ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Ammonites found mini oases at ancient methane seeps
• Evolutionary history of what mammals eat: Some groups of mammals have changed their feeding strategies over time
• Study dusts sugar coating off little-known regulation in cells
• Promiscuous queen bees maintain genetic diversity
• Greenland may be slip-sliding away due to surface lake melting
• Sponging up oil spills: Nanosponges soak up oil again and again
• Low quality genes may cause mutational meltdown: Deficiencies compound over time
• Baboons display 'reading' skills, study suggests; Monkeys identify specific combinations of letters in words
• Diesel technologies drastically cut emissions under real-world conditions
• Chimpanzee ground nests offer new insight into our ancestors' descent from the trees
• One of earliest farming sites in Europe discovered
• How plants grow to escape shade: Findings could lead to high-yield crops
• Why plants grow towards the light
• Synthesis gas for fuel: Directly from forest residues

Ammonites found mini oases at ancient methane seeps Posted: 16 Apr 2012 01:57 PM PDT Scientists have shown that ammonites -- an extinct type of shelled mollusk that's closely related to modern-day nautiluses and squids -- made homes in the unique environments surrounding methane seeps in the seaway that once covered America's Great Plains. The findings provide new insights into the mode of life and habitat of these ancient animals.

Evolutionary history of what mammals eat: Some groups of mammals have changed their feeding strategies over time Posted: 16 Apr 2012 12:44 PM PDT The feeding habits of mammals haven't always been what they are today, particularly for omnivores, finds a new study. Some groups of mammals almost exclusively eat meat -- take lions and tigers and other big cats. Other mammals such as deer, cows and antelope are predominantly plant-eaters, living on a diet of leaves, shoots and bark. But particularly for omnivores, the situation wasn't always that way, finds a new study.

Study dusts sugar coating off little-known regulation in cells Posted: 16 Apr 2012 12:40 PM PDT O-GlcNAc regulatory system adds complexity in cell regulation, could eventually provide new drug targets.

Promiscuous queen bees maintain genetic diversity Posted: 16 Apr 2012 12:04 PM PDT By mating with nearly 100 males, queen bees on isolated islands avoid inbreeding and keep colonies healthy. New research has focused on giant honey bee colonies on Hainan Island, off the coast of China. Since these bees have long been separated from their continental cousins, it was thought that the island bees would be prime candidates for inbreeding as well as having very different genes.

Greenland may be slip-sliding away due to surface lake melting Posted: 16 Apr 2012 10:50 AM PDT Like snow sliding off a roof on a sunny day, the Greenland Ice Sheet may be sliding faster into the ocean due to massive releases of meltwater from surface lakes, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder-based Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.

Sponging up oil spills: Nanosponges soak up oil again and again Posted: 16 Apr 2012 10:04 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that adding a dash of boron to carbon while creating nanotubes turns them into solid, spongy, reusable blocks that have an astounding ability to absorb oil spilled in water.

Low quality genes may cause mutational meltdown: Deficiencies compound over time Posted: 16 Apr 2012 10:03 AM PDT Evolutionary biologists have found that individuals with low-quality genes may produce offspring with even more inferior chromosomes, possibly leading to the extinction of certain species over generations. A study predicts that organisms with such genetic deficiencies could experience an increased number of mutations in their DNA, relative to individuals with high-quality genes.

Baboons display 'reading' skills, study suggests; Monkeys identify specific combinations of letters in words Posted: 16 Apr 2012 09:52 AM PDT Learning to read is not just to do with speech, but also with the ability to recognize and memorize regular patterns among the letters that make up words, according to a new study on baboons. New results show that monkeys identify specific combinations of letters in words and detect anomalies -- a capacity that certainly existed before speech.

Diesel technologies drastically cut emissions under real-world conditions Posted: 16 Apr 2012 08:31 AM PDT New research shows that federal requirements governing diesel engines of new tractor trailer trucks have resulted in major cuts in emissions of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides -- pollutants that have significant human health and environmental impacts.

Chimpanzee ground nests offer new insight into our ancestors' descent from the trees Posted: 16 Apr 2012 08:30 AM PDT The first study into rarely documented ground-nest building by wild chimpanzees offers new clues about the ancient transition of early hominins from sleeping in trees to sleeping on the ground. While most apes build nests in trees, this study focused on a group of wild West African chimpanzees that often shows ground-nesting behavior.

One of earliest farming sites in Europe discovered Posted: 16 Apr 2012 08:30 AM PDT New findings show that Vashtëmi, located in southeastern Albania, was occupied around 6,500 cal BC, making it one of the earliest farming sites in Europe. The location of early sites such as Vashtëmi near wetland edges suggests that the earliest farmers in Europe preferentially selected such resource-rich settings to establish pioneer farming villages.

How plants grow to escape shade: Findings could lead to high-yield crops Posted: 16 Apr 2012 07:10 AM PDT Mild mannered though they seem, plants are extremely competitive, especially when it comes to getting their fair share of sunlight. Whether a forest or a farm, where plants grow a battle wages for the sun's rays.

Why plants grow towards the light Posted: 16 Apr 2012 07:10 AM PDT Have you ever wondered why stems grow upwards and roots downwards? Why plants always seem to turn towards the light and climbing plants run up the trellis rather than down?

Synthesis gas for fuel: Directly from forest residues Posted: 16 Apr 2012 07:06 AM PDT Forest residues such as stumps, bark and twigs are now proving of great benefit in a new test facility for the production of high-quality synthesis gas intended for transport fuels.

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