ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Caught in the act: Scientists discover microbes speciating
• Rare fungus kills endangered rattlesnakes in southern Illinois
• Cell energy sensor mechanism discovered
• Origin of photosynthesis revealed: Genome analysis of 'living fossil' sheds light on the evolution of plants
• Tohoku grim reminder of potential for Pacific Northwest North American megaquake
• Plant toughness: Key to cracking biofuels?
• Irish mammals under serious threat from 'invasional meltdown'
• Ant colonies remember rivals' odor and compete like sports fans
• Gases drawn into smog particles stay there
• Scientists unlock evolutionary secret of blood vessels
• Tadpoles adjust buoyancy to adapt to different environments
• Iconic marine mammals are 'swimming in sick seas' of terrestrial pathogens
• Eat and let die: Insect feeds on toxic plants for protection from predators
• How the tiger got its stripes: Proving Turing's tiger stripe theory
• Glaciers: A window into human impact on the global carbon cycle
• A classic model for ecological stability revised, 40 years later

Caught in the act: Scientists discover microbes speciating Posted: 21 Feb 2012 06:25 PM PST Not that long ago in a hot spring in Kamchatka, Russia, two groups of genetically indistinguishable microbes decided to part ways. They began evolving into different species – despite the fact that they still encountered one another in their acidic, boiling habitat and even exchanged some genes from time to time, researchers report. This is the first example of what the researchers call sympatric speciation in a microorganism.

Rare fungus kills endangered rattlesnakes in southern Illinois Posted: 21 Feb 2012 12:15 PM PST A small population of rattlesnakes that already is in decline in southern Illinois faces a new and unexpected threat in the form of a fungus rarely seen in the wild, researchers report. The finding matches reports of rattlesnake deaths in the northeast United States.

Cell energy sensor mechanism discovered Posted: 21 Feb 2012 11:59 AM PST Researchers have discovered more details about how an energy sensing "thermostat" protein determines whether cells will store or use their energy reserves. The researchers have shown that a chemical modification on the thermostat protein changes how it's controlled. Without the modification, cells use stored energy, and with it, they default to stockpiling resources. When cells don't properly allocate their energy supply, they can die off or become cancerous.

Origin of photosynthesis revealed: Genome analysis of 'living fossil' sheds light on the evolution of plants Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:54 AM PST Evolutionary biologists have shed light on the early events leading to photosynthesis, the result of the sequencing of 70 million base pair nuclear genome of the one-celled alga Cyanophora. They consider this study the final piece of the puzzle to understand the origin of photosynthesis in eukaryotes.

Tohoku grim reminder of potential for Pacific Northwest North American megaquake Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:54 AM PST The March 11, 2011 Tohoku earthquake is a grim reminder of the potential for another strong-motion mega-earthquake along the Pacific Northwest coast, geophysicists say.

Plant toughness: Key to cracking biofuels? Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:52 AM PST Along with photosynthesis, the plant cell wall is one of the features that most set plants apart from animals. A structural molecule called cellulose is necessary for the manufacture of these walls. Cellulose is synthesized in a semi-crystalline state that is essential for its function in the cell wall function, but the mechanisms controlling its crystallinity are poorly understood. New research reveals key information about this process.

Irish mammals under serious threat from 'invasional meltdown' Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:48 AM PST Some of Ireland's oldest inhabitants are facing serious threat and possible extinction because of foreign species, according to researchers.

Ant colonies remember rivals' odor and compete like sports fans Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:48 AM PST A new study has shown that weaver ants share a collective memory for the odor of ants in rival nests, and use the information to identify them and compete, similar to how sports fans know each other instantly by their unique colors.

Gases drawn into smog particles stay there Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:48 AM PST Airborne gases get sucked into stubborn smog particles from which they cannot escape, according to new findings. These finding could explain why air pollution models underestimate organic aerosols.

Scientists unlock evolutionary secret of blood vessels Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:48 AM PST Scientists have shed light on how vertebrates evolved closed circulation systems designed to more effectively carry blood to organs and tissues.

Tadpoles adjust buoyancy to adapt to different environments Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:47 AM PST Survival and reproduction of many aquatic and semi-aquatic animals can depend upon how well they float. Tadpoles use various strategies to attain buoyancy, depending upon their stage of development and location in still or turbulent waters. Researchers have taken a closer look at the developing frog's strategies to achieve buoyancy.

Iconic marine mammals are 'swimming in sick seas' of terrestrial pathogens Posted: 21 Feb 2012 07:41 AM PST Parasites and pathogens infecting humans, pets and farm animals are increasingly being detected in marine mammals such as sea otters, porpoises, harbor seals and killer whales along the Pacific coast of the US and Canada, and better surveillance is required to monitor public health implications, according to a panel of scientific experts from Canada and the United States.

Eat and let die: Insect feeds on toxic plants for protection from predators Posted: 21 Feb 2012 06:02 AM PST Certain insects, such as the African variegated grasshopper or the cinnabar moth, native in Europe and Asia, feed on toxic plants in order to protect themselves from predators.

How the tiger got its stripes: Proving Turing's tiger stripe theory Posted: 19 Feb 2012 11:33 AM PST Researchers have provided the first experimental evidence confirming a great British mathematician's theory of how biological patterns such as tiger stripes or leopard spots are formed.

Glaciers: A window into human impact on the global carbon cycle Posted: 19 Feb 2012 11:33 AM PST New clues as to how the Earth's remote ecosystems have been influenced by the industrial revolution are locked, frozen in the ice of glaciers.

A classic model for ecological stability revised, 40 years later Posted: 19 Feb 2012 11:32 AM PST A famous mathematical formula which shook the world of ecology 40 years ago has been revisited and refined.

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