ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Factors that influence spinach contamination pre-harvest determined
• Study of insect bacteria reveals genetic secrets of symbiosis
• The Red Queen was right: Life must continually evolve to avoid extinction
• Changing ocean temperatures, circulation patterns affecting young Atlantic cod food supply
• Flowers: Pistil leads pollen in life-and-death dance
• Making a beeline for the nectar: How patterns on flowers help bees spot their first nectar-rich flower
• Archaeologists make significant find of early 1800s artifacts on university campus
• Snail trail reveals ancient human migration
• Protected areas provide African birds with stepping stones to survival
• Expressly unfit for the laboratory: Little correlation between microbial gene expression and environmental conditions in the lab
• Urban trees remove fine particulate air pollution, save lives
• Scientists use DNA from a museum specimen to study rarely observed type of killer whale
• Pearly perfection: Odd explanation for why pearls are spherical in nature
• The discerning fruit fly: Linking brain-cell activity and behavior in smell recognition
• Detour ahead: Cities, farms reroute animals seeking cooler climes
• Bay Area thrushes nest together, winter together, and face change together

Factors that influence spinach contamination pre-harvest determined Posted: 20 Jun 2013 01:28 PM PDT Scientists have identified a variety of factors that influence the likelihood of E. coli contamination of spinach on farms prior to harvest.

Study of insect bacteria reveals genetic secrets of symbiosis Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT Microbiologists recently delved deeper into the genes involved in the "tripartite nested mealybug symbiosis." The researchers discovered the already complex three-way symbiosis actually depends on genes from six different organisms -- three more than the number of species that currently exist in the symbiosis.

The Red Queen was right: Life must continually evolve to avoid extinction Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT Biologists quote Lewis Carroll when arguing that survival is a constant struggle to adapt and evolve. Is that true, or do groups die out because they experience a run of bad luck? Biologists tested these hypotheses using mammals that arose and died out (or are now dying out) in the past 66 million years, and found that it's not luck but failure to adapt to a deteriorating environment.

Changing ocean temperatures, circulation patterns affecting young Atlantic cod food supply Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:24 AM PDT Changing ocean water temperatures and circulation patterns have profoundly affected key Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf zooplankton species in recent decades, and may be influencing the recovery of Atlantic cod and other fish stocks in the region. Researchers have found that zooplankton species critical for the survival of Atlantic cod larvae have declined in abundance in the same areas where Atlantic cod stocks have struggled to rebuild after an extended period of overfishing.

Flowers: Pistil leads pollen in life-and-death dance Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:23 AM PDT Pollination, essential to much of life on earth, requires the explosive death of the male pollen tube in the female ovule. In new research, scientists describe the genetic and regulatory factors that compel the male's role in the process. Finding a way to tweak that performance could expand crop cross-breeding possibilities.

Making a beeline for the nectar: How patterns on flowers help bees spot their first nectar-rich flower Posted: 20 Jun 2013 08:12 AM PDT Bumblebees searching for nectar go for signposts on flowers rather than the bull's eye. A new study shows that the markings at the center of a flower are not as important as the markings that will direct the bees to the center.

Archaeologists make significant find of early 1800s artifacts on university campus Posted: 20 Jun 2013 07:07 AM PDT Archaeologists have uncovered a significant site on a university campus that has yielded thousands of artifacts from the early 1800s and is offering a glimpse into the lives of students of the era.

Snail trail reveals ancient human migration Posted: 20 Jun 2013 05:46 AM PDT Geneticists have used snails to uncover evidence of an ancient human migration from the Pyrenean region of France to Ireland.

Protected areas provide African birds with stepping stones to survival Posted: 20 Jun 2013 04:15 AM PDT The protected area network in Tanzania is playing a vital role in the survival of savannah bird species as they move west in response to climate and environmental changes, according to new research.

Expressly unfit for the laboratory: Little correlation between microbial gene expression and environmental conditions in the lab Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:48 PM PDT A new study challenges the orthodoxy of microbiology, which holds that in response to environmental changes, bacterial genes will boost production of needed proteins and decrease production of those that aren't. The study found that for bacteria in the laboratory there was little evidence of adaptive genetic response.

Urban trees remove fine particulate air pollution, save lives Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:47 PM PDT Biologists have estimated how much fine particulate matter is removed by trees in 10 cities, their impact on PM2.5 concentrations and associated values and impacts on human health.

Scientists use DNA from a museum specimen to study rarely observed type of killer whale Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:25 AM PDT Researchers report using DNA from tissues samples collected in 1955 to study what may be a new type of killer whale (Orcinus orca).

Pearly perfection: Odd explanation for why pearls are spherical in nature Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:24 AM PDT The mystery of how pearls form into the most perfectly spherical large objects in nature may have an unlikely explanation, scientists are proposing in a new study.

The discerning fruit fly: Linking brain-cell activity and behavior in smell recognition Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:16 AM PDT Comparing apples to oranges, or different apples. Neuroscientists have visualized and quantified the activity of cells in the fruit fly brain that process smell. They found that the activity of as few as 25 cells correlated extremely well with the flies' ability to tell different smells apart, as well group similar smells together, and they could predict fly behavior patterns towards the odors based on these responses.

Detour ahead: Cities, farms reroute animals seeking cooler climes Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:15 AM PDT Half a dozen regions could provide some of the Western Hemisphere's more heavily used thoroughfares for mammals, birds and amphibians on their way to cooler environments in a warming world. This is the first broad-scale study to consider how animals might travel when confronted with cities, large agricultural areas and other human related barriers.

Bay Area thrushes nest together, winter together, and face change together Posted: 18 Jun 2013 01:15 PM PDT Swainson's thrushes, from a local population near Bolinas, Calif., spend their winters together in Mexico, according to a new tracking study. This result is important because it shows that the conservation of habitat for these local populations in California is tightly linked with climate and habitat changes in Mexico, where these birds spend their winters, 1,600 miles away.

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ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Hong Kong skyscrapers appear to fall in real-world illusion
• Light and nanoprobes detect early signs of infection
• How did a third radiation belt appear in the Earth's upper atmosphere?
• Solar splashdown provide new insights into how young stars grow by sucking up nearby gas
• Uncovering quantum secret in photosynthesis
• Does your salad know what time it is? Managing vegetables' 'internal clocks' postharvest could have health benefits
• Pearly perfection: Odd explanation for why pearls are spherical in nature
• Detour ahead: Cities, farms reroute animals seeking cooler climes
• DNA constructs antenna for solar energy
• New solar car has sleek, asymmetrical design

Hong Kong skyscrapers appear to fall in real-world illusion Posted: 20 Jun 2013 01:28 PM PDT No matter how we jump, roll, sit, or lie down, our brain manages to maintain a visual representation of the world that stays upright relative to the pull of gravity. But a new study of rider experiences on the Hong Kong Peak Tram, a popular tourist attraction, shows that specific features of the environment can dominate our perception of verticality, making skyscrapers appear to fall.

Light and nanoprobes detect early signs of infection Posted: 20 Jun 2013 01:28 PM PDT Biomedical engineers and genome researchers have developed a proof-of-principle approach using light to detect infections before patients show symptoms.

How did a third radiation belt appear in the Earth's upper atmosphere? Posted: 20 Jun 2013 01:28 PM PDT How did a third radiation belt appear in the Earth's upper atmosphere, and then almost completely disappear?

Solar splashdown provide new insights into how young stars grow by sucking up nearby gas Posted: 20 Jun 2013 01:28 PM PDT On June 7, 2011, our sun erupted, blasting tons of hot plasma into space. Some of that plasma splashed back down onto the sun's surface, sparking bright flashes of ultraviolet light. This dramatic event may provide new insights into how young stars grow by sucking up nearby gas.

Uncovering quantum secret in photosynthesis Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT Scientists have observed the quantum character of light transport through the molecular machines at work in natural photosynthesis. By studying a single machine at a time, they found that this quantum transport is very persistent and robust regardless of environmental changes. These results could pave the way for the construction of solar energy devices with an efficiency surpassing anything we have seen to date.

Does your salad know what time it is? Managing vegetables' 'internal clocks' postharvest could have health benefits Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:23 AM PDT Biologists have found there may be potential health benefits to storing fresh produce under day-night cycles of light. In a new study researchers used lighting to alter the circadian rhythms of cabbage, lettuce, spinach, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes and blueberries. The scientists showed how manipulation of circadian rhythms caused cabbage to produce more phytochemicals, including antioxidants.

Pearly perfection: Odd explanation for why pearls are spherical in nature Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:24 AM PDT The mystery of how pearls form into the most perfectly spherical large objects in nature may have an unlikely explanation, scientists are proposing in a new study.

Detour ahead: Cities, farms reroute animals seeking cooler climes Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:15 AM PDT Half a dozen regions could provide some of the Western Hemisphere's more heavily used thoroughfares for mammals, birds and amphibians on their way to cooler environments in a warming world. This is the first broad-scale study to consider how animals might travel when confronted with cities, large agricultural areas and other human related barriers.

DNA constructs antenna for solar energy Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:14 AM PDT Researchers have found an effective solution for collecting sunlight for artificial photosynthesis. By combining self-assembling DNA molecules with simple dye molecules, the researchers have created a system that resembles nature's own antenna system.

New solar car has sleek, asymmetrical design Posted: 19 Jun 2013 06:13 AM PDT The lopsided solar car named Generation, unveiled today, might be the oddest-looking vehicle the University of Michigan team has ever built. But the bold shape is a calculated effort to design the most efficient car possible, given major changes in World Solar Challenge race rules.

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The Cynical Girl: Love and Drama

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Love and Drama Posted: 20 Jun 2013 03:45 AM PDT I like how HR conferences make me think about love and drama. It is the stuff of life. This past week, Mark Kelly spoke at the 2013 SHRM Annual Conference where he discussed gun violence and advocacy. He told the story of his wife, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who survived a brutal assassination attempt by a crazy constituent. Although Ms. Giffords continues to improve, she will never be the same woman. When Gabby Giffords joined her husband on stage, my friend Eric wrote this. What we see right now is two amazing people…who clearly love each other. #shrm13 what an inspiration! — Eric Winegardner (@ewmonster) June 19, 2013   Life. Gah. So sad and beautiful. Love trumps tragedy. Courage and bravery trump cowardice. Sometimes the only way to deal with heartache and chaos is to look beyond your own situation and get active. When the worst gets you down, it’s time to advocate on behalf of other people who have it worse. That’s what Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords are doing about gun violence in America. I have also been thinking about Cy Wakeman’s session at SHRM and her message of ditching drama — at work, at home and in the HR department. Her message of a “drama-free work zone” is very important for people like me because I love drama. On Wednesday night, I was actually shushed by a Human Resources lady at a Kelly Clarkson corporate concert. I know, I know. Only in HR. I turned around and started to read this woman the riot act. Nobody tells me to shush at a public event. But in the midst of my boiling rage and righteous indignation, I realized that my goofball behavior (with my best friend of 26 years, by the way) was probably cramping this woman’s style. Look at me. Just out. of. control. In the middle of being incredibly pissed off, I realize that all this woman did was ask me to pipe down. That is not a crime. And I chose not to pipe down. What am I gonna do? Hit her Sheesh, no. So it was over. I suggested we exchange business cards and she politely declined. And later that night, I was having a conversation with two HR colleagues about work, love, family, politics and personalities. These dear friends of mine had dissenting opinions. I kept saying I DON’T FEEL LIKE I AM BEING HEARD. I must have said that twenty times (thanks to the champagne). But then I realized, bah, who gives a shit if I am heard? I know what I believe. And they do hear me, actually. They love me. And we are women with opinions but we are also friends who support one another. That’s all there is in life. So this post is meant to remind you to fill your life with love. Push hard to remove the drama. Invest in good, healthy relationships. And when you are the moron, turn it around and change your behaviors. Those are pretty good lessons from a Human Resources conference.

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ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Light and nanoprobes detect early signs of infection
• How did a third radiation belt appear in the Earth's upper atmosphere?
• Solar splashdown provide new insights into how young stars grow by sucking up nearby gas
• New method for achieving nonlinear optical effects: Method could be a step toward quantum computing
• Uncovering quantum secret in photosynthesis
• Cities are a new kind of complex system: Part social reactor, part network
• Particle accelerator that can fit on a tabletop opens new chapter for science research
• Hubble spots galaxies in close encounter: Colliding galaxy pair takes flight
• Too green to be true? Highly effective method for converting CO2 into methanol
• Autophaser improves sample analysis in areas such as cancer, Alzheimer's and oil spills
• App to protect private data on iOS devices finds almost half of other apps access private data
• Transistor made from just one molecular monolayer made to work on computer chip
• Realistic 3-d tumor created through tissue engineering using silk scaffolds
• Dusty surprise around giant black hole
• New survey shows widespread opposition to ‘killer robots,' support for new ban campaign
• Protection for whistleblowers: New system would allow for secret data transfer
• Making memories: Practical quantum computing moves closer to reality
• Unexpected behaviour of well-known catalysts
• DNA constructs antenna for solar energy
• New solar car has sleek, asymmetrical design
• Study of journalists and private citizens' drone use brings up significant issues
• Stop hyperventilating, say energy efficiency researchers

Light and nanoprobes detect early signs of infection Posted: 20 Jun 2013 01:28 PM PDT Biomedical engineers and genome researchers have developed a proof-of-principle approach using light to detect infections before patients show symptoms.

How did a third radiation belt appear in the Earth's upper atmosphere? Posted: 20 Jun 2013 01:28 PM PDT How did a third radiation belt appear in the Earth's upper atmosphere, and then almost completely disappear?

Solar splashdown provide new insights into how young stars grow by sucking up nearby gas Posted: 20 Jun 2013 01:28 PM PDT On June 7, 2011, our sun erupted, blasting tons of hot plasma into space. Some of that plasma splashed back down onto the sun's surface, sparking bright flashes of ultraviolet light. This dramatic event may provide new insights into how young stars grow by sucking up nearby gas.

New method for achieving nonlinear optical effects: Method could be a step toward quantum computing Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT In a step forward for quantum computing, researchers have theorized a new method for making photons interact.

Uncovering quantum secret in photosynthesis Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT Scientists have observed the quantum character of light transport through the molecular machines at work in natural photosynthesis. By studying a single machine at a time, they found that this quantum transport is very persistent and robust regardless of environmental changes. These results could pave the way for the construction of solar energy devices with an efficiency surpassing anything we have seen to date.

Cities are a new kind of complex system: Part social reactor, part network Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT Scientists have derived a series of mathematical formulas that describe how cities' properties vary in relation to their population size, and then posits a novel unified, quantitative framework for understanding how cities function and grow. The resulting theoretical framework predicts very closely dozens of statistical relationships observed in thousands of real cities around the world for which reliable data are available.

Particle accelerator that can fit on a tabletop opens new chapter for science research Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:24 AM PDT The laser plasma accelerator has accelerated about half a billion electrons to 2 gigaelectronvolts over a distance of about 1 inch. It's a downsizing of a factor of approximately 10,000, and marks a major milestone in the advance toward the day when multi-gigaelectronvolt laser plasma accelerators are standard equipment in research laboratories around the world.

Hubble spots galaxies in close encounter: Colliding galaxy pair takes flight Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:22 AM PDT The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced this vivid image of a pair of interacting galaxies known as Arp 142. When two galaxies stray too close to each other they begin to interact, causing spectacular changes in both objects. In some cases the two can merge — but in others, they are ripped apart.

Too green to be true? Highly effective method for converting CO2 into methanol Posted: 20 Jun 2013 08:12 AM PDT Researchers have developed a highly effective method for converting CO2 into methanol, which can be used as a low-emissions fuel for vehicles.

Autophaser improves sample analysis in areas such as cancer, Alzheimer's and oil spills Posted: 20 Jun 2013 08:12 AM PDT A new software package allows researchers to vastly improve the performance of one of the key tools used to analyse medical and environmental samples.

App to protect private data on iOS devices finds almost half of other apps access private data Posted: 20 Jun 2013 07:12 AM PDT Almost half of the mobile apps running on Apple's iOS operating system access the unique identifier of the devices where they're downloaded, computer scientists have found. In addition, more than 13 percent access the devices' location and more than 6 percent the address book. The researchers developed a new app that detects what data the other apps running on an iOS device are trying to access.

Transistor made from just one molecular monolayer made to work on computer chip Posted: 20 Jun 2013 04:15 AM PDT Electronic components built from single molecules using chemical synthesis could pave the way for smaller, faster and more green and sustainable electronic devices. Now for the first time, a transistor made from just one molecular monolayer has been made to work where it really counts. On a computer chip.

Realistic 3-d tumor created through tissue engineering using silk scaffolds Posted: 20 Jun 2013 04:14 AM PDT Medical researchers have developed a highly realistic three-dimensional (3-D) tumor model. As it replicates the conditions in the body, it is able to track the effectiveness and progress of drug therapy. Their model has the potential to be a more effective method for studying tumors than in-vitro and even in-vivo methods.

Dusty surprise around giant black hole Posted: 20 Jun 2013 04:14 AM PDT ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer has gathered the most detailed observations ever of the dust around the huge black hole at the centre of an active galaxy. Rather than finding all of the glowing dust in a doughnut-shaped torus around the black hole, as expected, the astronomers find that much of it is located above and below the torus. These observations show that dust is being pushed away from the black hole as a cool wind — a surprising finding that challenges current theories and tells us how supermassive black holes evolve and interact with their surroundings.

New survey shows widespread opposition to ‘killer robots,' support for new ban campaign Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:43 PM PDT The results of a new survey show that a majority of Americans across the political spectrum oppose the outsourcing of lethal military and defense targeting decisions to machines. The opposition to autonomous weaponry is bipartisan, with the strongest opposition on the far left and far right, and among active and former members of the military.

Protection for whistleblowers: New system would allow for secret data transfer Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:20 AM PDT Scientists are developing a system that would make it possible for an individual to submit data over the Internet while remaining unobserved.

Making memories: Practical quantum computing moves closer to reality Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:15 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new way to design quantum memory, bringing quantum computers a step closer to reality.

Unexpected behaviour of well-known catalysts Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:15 AM PDT Industrial palladium-copper catalysts change their structures before they get to work, already during the activation process. As a result, the reaction is catalysed by a catalyst that is different from the one originally prepared for it.

DNA constructs antenna for solar energy Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:14 AM PDT Researchers have found an effective solution for collecting sunlight for artificial photosynthesis. By combining self-assembling DNA molecules with simple dye molecules, the researchers have created a system that resembles nature's own antenna system.

New solar car has sleek, asymmetrical design Posted: 19 Jun 2013 06:13 AM PDT The lopsided solar car named Generation, unveiled today, might be the oddest-looking vehicle the University of Michigan team has ever built. But the bold shape is a calculated effort to design the most efficient car possible, given major changes in World Solar Challenge race rules.

Study of journalists and private citizens' drone use brings up significant issues Posted: 18 Jun 2013 07:20 AM PDT A new perspective on the controversial use of unmanned aerial vehicles in journalism and mass communication, or "drone journalism" has been reached. Researchers analyzed the first eight documented cases of drones being used in journalism. They found that there are significant issues that the Federal Aviation Administration will need to address or, they predict, legislative bodies will have to get involved.

Stop hyperventilating, say energy efficiency researchers Posted: 18 Jun 2013 07:19 AM PDT A single advanced building control now in development could slash 18 percent -- tens of thousands of dollars -- off the overall annual energy bill of the average large office building, with no loss of comfort. Instead of running ventilation full blast whenever just a single person is in the room, customize the amount of ventilation based on the number of people actually present.

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