ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• U.S. experiences warm and dry June; drought expands to 56% of lower 48
• June global temperatures fourth highest on record
• Dairy researchers identify bacterial spoilers in milk
• Fifty metric tons of marine debris from Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
• Sweat glands grown from newly identified stem cells
• Highly transparent solar cells for windows that generate electricity
• Stone Age tools help to streamline modern manufacturing
• Unique mechanism identified in bacteria as potential target for developing new antibiotics
• Key to life in the desert: What new research reveals about the importance of soil crusts
• Eradicating weed species in New Zealand poses a larger challenge than expected
• Beneficial bacteria may help ward off infection
• Dominant deer hinds choose the best food
• How hosts recognize bacteria
• Scientists develop new carbon accounting method to reduce farmers' use of nitrogen fertilizer

U.S. experiences warm and dry June; drought expands to 56% of lower 48 Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:55 PM PDT The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during June was 71.2°F, 2.0°F above the 20th century average, ranking as the 14th warmest June on record. Scorching temperatures during the second half of the month broke or tied over 170 all-time temperature records in cities across America. June temperatures also contributed to a record-warm first half of the year and the warmest 12-month period the nation has experienced since recordkeeping began in 1895.

June global temperatures fourth highest on record Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:49 PM PDT The globally averaged temperature for June 2012 marked the fourth warmest June since record keeping began in 1880. The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces was 61.03°F, 1.13°F above the 20th century average. June 2012 also marks the 36th consecutive June and 328th consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th century average. The last below-average temperature June was June 1976 and the last below-average temperature month was February 1985.

Dairy researchers identify bacterial spoilers in milk Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:15 PM PDT Our days of crying over spoiled milk could be over, thanks to food scientists. Milk undergoes heat treatment -- pasteurization -- to kill off microbes that can cause food spoilage and disease, but certain bacterial strains can survive this heat shock as spores and cause milk to curdle in storage.

Fifty metric tons of marine debris from Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:07 PM PDT NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette arrived back in its homeport of Honolulu a few days ago after a month in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The team of 17 scientists collected nearly 50 metric tons of marine debris, which threatens monk seals, sea turtles and other marine life in the coral reef ecosystem, in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI).

Sweat glands grown from newly identified stem cells Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:01 PM PDT To date, few fundamentals have been known about the most common gland in the body, the sweat glands that are essential to controlling body temperature, allowing humans to live in the world's diverse climates. Now, in a tour de force, researchers have identified, in mice, the stem cell from which sweat glands initially develop as well as stem cells that regenerate adult sweat glands.

Highly transparent solar cells for windows that generate electricity Posted: 20 Jul 2012 10:57 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new transparent solar cell that is an advance toward giving windows in homes and other buildings the ability to generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside.

Stone Age tools help to streamline modern manufacturing Posted: 20 Jul 2012 07:35 AM PDT Innovative research uses laser microscopes to explore how stone tools were used in prehistory, and the process has helped streamline surface measurement techniques for modern manufacturers.

Unique mechanism identified in bacteria as potential target for developing new antibiotics Posted: 20 Jul 2012 07:34 AM PDT Researchers have identified a unique mechanism in bacteria that has the potential to serve as a target for developing new antibiotics for diseases such as AIDS and soft tissue infections including respiratory and urogenital tracts, which are currently difficult to treat.

Key to life in the desert: What new research reveals about the importance of soil crusts Posted: 20 Jul 2012 07:34 AM PDT Biological soil crust organisms found to play an active role in the development of soil structures and the allocation of water and nutrients.

Eradicating weed species in New Zealand poses a larger challenge than expected Posted: 20 Jul 2012 07:33 AM PDT New Zealand is a very weedy country. Indigenous plant species are matched in number by naturalized, exotic species, and about 20 new invaders are discovered each year. Thus, a weed eradication program has been under way for the past 10 years, but completely eradicating an unwanted plant species is much more difficult than it might seem.

Beneficial bacteria may help ward off infection Posted: 20 Jul 2012 06:22 AM PDT Scientists have explored the role of Lactobaccilus reuteri -- a natural resident of the human gut -- to protect against food-borne infection.

Dominant deer hinds choose the best food Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:30 AM PDT When food is abundant, it seems that animals do not have to compete but dominant deer hinds still uphold rivalry and select the most nutritious food to maintain their status. This is the case according to a study carried out on the Albacete experimental deer farm in Spain.

How hosts recognize bacteria Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:30 AM PDT We are surrounded by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. The fact that we nevertheless do not fall prey to infections is thanks to certain cellular sensor molecules such as toll-like receptors (TLR), which recognize the molecular structure of pathogens and intercede by ensuring an often completely unnoticeable elimination of the invaders. Their immune-activating abilities were only detected in 1998, a discovery which was awarded with the Nobel Prize. Now scientists are examining the complex recognition of bacteria.

Scientists develop new carbon accounting method to reduce farmers' use of nitrogen fertilizer Posted: 18 Jul 2012 10:17 AM PDT It's summer. For many of us, summer is a time synonymous with fresh corn, one of the major field crops produced in the United States. In 2011, corn was planted on more than 92 million acres in the US, helping the nation continue its trend as the world's largest exporter of the crop.

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