ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Iconic New Zealand reptile shows chewing is not just for mammals
• Chemical fingerprinting tracks the travels of little brown bats
• Discovery of historical photos sheds light on Greenland ice loss
• Greenland's loss of ice mass during the last 10 years is unusually high compared to last 50 years
• Children exposed to the common pollutant naphthalene show signs of chromosomal damage
• Land and sea species differ in climate change response
• 16th-century Korean mummy provides clue to hepatitis B virus genetic code
• Blowing in the wind: How hidden flower features are crucial for bees
• Beetle flight: Flapping protective wings increase lift
• Inequality dates back to Stone Age: Earliest evidence yet of differential access to land
• Climate change led to collapse of ancient Indus civilization, study finds
• T cells 'hunt' parasites like animal predators seek prey, a new study reveals
• Public apathy over climate change unrelated to science literacy

Iconic New Zealand reptile shows chewing is not just for mammals Posted: 29 May 2012 06:17 PM PDT The tuatara, an iconic New Zealand reptile, chews its food in a way unlike any other animal on the planet -- challenging the widespread perception that complex chewing ability is closely linked to high metabolism.

Chemical fingerprinting tracks the travels of little brown bats Posted: 29 May 2012 03:12 PM PDT A novel technique using stable hydrogen isotopes —- a chemical fingerprint found in tissues such as hair —- has enabled researchers to determine where hibernating bats originated. Knowing that could help predict and ultimately manage the spread of white-nose syndrome.

Discovery of historical photos sheds light on Greenland ice loss Posted: 29 May 2012 11:43 AM PDT A chance discovery of 80-year-old photo plates in a Danish basement is providing new insight into how Greenland glaciers are melting today.

Greenland's loss of ice mass during the last 10 years is unusually high compared to last 50 years Posted: 29 May 2012 10:36 AM PDT Loss through melting and iceberg calving during the last 10 years is unusually high compared to the last 50 years. The Greenland ice sheet continues to lose mass and thus contributes at about 0.7 millimeters per year to the currently observed sea level change of about 3 mm per year. This trend increases each year by a further 0.07 millimeters per year. The pattern and temporal nature of loss is complex. The mass loss is largest in southwest and northwest Greenland; the respective contributions of melting, iceberg calving and fluctuations in snow accumulation differing considerably.

Children exposed to the common pollutant naphthalene show signs of chromosomal damage Posted: 29 May 2012 08:36 AM PDT Children exposed to high levels of the common air pollutant naphthalene are at increased risk for chromosomal aberrations (CAs), which have been previously associated with cancer. These include chromosomal translocations, a potentially more harmful and long-lasting subtype of CAs.

Land and sea species differ in climate change response Posted: 29 May 2012 07:24 AM PDT Marine and terrestrial species will likely differ in how they respond to climate change according to a new study by Simon Fraser University and Australia's University of Tasmania.

16th-century Korean mummy provides clue to hepatitis B virus genetic code Posted: 29 May 2012 07:22 AM PDT The discovery of a mummified Korean child with relatively preserved organs enabled an Israeli-South Korean scientific team to conduct a genetic analysis on a liver biopsy which revealed a unique hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype C2 sequence common in Southeast Asia.

Blowing in the wind: How hidden flower features are crucial for bees Posted: 29 May 2012 04:38 AM PDT As gardeners get busy filling tubs and borders with colorful bedding plants, scientists have discovered more about what makes flowers attractive to bees rather than humans. New research reveals that Velcro-like cells on plant petals play a crucial role in helping bees grip flowers – especially when the wind gets up.

Beetle flight: Flapping protective wings increase lift Posted: 29 May 2012 04:38 AM PDT The forewings of beetles, the elytra, are hardened structures which protect the insect's flying wings and body. The function of the forewings in flight has been questioned, which is what prompted researchers to study how the forewings and the underlying flying wings work in dung beetles. The researchers studied the air flow created by the wings when the beetles fly in a wind tunnel.

Inequality dates back to Stone Age: Earliest evidence yet of differential access to land Posted: 28 May 2012 12:49 PM PDT Hereditary inequality began over 7,000 years ago in the early Neolithic era, with new evidence showing that farmers buried with tools had access to better land than those buried without.

Climate change led to collapse of ancient Indus civilization, study finds Posted: 28 May 2012 12:49 PM PDT A new study combining the latest archaeological evidence with state-of-the-art geoscience technologies provides evidence that climate change was a key ingredient in the collapse of the great Indus or Harappan civilization almost 4000 years ago. The study also resolves a long-standing debate over the source and fate of the Sarasvati, the sacred river of Hindu mythology.

T cells 'hunt' parasites like animal predators seek prey, a new study reveals Posted: 27 May 2012 12:38 PM PDT By pairing an intimate knowledge of immune-system function with a deep understanding of statistical physics, a cross-disciplinary team has arrived at a surprising finding: T cells use a movement strategy to track down parasites that is similar to strategies that predators such as monkeys, sharks and bluefin tuna use to hunt their prey.

Public apathy over climate change unrelated to science literacy Posted: 27 May 2012 12:38 PM PDT Are members of the public divided about climate change because they don't understand the science behind it? If Americans knew more basic science and were more proficient in technical reasoning, would public consensus match scientific consensus? A new study suggests that the answer to both questions is no.

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