ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Marine scientists urge government to reassess oil spill response
• How 'checkpoint' proteins bind chromosomes
• Meat eating behind evolutionary success of humankind, global population spread, study suggests
• Freeing loggerhead turtles comes at a price
• Polar bears evolutionarily five times older and genetically more distinct: Ancestry traced back 600,000 years
• Warning signs from ancient Greek tsunami
• Accelerating climate change exerts strong pressure on Europe's mountain flora
• New study links air pollution and early death in the UK
• Could a newly discovered viral genome change what we thought we knew about virus evolution?
• Particularly dangerous Salmonella discovered
• Cod has a key role in the whole Baltic Sea
• Saving forests? Take a leaf from insurance industry's book
• Live fast, die young: Urban plants are more closely related and live shorter lives than plants in the countryside
• Can sound science guide dispersant use during subsea oil spills?

Marine scientists urge government to reassess oil spill response Posted: 20 Apr 2012 09:39 AM PDT On the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon blowout, a national panel of researchers is urging the US federal government to reassess how it would respond to similar oil spills that might occur in the future.

How 'checkpoint' proteins bind chromosomes Posted: 20 Apr 2012 09:38 AM PDT New research has pinpointed the precise mechanism by which spindle checkpoint proteins bind chromosomes. The development of more effective cancer drugs could now be a step nearer.

Meat eating behind evolutionary success of humankind, global population spread, study suggests Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:55 AM PDT Carnivory is behind the evolutionary success of humankind. When early humans started to eat meat and eventually hunt, their new, higher-quality diet meant that women could wean their children earlier. Women could then give birth to more children during their reproductive life, which is a possible contribution to the population gradually spreading over the world. The connection between eating meat and a faster weaning process is shown by a research group from Sweden, which compared close to 70 mammalian species and found clear patterns.

Freeing loggerhead turtles comes at a price Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:53 AM PDT Scientists have studied loggerhead turtles' re-adaptation to the environment. The results show that after a lengthy recovery in rehabilitation centers these animals display changes in behavior and may not adapt well to being free.

Polar bears evolutionarily five times older and genetically more distinct: Ancestry traced back 600,000 years Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:53 AM PDT Polar bears evolved as early as some 600,000 years ago, according to a new study. Scientists show the largest arctic carnivore to be five times older than previously thought. The new findings on the evolutionary history of polar bears are the result of an analysis of information from the nuclear genome of polar and brown bears, and shed new light on conservation issues regarding this endangered arctic specialist.

Warning signs from ancient Greek tsunami Posted: 19 Apr 2012 12:39 PM PDT In the winter of 479 B.C., a tsunami was the savior of Potidaea, drowning hundreds of Persian invaders as they lay siege to the ancient Greek village. New geological evidence suggests that the region may still be vulnerable to tsunami events.

Accelerating climate change exerts strong pressure on Europe's mountain flora Posted: 19 Apr 2012 11:31 AM PDT Mountain plants across the continent are moving to higher altitudes. The new article is based on detailed surveys of 66 mountain summits in Europe. Scientists mapped all plant species at each European site in 2001 and 2008.

New study links air pollution and early death in the UK Posted: 19 Apr 2012 10:26 AM PDT Emissions from cars, trucks, planes and power plants cause 13,000 premature deaths in the United Kingdom each year, new research suggests.

Could a newly discovered viral genome change what we thought we knew about virus evolution? Posted: 18 Apr 2012 05:43 PM PDT Scientist report on the existence of a previously undetected group of viruses and, more importantly, a new type of viral genome that could have huge implications for theories of viral emergence and evolution. Viruses are the most abundant organisms on earth, yet little is known about their evolutionary history since they have exceptionally high rates of genetic mutation which are difficult to track.

Particularly dangerous Salmonella discovered Posted: 18 Apr 2012 10:51 AM PDT Researchers have discovered Salmonella bacteria that are up to 100 times more capable of causing disease. Their findings may help prevent food poisoning outbreaks that continue to plague public health and the food industry.

Cod has a key role in the whole Baltic Sea Posted: 18 Apr 2012 10:48 AM PDT A new investigation put in evidence the key role of cod as regulator of the whole Baltic Sea ecosystem. The study shows that when the cod population in the central Baltic increases, it spreads into larger areas and spills over into adjacent marginal systems where it usually does not occur, as for example the Gulf of Riga.

Saving forests? Take a leaf from insurance industry's book Posted: 18 Apr 2012 08:18 AM PDT A group of environmental scientists say a problem-ridden economic model designed to slow deforestation can be improved by applying key concepts from the insurance industry.

Live fast, die young: Urban plants are more closely related and live shorter lives than plants in the countryside Posted: 18 Apr 2012 06:53 AM PDT Cities in both, the US and Europe harbor more plant species than rural areas. However, plant species of urban areas are more closely related to each other and often share similar functions. Consequently, urban ecosystems should be more sensitive towards environmental impacts than rural ecosystems.

Can sound science guide dispersant use during subsea oil spills? Posted: 17 Apr 2012 08:34 AM PDT On the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, a pair of researchers are testing whether sound waves can be used to determine the size of oil droplets in the subsea—knowledge that could help guide the use of chemical dispersants during the cleanup of future spills.

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