ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Study demonstrates that one extinction leads to another
• Widespread local 'extinctions' in tropical forest ‘remnants’
• Health consequences of meltdown, damage to Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan
• Researchers feed pigs, chickens high-protein fungus grown on ethanol leftovers
• Seeing sprites: Researchers catch glimpses of electromagnetic bursts high in Earth's atmosphere
• Researchers simulate volcanic eruptions: Large-scale experiment to shed light on powerful natural disaster
• Fish are warmer, faster, stronger: Unexpected benefits of living in a changing climate, biologists find
• Mass spectrometry opens new frontiers in a single cell
• Plants exhibit a wide range of mechanical properties, engineers find
• US wind power market riding a wave that is likely to crest in 2012
• Mutation in male moth's antenna lets him find a female at the other end of a football field
• New process doubles production of alternative fuel while slashing costs
• Remaking history: A new take on how evolution has shaped modern Europeans
• Impulsive micromanager microbes help plants adapt, survive
• Nearly 1,000 earthquakes recorded in Arizona over three years
• Seeds of hope amidst Philippine floods: Rice that can survive underwater
• Macabre finds in the bog at Alken Enge, Denmark: Skeletal remains of hundreds of warriors unearthed
• A model designed to balance the bolting load of wind turbines developed
• Potent human toxins prevalent in Canada's freshwaters
• Old skull bone rediscovered in mammals
• Mysterious snake disease decoded

Study demonstrates that one extinction leads to another Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:35 PM PDT When a carnivore becomes extinct, other predatory species could soon follow, according to new research. Scientists have previously put forward this theory, but now biologists have carried out the first experiment to show it. The study shows how the demise of one carnivore species can indirectly cause another to become extinct. The research team believes any extinction can create a ripple effect across a food web, with far-reaching consequences for many other animals.

Widespread local 'extinctions' in tropical forest ‘remnants’ Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:34 PM PDT The small fragments of tropical forests left behind after deforestation are suffering extensive species extinction, according to new research.

Health consequences of meltdown, damage to Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT Researchers report on the psychological status of workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan several months after the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, and the amount of internal radiation exposure among residents of a city north of the power plant that experienced a meltdown.

Researchers feed pigs, chickens high-protein fungus grown on ethanol leftovers Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT A research team is feeding fungi grown on the leftovers of ethanol production to pigs and chickens. The feed-production process also cleans water used to make ethanol, boosting the amount of water that can be recycled back into biofuels.

Seeing sprites: Researchers catch glimpses of electromagnetic bursts high in Earth's atmosphere Posted: 14 Aug 2012 11:48 AM PDT High above the clouds during thunderstorms, some 50 miles above Earth a different kind of lightning dances. Bursts of red and blue light, known as "sprites," flash for a scant one thousandth of a second. They are often only visible to those in flight above a storm, and happen so quickly you might not even see it unless you chance to be looking directly at it. One hard-to-reach place that gets a good view of sprites is the International Space Station.

Researchers simulate volcanic eruptions: Large-scale experiment to shed light on powerful natural disaster Posted: 14 Aug 2012 11:20 AM PDT A rare large-scale attempt to simulate volcanic eruptions will provide much-needed insight into one of Earth's most powerful and mysterious natural disasters.

Fish are warmer, faster, stronger: Unexpected benefits of living in a changing climate, biologists find Posted: 14 Aug 2012 10:51 AM PDT Biologists suggest that growing up at warmer temperatures helps some aquatic animals cope with climate change, raising questions about the limits of adaptation. They found that when embryos raised in warm water experienced temperature variation as adults, they could swim faster and their muscle was better suited for aerobic exercise.

Mass spectrometry opens new frontiers in a single cell Posted: 14 Aug 2012 10:01 AM PDT Pioneering mass spectrometry methods are helping plant biologists get their first glimpses of never-before-seen plant tissue structures. The new method opens up new realms of study, ones that might have long-ranging implications for biofuels research and crop genetics.

Plants exhibit a wide range of mechanical properties, engineers find Posted: 14 Aug 2012 09:20 AM PDT From an engineer's perspective, plants such as palm trees, bamboo, maples and even potatoes are examples of precise engineering on a microscopic scale. Like wooden beams reinforcing a house, cell walls make up the structural supports of all plants. Depending on how the cell walls are arranged, and what they are made of, a plant can be as flimsy as a reed, or as sturdy as an oak.

US wind power market riding a wave that is likely to crest in 2012 Posted: 14 Aug 2012 09:11 AM PDT Facing looming policy uncertainty beyond 2012, the US remained one of the fastest-growing wind power markets in the world in 2011 -- second only to China -- according to a new report. Driven by the threat of expiring federal incentives, new wind power installations are widely expected to be substantially higher in 2012 than in 2011, and perhaps even in excess of 2009's record build.

Mutation in male moth's antenna lets him find a female at the other end of a football field Posted: 14 Aug 2012 09:11 AM PDT A female moth sitting on a goal post could attract a male moth on the other end of a football field. And even if she switched her scent over time, the male could still find her because of a mutation to a single gene in his antenna.

New process doubles production of alternative fuel while slashing costs Posted: 14 Aug 2012 09:11 AM PDT A new discovery should make the alternative fuel butanol more attractive to the biofuel industry. Scientists have found a way around the bottleneck that has frustrated producers in the past and could significantly reduce the cost of the energy involved in making it as well.

Remaking history: A new take on how evolution has shaped modern Europeans Posted: 14 Aug 2012 09:11 AM PDT Investigators say that new analytical techniques are changing long-held, simplistic views about the evolutionary history of humans in Europe. Their findings indicate that many cultural, climatic, and demographic events have shaped genetic variation among modern-day European populations and that the variety of those mechanisms is more diverse than previously thought.

Impulsive micromanager microbes help plants adapt, survive Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT Soil microbes are impulsive. So much so that they help plants face the challenges of a rapidly changing climate. Biologists have studied how plants and microbes work together to help plants survive the effects of global changes.

Nearly 1,000 earthquakes recorded in Arizona over three years Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT Researchers have used EarthScope data to build the first comprehensive earthquake catalog for Arizona.

Seeds of hope amidst Philippine floods: Rice that can survive underwater Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:03 AM PDT Amidst horrendous flooding around Manila and major rice-growing across Luzon in the Philippines, some good news has emerged for rice farmers -- Submarino rice -- rice that can survive around two weeks of being under water.

Macabre finds in the bog at Alken Enge, Denmark: Skeletal remains of hundreds of warriors unearthed Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:03 AM PDT A fractured skull and a thighbone hacked in half. Finds of damaged human bones along with axes, spears, clubs and shields confirm that the bog at Alken Enge was the site of violent conflict.

A model designed to balance the bolting load of wind turbines developed Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:02 AM PDT A researcher has built a simplified simulation model for wind turbines. All one has to do is enter the characteristics that the tower and its parts will have, and in a matter of seconds the model predicts the load that has to be given to each of the bolts, which leads to great advantages in the construction and maintenance process.

Potent human toxins prevalent in Canada's freshwaters Posted: 14 Aug 2012 05:55 AM PDT Nutrient pollution, one of the greatest threats to our freshwater resources, is responsible for the algal blooms that blanket our lakes and waterways in summer months. Large blooms of cyanobacteria ('blue green algae') can cause fish kills, increase the cost of drinking water treatment, devalue shoreline properties, and pose health risks to people, pets, and wildlife. Microcystin, a toxin produced by cyanobacteria, is present in Canadian lakes in every province, according to new research.

Old skull bone rediscovered in mammals Posted: 14 Aug 2012 05:54 AM PDT Although clearly discernible in the embryo, shortly afterwards it fuses with other bones beyond recognition. Consequently, researchers have often missed it. Now, however, paleontologists have rediscovered it: the "os interparietale", a skull bone also referred to as the interparietal. Using imaging methods, they were able to detect its presence in all mammals – including humans, which is new as it was previously believed to have been lost in the course of evolution.

Mysterious snake disease decoded Posted: 14 Aug 2012 05:53 AM PDT A novel virus has been identified as the possible cause of a common but mysterious disease that kills a significant number of pet snakes all over the world, thanks to new research.

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