
• New method for analyzing proteins in tissue samples
• New epidemiology model combines multiple genomic data
• Tracking sugar movement in plants
• Humans and Neandertals interbred, new method confirms
• Antimicrobial from soaps promotes bacteria buildup in human noses
• BPA and related chemicals: Human safety thresholds for endocrine disrupting chemicals may be inaccurate
• From athletes to couch potatoes: Humans through 6,000 years of farming
• Natural protein Elafin against gluten intolerance?
• Spring allergies linked to specific food allergies, says specialist
• Seeing double: New study explains evolution of duplicate genes

Where credit is due: How acknowledging expertise can help conservation efforts Posted: 08 Apr 2014 09:21 AM PDT Scientists know that tapping into local expertise is key to conservation efforts aimed at protecting biodiversity -- but researchers rarely give credit to these local experts. Now some scientists are saying that's a problem, both for the local experts and for the science itself.

New methodology to find out about yeast changes during wine fermentation Posted: 08 Apr 2014 09:20 AM PDT A new methodology that makes it possible to know what physiological state the yeast is in at each point in the wine fermentation process has been developed. "By drawing an analogy with cinema," he explained, "wine fermentation would be a full-length film from which, thanks to this methodology, we could extract all the stills that comprise it."

What songbirds tell us about how we learn Posted: 08 Apr 2014 09:19 AM PDT When you throw a wild pitch or sing a flat note, it could be that your basal ganglia made you do it. This area in the middle of the brain is involved in motor control and learning. And one reason for that errant toss or off-key note may be that your brain prompted you to vary your behavior to help you learn, from trial-and-error, to perform better. But how does the brain do this, how does it cause you to vary your behavior?

DNA modifications measured in blood signal related changes in the brain Posted: 08 Apr 2014 09:19 AM PDT Researchers say they have confirmed suspicions that DNA modifications found in the blood of mice exposed to high levels of stress hormone — and showing signs of anxiety — are directly related to changes found in their brain tissues. Scientists say this research offers the first evidence that epigenetic changes that alter the way genes function without changing their underlying DNA sequence -- and are detectable in blood -- mirror alterations in brain tissue linked to underlying psychiatric diseases.

Living organ regenerated for first time: Thymus rebuilt in mice Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:56 AM PDT Scientists have succeeded in regenerating a living organ for the first time. Researchers rebuilt the thymus -- an organ in the body located next to the heart that produces important immune cells. The advance could pave the way for new therapies for people with damaged immune systems and genetic conditions that affect thymus development. The team reactivated a natural mechanism that shuts down with age to rejuvenate the thymus in very old mice. After treatment, the regenerated organ had a similar structure to that found in a young mouse.

Black carbon is ancient by the time it reaches seafloor Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:22 AM PDT A fraction of the carbon that finds its way into Earth's oceans -- the black soot and charcoal residue of fires -- stays there for thousands for years. A first-of-its-kind analysis shows how some black carbon breaks away and hitches a ride to the ocean floor on passing particles.

New method for analyzing proteins in tissue samples Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:22 AM PDT A new way of preparing patient tissue for analyses might soon become the new standard. The HOPE method allows tissue samples to be treated such that they do not only meet the requirements of clinical histology, but can still be characterized later on by modern methods of proteomics, a technique analyzing all proteins at once.

New epidemiology model combines multiple genomic data Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:21 AM PDT Data about DNA differences, gene expression, or methylation can each tell epidemiologists something about the link between genomics and disease. A new statistical model that can integrate all those sources provides a markedly improved analysis, according to two new papers.

Tracking sugar movement in plants Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:21 AM PDT A long-held belief that plant hormones control the shape of plant growth has been overturned by new research. Instead, it has shown that this process starts with sugar. Researchers conducted critical radiotracer studies that support the new theory that plant sugars play a dominant role in regulating branching at plant stems. While branching has relevance in agriculture, it is also very important in bioenergy crop production.

Humans and Neandertals interbred, new method confirms Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:12 AM PDT Technical objections to the idea that Neandertals interbred with the ancestors of Eurasians have been overcome, thanks to a new genome analysis method. The technique can more confidently detect the genetic signatures of interbreeding than previous approaches and will be useful for evolutionary studies of other ancient or rare DNA samples.

Antimicrobial from soaps promotes bacteria buildup in human noses Posted: 08 Apr 2014 04:49 AM PDT An antimicrobial agent found in common household soaps, shampoos and toothpastes may be finding its way inside human noses where it promotes the colonization of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and could predispose some people to infection.

BPA and related chemicals: Human safety thresholds for endocrine disrupting chemicals may be inaccurate Posted: 08 Apr 2014 04:48 AM PDT Human and rat testes respond differently to endocrine disrupting chemicals such as BPA in two thirds of all cases, according to a recent review. As human safety levels are extrapolated from rodent data, the study could lead to a re-evaluation of the acceptable daily intake for many endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors are compounds that interfere with animal hormone (or endocrine) systems in various ways.

From athletes to couch potatoes: Humans through 6,000 years of farming Posted: 07 Apr 2014 06:49 PM PDT Research into the strength and shape of lower limb bones shows that, in the first 6,000 years of farming, our ancestors in Central Europe became less active as their tasks diversified and technology improved. Anthropologists show that this drop in mobility was particularly marked in men.

Natural protein Elafin against gluten intolerance? Posted: 07 Apr 2014 04:27 PM PDT Elafin, a human protein, plays a key role against the inflammatory reaction typical of celiac disease (gluten intolerance), research has shown. The researchers have also developed a probiotic bacterium able to deliver Elafin in the gut of mice. This innovation paves the way to new strategies to treat gluten intolerance.

Spring allergies linked to specific food allergies, says specialist Posted: 07 Apr 2014 01:48 PM PDT More than 45 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies, primarily occurring in spring and fall. Food allergies are closely linked to spring allergies, says one expert. "Birch pollen often also means allergies to apples, peaches, carrots and celery while grass allergies can trigger melon, tomatoes and oranges reactions," he says. "Ragweed, the most noxious allergen, is also linked to allergies to bananas, cucumber and cantaloupe."

Seeing double: New study explains evolution of duplicate genes Posted: 07 Apr 2014 12:38 PM PDT From time to time, living cells will accidently make an extra copy of a gene during the normal replication process. Throughout the history of life, evolution has molded some of these seemingly superfluous genes into a source of genetic novelty, adaptation and diversity. A new study shows one way that some duplicate genes could have long-ago escaped elimination from the genome, leading to the genetic innovation seen in modern life.

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