ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Humans walking on all fours is not backward evolution
• 70-foot-long, 52-ton concrete bridge survives series of simulated earthquakes
• Indus river dolphin's declining range: Patterns of river fragmentation provide insight into river dolphin conservation
• Whale shark fringe migration: 16-year study suggests Azore islands may play increasing role in whale shark habitat
• Borneo deforested 30 percent over past 40 years
• Tooth plaque provides unique insights into our prehistoric ancestors' diet
• Brain of world's first known predators discovered
• Scientists find way to trap, kill malaria parasite
• One injection stops diabetes in its tracks: Treatment reverses symptoms of type 2 diabetes in mice without side effects
• Mediterranean diet has varied effects on cognitive decline among different races, study shows
• Dispersant from Deepwater Horizon spill found to persist in the environment
• A natural way to monitor, and possibly control populations of, stink bugs
• Efficient structures help build a sustainable future
• Improving tumor radiation therapy: When basic ions break DNA down
• Hungry, invasive 'crazy worm' makes first appearance in Wisconsin, threatens forests
• Rising-2 captured highest resolution image of Earth's surface among satellites in its class
• What do Google searches tell us about our climate change fears?
• Health risks posed by 'third hand' tobacco smoke
• Eroded swimmeret syndrome, a novel disease of the signal crayfish
• Tracking the breakup of Arctic summer sea ice
• NOAA's GOES-R satellite Magnetometer ready for spacecraft integration
• NASA's Van Allen Probes show how to accelerate electrons
• Glowing red in the big blue: Red fluorescence at great depths
• Eyeing multiple scenarios, conservation scientists can tackle an uncertain future
• Team studies immune response of Asian elephants infected with a human disease
• Scientists gear up to fight deadly snake fungal disease
• Organic pollutants not factor in turtle tumor disease, study finds
• Using male mosquitoes to effectively sterilize females through a naturally occurring bacterium
• New mite species from a Caribbean mesophotic coral ecosystem named after J-Lo
• Socio-economic change more of a problem for nomads than climate change
• CRISPR system can promote antibiotic resistance

Humans walking on all fours is not backward evolution Posted: 16 Jul 2014 12:11 PM PDT Five siblings in the family, who live in a remote corner of Turkey, walk exclusively on their hands and feet. Since they were discovered in 2005, scientists have debated the nature of their disability, with speculation they represent a backward stage of evolution. An anthropologist finds quadrupedal humans with Uner Tan Syndrome do not walk in the diagonal pattern characteristic of nonhuman primates such as apes and monkeys.

70-foot-long, 52-ton concrete bridge survives series of simulated earthquakes Posted: 16 Jul 2014 11:13 AM PDT A 70-foot-long, 52-ton concrete bridge survived a series of earthquakes in the first multiple-shake-table experiment in the University of Nevada, Reno's new Earthquake Engineering Lab, the newest addition to the world-renowned earthquake and seismic engineering facility.

Indus river dolphin's declining range: Patterns of river fragmentation provide insight into river dolphin conservation Posted: 16 Jul 2014 11:13 AM PDT Removal of river water for irrigation and habitat fragmentation by irrigation dams were shown to be the principal factors contributing to the decline of the Indus river dolphin.

Whale shark fringe migration: 16-year study suggests Azore islands may play increasing role in whale shark habitat Posted: 16 Jul 2014 11:13 AM PDT At the fringe of the whale shark range, the volcanic Azore islands may play an increasing role for the north Atlantic population as sea surface temperatures rise.

Borneo deforested 30 percent over past 40 years Posted: 16 Jul 2014 11:13 AM PDT Forest cover in Borneo may have declined by up to 30% over the past 40 years, according to a new study. he native forests of Borneo have been increasingly impacted by logging, fire, and conversion to plantations since the early 1970s. Borneo lacks island-wide forest clearance and logging documentation, making forest conservation planning difficult, especially for selectively logged forests that have high conservation potential but are vulnerable to being converted to plantations.

Tooth plaque provides unique insights into our prehistoric ancestors' diet Posted: 16 Jul 2014 11:10 AM PDT An international team of researchers has found new evidence that our prehistoric ancestors had a detailed understanding of plants long before the development of agriculture. By extracting chemical compounds and microfossils from dental calculus (calcified dental plaque) from ancient teeth, the researchers were able to provide an entirely new perspective on our ancestors' diets. Their research suggests that purple nut sedge (Cyperus rotundus) -- today regarded as a nuisance weed -- formed an important part of the prehistoric diet.

Brain of world's first known predators discovered Posted: 16 Jul 2014 10:16 AM PDT Scientists have found the fossilized remains of the brain of the world's earliest known predators, from a time when life teemed in the oceans but had not yet colonized the land. The discovery reveals a brain much simpler than those known in some of the animal's prey and helps answer questions surrounding the evolution of arthropods.

Scientists find way to trap, kill malaria parasite Posted: 16 Jul 2014 10:15 AM PDT Scientists may be able to entomb the malaria parasite in a prison of its own making, researchers report. As it invades a red blood cell, the malaria parasite takes part of the host cell's membrane to build a protective compartment. The parasite then starts a series of major renovations that transform the red blood cell into a suitable home. But the new research reveals the proteins that make these renovations must pass through a single pore in the parasite's compartment to get into the red blood cell. When the scientists disrupted passage through that pore in cell cultures, the parasite stopped growing and died.

One injection stops diabetes in its tracks: Treatment reverses symptoms of type 2 diabetes in mice without side effects Posted: 16 Jul 2014 10:15 AM PDT In mice with diet-induced diabetes -- the equivalent of type 2 diabetes in humans -- a single injection of the protein FGF1 is enough to restore blood sugar levels to a healthy range for more than two days. The discovery could lead to a new generation of safer, more effective diabetes drugs. The team found that sustained treatment with the protein doesn't merely keep blood sugar under control, but also reverses insulin insensitivity, the underlying physiological cause of diabetes. Equally exciting, the newly developed treatment doesn't result in side effects common to most current diabetes treatments.

Mediterranean diet has varied effects on cognitive decline among different races, study shows Posted: 16 Jul 2014 09:38 AM PDT "In a population of initially well-functioning older adults, we found a significant correlation between strong adherence to the Mediterranean diet and a slower rate of cognitive decline among African American, but not white, older adults. Our study is the first to show a possible race-specific association between the Mediterranean diet and cognitive decline," a researcher outlines.

Dispersant from Deepwater Horizon spill found to persist in the environment Posted: 16 Jul 2014 09:34 AM PDT Dispersant compound DOSS, which decreases the size of oil droplets and hampers the formation of large oil slicks, remains associated with oil and can persist in the environment for up to four years, a study has demonstrated. The study examined samples collected from deep-sea corals and surrounding sediments collected in Dec. 2010 as well as oil-soaked sand patties found on coastal beaches since July 2010 to the present.

A natural way to monitor, and possibly control populations of, stink bugs Posted: 16 Jul 2014 08:27 AM PDT Anyone who has squashed a stink bug knows why they got their name. Although just a nuisance to homeowners, the insects feed on and damage fruits and vegetables, causing significant economic losses for farmers. Now scientists have discovered certain stink bug pheromone components and made them artificially in the lab for the first time, and these substances can be used to monitor and manage their populations.

Efficient structures help build a sustainable future Posted: 16 Jul 2014 08:27 AM PDT Researchers have found that the selection of steel cable structural system for long spans has considerably less environmental impact than a steel truss system to achieve the same structural requirements, through the entire life cycle of the structure. "Thoughtful selection, by the architectural engineer, in the initial stages of the design process, can reduce environmental impact related to the construction process," said one author of the new study.

Improving tumor radiation therapy: When basic ions break DNA down Posted: 16 Jul 2014 07:17 AM PDT Scientists now have a better understanding of how short DNA strands decompose in microseconds. A research team found new fragmentation pathways that occur universally when DNA strands are exposed to metal ions from a family of alkaline and alkaline earth elements. These ions tend to replace protons in the DNA backbone and at the same time induce a reactive conformation leading more readily to fragmentation.

Hungry, invasive 'crazy worm' makes first appearance in Wisconsin, threatens forests Posted: 16 Jul 2014 06:57 AM PDT Wisconsin's newest invasive species has done its best to stay underground, but the voracious, numerous and mysterious Asian crazy worm has emerged for the first time in the state on the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Rising-2 captured highest resolution image of Earth's surface among satellites in its class Posted: 16 Jul 2014 06:09 AM PDT Microsatellite Rising-2 succeeded in capturing high precision images of Earth's surface. Using a High Precision Telescope, it captured color images at a spatial resolution of 5m, the highest in the world among 50kg-class satellites.

What do Google searches tell us about our climate change fears? Posted: 16 Jul 2014 06:07 AM PDT Political ideology and education levels affect when people search for climate information, research indicates. Republicans search the net for information about the weather, climate change and global warming during extremely hot or cold spells. Democrats Google these terms when they experience changes in the average temperatures. These are some of the surprising findings from a study that tracked how the temperature fluctuations and rainfall that Americans experience daily in their own cities make them scour the Internet in search of information about climate change and global warming.

Health risks posed by 'third hand' tobacco smoke Posted: 16 Jul 2014 06:07 AM PDT The potential cancer risk in non-smokers -- particularly young children -- of tobacco smoke gases and particles deposited to surfaces and dust in the home has been demonstrated by researchers. Until now, the risks of this exposure known as 'third hand tobacco smoke' have been highly uncertain and not considered in public policy. However, a new study has estimated for the first time the potential cancer risk by age group through non-dietary ingestion and dermal exposure to third hand smoke. The results indicate potentially severe long-term consequences, particularly to children.

Eroded swimmeret syndrome, a novel disease of the signal crayfish Posted: 16 Jul 2014 06:07 AM PDT Crayfish researchers have discovered, together with Swedish colleagues, a new disease plaguing female signal crayfish. As the name suggests, eroded swimmeret syndrome (ESS) destroys the swimmerets of female crayfish, weakens their reproductive ability and can increase the mortality of mother crayfish. In Finland and Sweden, the observed declines and sudden plunges in natural populations of signal crayfish can, to some extent, be explained by eroded swimmeret syndrome.

Tracking the breakup of Arctic summer sea ice Posted: 16 Jul 2014 06:05 AM PDT An international team has placed sensors on and under Arctic sea ice to monitor this season's retreat. Scientists hope to understand the physics of the ice edge in order to predict summer conditions in the Arctic Ocean.

NOAA's GOES-R satellite Magnetometer ready for spacecraft integration Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:43 PM PDT The Magnetometer instrument that will fly on NOAA's GOES-R satellite when it is launched in early 2016 has completed the development and testing phase and is ready to be integrated with the spacecraft.

NASA's Van Allen Probes show how to accelerate electrons Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:43 PM PDT One of the great, unanswered questions for space weather scientists is just what creates two gigantic donuts of radiation surrounding Earth, called the Van Allen radiation belts. Recent data from the Van Allen Probes -- two nearly identical spacecraft that launched in 2012 -- address this question.

Glowing red in the big blue: Red fluorescence at great depths Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:42 PM PDT Many fish species glow red and can see red light, even at depths where the red part of the sunlight spectrum has been absorbed by the water above. It was long assumed that red light did not play a role at depths of 10m or more. However, researchers have not only discovered and investigated the phenomenon of red fluorescence; they have now described a new detail which offers important clues to the function of glowing red.

Eyeing multiple scenarios, conservation scientists can tackle an uncertain future Posted: 15 Jul 2014 12:42 PM PDT A new report illustrates that one way to make pro-active decisions in conservation and natural–resource planning today is to consider various scenarios that may unfold tomorrow.

Team studies immune response of Asian elephants infected with a human disease Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:27 AM PDT Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the organism that causes tuberculosis in humans, also afflicts Asian -- and occasionally other -- elephants. Diagnosing and treating elephants with TB is a challenge, however, as little is known about how their immune systems respond to the infection. A new study begins to address this knowledge gap, and offers new tools for detecting and monitoring TB in captive elephants.

Scientists gear up to fight deadly snake fungal disease Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:27 AM PDT A faster and more accurate way to test for infection with Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, a fungus that is killing snakes in the Midwest and eastern United States, has been devised by researchers. The test also allows scientists to monitor the progression of the infection in living snakes. Researchers first took notice of Ophidiomyces in snakes in the mid-2000s. Today the fungus threatens the last remaining eastern massasauga rattlesnake population in Illinois and has been found to infect timber rattlesnakes, mud snakes, rat snakes, garter snakes, milk snakes, water snakes and racers in several states.

Organic pollutants not factor in turtle tumor disease, study finds Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:26 AM PDT A new study casts doubt on long-held suspicions that persistent organic pollutants in the environment make green turtle more susceptible to the virus that causes fibropapilomatosis, a disease that forms large benign tumors that can inhibit the animal's sight, mobility and feeding ability.

Using male mosquitoes to effectively sterilize females through a naturally occurring bacterium Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:19 AM PDT A new company, created by scientists, uses a very unique approach to control a common pest that can carry dangerous diseases: using male mosquitoes to effectively sterilize females through a naturally occurring bacterium. "Most mosquito control companies use chemical pesticides which are sprayed out of trucks and planes, or maybe out of a backpack sprayer," one of the scientists said. "By using a natural bacterium called Wolbachia and the mosquitoes' innate ability to find mates, we are applying an approach which does not require chemicals."

New mite species from a Caribbean mesophotic coral ecosystem named after J-Lo Posted: 15 Jul 2014 07:45 AM PDT During a recent survey of organisms collected from Bajo de Sico, a mesophotic coral reef ecosystem in Mona Passage off Puerto Rico, one pontarachnid mite species new to science was discovered. The new species was named after the famous Puerto Rican singer Jennifer Lopez.

Socio-economic change more of a problem for nomads than climate change Posted: 15 Jul 2014 05:51 AM PDT Socio-economic change could have a much bigger impact than climate change on grazing lands in the world's arid regions. This is the conclusion reached by scientists who simulated ecological and social factors in a computer model. The negative effects of climate change can to a certain extent be offset by an increased herd mobility, write the researchers. However, higher income demands and less available grazing land make it increasingly difficult for nomads to move their herds around to secure their livelihoods.

CRISPR system can promote antibiotic resistance Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:24 PM PDT CRISPR, a system of genes that bacteria use to fend off viruses, is involved in promoting antibiotic resistance in Francisella novicida, a close relative of the bacterium that causes tularemia. The finding contrasts with previous observations in other bacteria that the CRISPR system hinders the spread of antibiotic resistance genes.

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