ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Answer to restoring lost island biodiversity found in fossils
• Antifreeze proteins in Antarctic fishes prevent freezing…and melting
• Firelight talk of the Kalahari Bushmen
• Priorities for research on pharmaceutical, personal care products in the environment
• Mown grass smell sends SOS for help in resisting insect attacks
• Compound from hops aids cognitive function in young animals
• How gene expression affects facial expressions
• Environment plays bigger role than genetics in food allergic disease
• Influenza A potentiates pneumococcal co-infection: New details emerge
• Arctic sea ice helps remove carbon dioxide from atmosphere, study shows
• Don’t drink the (warm) water, study says
• The accelerator of molecular motors: Activation of peroxisomal processes
• Trees that can increase biomass production
• NASA launches RapidScat wind watcher to space station
• Dry roasting could help trigger peanut allergy
• Directed evolution: Bioengineered decoy protein may stop cancer from spreading
• Immune system of newborn babies stronger than previously thought
• Breezy science, plant studies and more head to space station on SpaceX-4
• Possible 6,800 new Ebola cases this month, research predicts

Answer to restoring lost island biodiversity found in fossils Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:29 PM PDT Many native species have vanished from tropical islands because of human impact, but scientists have discovered how fossils can be used to restore lost biodiversity. The key lies in organic materials found in fossil bones, which contain evidence for how ancient ecosystems functioned, according to a new study.

Antifreeze proteins in Antarctic fishes prevent freezing…and melting Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT Antarctic fishes that manufacture their own 'antifreeze' proteins to survive in the icy Southern Ocean also suffer an unfortunate side effect, researchers report: The protein-bound ice crystals that accumulate inside their bodies resist melting even when temperatures warm.

Firelight talk of the Kalahari Bushmen Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT A study of Africa's Kalahari Bushmen suggests that stories told over firelight helped human culture and thought evolve by reinforcing social traditions, promoting harmony and equality, and sparking the imagination to envision a broad sense of community, both with distant people and the spirit world.

Priorities for research on pharmaceutical, personal care products in the environment Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:17 PM PDT The results from a survey designed to identify and prioritize the scientific research needed to understand the risks of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the environment have now been released.

Mown grass smell sends SOS for help in resisting insect attacks Posted: 22 Sep 2014 11:58 AM PDT The smell of cut grass in recent years has been identified as the plant's way of signalling distress, but new research says the aroma also summons beneficial insects to the rescue. Such findings may help plant breeders know how to develop new varieties that are more resistant to insects and drought.

Compound from hops aids cognitive function in young animals Posted: 22 Sep 2014 10:07 AM PDT Xanthohumol, a type of flavonoid found in hops and beer, has been shown in a new study to improve cognitive function in young mice, but not in older animals. The findings are another step toward understanding, and ultimately reducing the degradation of memory that happens with age in many mammalian species, including humans.

How gene expression affects facial expressions Posted: 22 Sep 2014 08:06 AM PDT A person's face is the first thing that others see, and much remains unknown about how it forms -- or malforms -- during early development. Recently, researchers have begun to unwind these mysteries.

Environment plays bigger role than genetics in food allergic disease Posted: 22 Sep 2014 08:04 AM PDT Environment has a much stronger role than genetics in eosinophilic esophagitis, a severe, often painful food allergy that renders children unable to eat a wide variety of foods, researchers have found. Eosinophils are normal cellular components of the blood, but when the body produces too many eosinophils they can cause a variety of eosinophilic disorders. These are disorders involving chronic inflammation and resulting tissue damage, often in the gastrointestinal system.

Influenza A potentiates pneumococcal co-infection: New details emerge Posted: 22 Sep 2014 08:04 AM PDT Influenza infection can enhance the ability of the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae to cause ear and throat infections, according to research. "As with most pneumococcal infections, it should be appreciated that localized nonlethal infections are much more common than the rapidly lethal presentations," says one expert. "For example, influenza is a contributing factor in otitis media (middle ear infections) in children."

Arctic sea ice helps remove carbon dioxide from atmosphere, study shows Posted: 22 Sep 2014 08:04 AM PDT Climate change is a fact, and most of the warming is caused by human activity. The Arctic is now so warm that the extent of sea ice has decreased by about 30 percent in summer and in winter, sea ice is getting thinner. New research has shown that sea ice removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. If Arctic sea ice is reduced, we may therefore be facing an increase of atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide, researchers warn.

Don’t drink the (warm) water, study says Posted: 22 Sep 2014 08:01 AM PDT There's an old saying: "Don't drink the water." But a scientist warns Americans not to drink water from plastic bottles if it's been sitting in a warm environment for a long time. A research team examined 16 bottled water brands at 158 degrees for four weeks. The study found that as bottles warmed over the four-week period, antimony and BPA levels increased.

The accelerator of molecular motors: Activation of peroxisomal processes Posted: 22 Sep 2014 06:11 AM PDT Peroxisomes are vital cell components that degrade cellular toxins and long-chain fatty acids. Their malfunction may result in severe, often lethal disorders. Researchers have successfully identified the "molecular accelerator" that activates the peroxisomal processes. To their surprise, it turned out to be an old acquaintance: a certain module of the familiar protein Pex22p, which has hitherto always been considered an anchor protein.

Trees that can increase biomass production Posted: 22 Sep 2014 06:10 AM PDT Thanks to biotechnology, researchers have increased the production of woody species. This result is of great interest to the energy market, they say.

NASA launches RapidScat wind watcher to space station Posted: 20 Sep 2014 08:11 AM PDT A new NASA mission that will boost global monitoring of ocean winds for improved weather forecasting and climate studies is among about 5,000 pounds (2,270 kilograms) of NASA science investigations and cargo now on their way to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. The cargo ship launched on the company's Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 10:52 p.m. PDT Saturday, Sept. 20 (1:52 a.m. EDT Sunday, Sept. 21).

Dry roasting could help trigger peanut allergy Posted: 21 Sep 2014 07:36 PM PDT Dry roasted peanuts are more likely to trigger an allergy to peanuts than raw peanuts, suggests a study involving mice. The researchers say that specific chemical changes caused by the high temperatures of the dry roasting process are recognized by the body's immune system, 'priming' the body to set off an allergic immune response the next time it sees any peanuts.

Directed evolution: Bioengineered decoy protein may stop cancer from spreading Posted: 21 Sep 2014 11:51 AM PDT A decoy protein has been designed by researcher to interrupt the signaling pathway that triggers the breakaway of cancerous cells; in other words the signal that initiates metastasis. Preliminary tests showed this strategy effective in mice models; infusion with this decoy protein greatly reduced metastasis in mice with aggressive breast and ovarian cancers when compared to a control group. Years of tests lie ahead, but it's a promising start for an alternative to chemotherapy.

Immune system of newborn babies stronger than previously thought Posted: 21 Sep 2014 11:51 AM PDT Contrary to what was previously thought, newborn immune T cells may have the ability to trigger an inflammatory response to bacteria, according to a new study. Although their immune system works very differently to that of adults, babies may still be able to mount a strong immune defense, finds the study.

Breezy science, plant studies and more head to space station on SpaceX-4 Posted: 19 Sep 2014 08:11 AM PDT Imagine a dragon flying through the heavens on mighty, outstretched wings. The majestic beast knows the currents of winds and how to harness their power as it soars above the clouds. SpaceX's real Dragon -- the company's spacecraft that transports supplies and science to the International Space Station (ISS) -- will deliver, and later return, new technology, biology and biotechnology and Earth and space science research to the orbiting outpost.

Possible 6,800 new Ebola cases this month, research predicts Posted: 19 Sep 2014 11:08 AM PDT A possible 6,800 new Ebola cases this are predicted this month, as suggested by researchers who used modelling analysis to come up with their figures. The rate of new cases significantly increased in August in Liberia and Guinea, around the time that a mass quarantine was put in place, indicating that the mass quarantine efforts may have made the outbreak worse than it would have been otherwise.

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