ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Fish, bugs and mercury contamination in small ponds: Why we should worry about aquatic insects and hg contamination
• What triggers a mass extinction? Habitat loss and tropical cooling were once to blame
• Has the Dead Sea used up its nine lives? Dead Sea almost dried up over 100,000 years ago
• Miniature sensors may advance climate studies
• U.S. records warmest March; more than 15,000 warm temperature records broken
• Eggs of enigmatic dinosaur in Patagonia discovered
• Impact of climate change on forest diseases assessed
• Fish thriving around wind farms
• Rapid method of assembling new gene-editing tool could revolutionize genetic research
• Mating has long-term benefits: Courtship can take effort, but now scientists know why it might be worth it
• Climate change helps, then quickly stunts plant growth, decade-long study shows

Fish, bugs and mercury contamination in small ponds: Why we should worry about aquatic insects and hg contamination Posted: 10 Apr 2012 01:35 PM PDT There have been many scientific studies looking at the levels of toxic mercury (Hg) in fish. After all, fish can end up directly on our plate. However, far fewer studies have examined Hg levels in aquatic insects. This is a significant oversight because aquatic insects are an important source of Hg to fish and even terrestrial wildlife.

What triggers a mass extinction? Habitat loss and tropical cooling were once to blame Posted: 10 Apr 2012 11:59 AM PDT The second-largest mass extinction in Earth's history coincided with a short but intense ice age. Although it has long been agreed that the so-called Late Ordovician mass extinction was related to climate change, exactly how the change produced the extinction has not been known. Now, scientists have determined that the majority of extinctions were caused by habitat loss due to falling sea levels and cooling of the tropical oceans.

Has the Dead Sea used up its nine lives? Dead Sea almost dried up over 100,000 years ago Posted: 10 Apr 2012 10:08 AM PDT Scientists say that recent drilling into the sediment of the Dead Sea indicates that it has recovered from several periods of dryness and very little rainfall in the ancient past, but warns that there's still cause for concern.

Miniature sensors may advance climate studies Posted: 10 Apr 2012 10:06 AM PDT An air sampler the size of an ear plug is expected to cheaply and easily collect atmospheric samples to improve computer climate models. The inexpensive tool can collect pristine vapor samples in the field. It also can monitor pollution and be employed medically.

U.S. records warmest March; more than 15,000 warm temperature records broken Posted: 10 Apr 2012 08:40 AM PDT Record and near-record breaking temperatures dominated the eastern two-thirds of the United States and contributed to the warmest March on record for the contiguous United States, a record that dates back to 1895. More than 15,000 warm temperature records were broken during the month.

Eggs of enigmatic dinosaur in Patagonia discovered Posted: 10 Apr 2012 07:20 AM PDT An Argentine-Swedish research team has reported a 70-million-year-old pocket of fossilized bones and unique eggs of an enigmatic birdlike dinosaur in Patagonia.

Impact of climate change on forest diseases assessed Posted: 10 Apr 2012 06:36 AM PDT Climate change is projected to have far-reaching environmental impacts both domestically and abroad. A recently published report examines the impact of climate change on forest diseases and how these pathogens will ultimately affect forest ecosystems in the Western United States and Canada.

Fish thriving around wind farms Posted: 10 Apr 2012 06:33 AM PDT The first Danish study into how one of the worlds largest wind farms affects marine life is now completed. It shows that the wind turbines and the fish live quite happily together. Indeed some species of fish have actually increased in number.

Rapid method of assembling new gene-editing tool could revolutionize genetic research Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:39 AM PDT The development of a new way to make a powerful tool for altering gene sequences should greatly increase the ability of researchers to knock out or otherwise alter the expression of any gene they are studying.

Mating has long-term benefits: Courtship can take effort, but now scientists know why it might be worth it Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:39 AM PDT Courtship rituals can be all-consuming, demanding time and effort – but now scientists have discovered why it might be worth it.

Climate change helps, then quickly stunts plant growth, decade-long study shows Posted: 09 Apr 2012 07:32 AM PDT Global warming may initially make the grass greener, but not for long, according to new research. A new study shows that plants may thrive in the early stages of a warming environment but begin to deteriorate quickly.

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