ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Clearer picture of how assassin bugs evolved: Entomologists reconstruct the evolutionary history
• Warmer future oceans could cause phytoplankton to thrive near poles, shrink in tropics
• Fishing for answers off Fukushima
• Fossils of first feathered dinosaurs from North America discovered: Clues on early wing uses
• Lucy and Selam's species climbed trees: Australopithecus afarensis shoulder blades show partially arboreal lifestyle
• Isolation of Puerto Rico's manatees affects survival odds
• Malaria transmission peaks at much cooler temperatures than previously predicted
• Traditional fisheries management approach jeopardizes marine ecosystems worldwide, expert argues
• NASA sees power in Hurricane Sandy moving toward Bahamas
• Triclosan -- harmful to ecological status of rivers -- needs to be monitored, researchers say
• Bushmeat pushes African species to the brink
• Size does matter in sexual selection, at least among beetles
• Far from random, evolution follows a predictable genetic pattern
• Using planarian flatworms to understand organ regeneration
• Genetic tradeoff: Harmful genes are widespread in yeast but hold hidden benefits
• DNA's double stranded stretch: Models simulate what happens to DNA strands when stretched to the breaking point
• Unique sea snake found in museum
• Gatekeeper protein identified: New details on cell's power source discovered
• New bio-adhesive polymer demonstrated
• Climate change may alter amphibian evolution
• Sleep-deprived bees have difficulty relearning
• Did the changing climate shrink Europe's ancient hippos?

Clearer picture of how assassin bugs evolved: Entomologists reconstruct the evolutionary history Posted: 25 Oct 2012 02:46 PM PDT Assassin bugs, which lie in ambush for prey they attack with speed and agility, are found all over the world. But scientists' understanding of their evolutionary history is made difficult by access to incomplete data and only a limited number of young fossils. Entomologists have now produced a clearer snapshot of the entire evolutionary history of assassin bugs by integrating molecular, paleontological, behavioral and ecological data into their analyses.

Warmer future oceans could cause phytoplankton to thrive near poles, shrink in tropics Posted: 25 Oct 2012 01:17 PM PDT In the future, warmer waters could significantly change ocean distribution of populations of phytoplankton, tiny organisms that could have a major effect on climate change. In a new study, researchers show that by the end of the 21st century, warmer oceans will cause populations of these marine microorganisms to thrive near the poles and shrink in equatorial waters.

Fishing for answers off Fukushima Posted: 25 Oct 2012 12:03 PM PDT Japan's "triple disaster," as it has become known, began on March 11, 2011, and remains unprecedented in its scope and complexity. To understand the lingering effects and potential public health implications of that chain of events, scientists are turning to a diverse and widespread sentinel in the world's ocean: fish.

Fossils of first feathered dinosaurs from North America discovered: Clues on early wing uses Posted: 25 Oct 2012 12:03 PM PDT The first ornithomimid specimens preserved with feathers, recovered from 75 million-year-old rocks in the badlands of Alberta, Canada has been described.

Lucy and Selam's species climbed trees: Australopithecus afarensis shoulder blades show partially arboreal lifestyle Posted: 25 Oct 2012 12:03 PM PDT Australopithecus afarensis was an upright walking species, but the question of whether it also spent much of its time in trees has been the subject of much debate. For the first time, scientists have thoroughly examined the two complete shoulder blades of the fossil "Selam." Analyses of these rare bones showed them to be quite apelike, suggesting that this species was adapted to climbing trees in addition to walking bipedally when on the ground.

Isolation of Puerto Rico's manatees affects survival odds Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:52 AM PDT New evidence shows there is no cross-breeding between endangered manatees in Puerto Rico and those in Florida, resulting in less genetic diversity in Puerto Rico's small manatee population and impacting its odds of survival.

Malaria transmission peaks at much cooler temperatures than previously predicted Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:51 AM PDT The most deadly type of malaria in humans and the one most prevalent in Africa is one that is very sensitive to climate. Previously published scientific studies put the optimal temperature for malaria transmission from mosquitos to humans at 31 degrees C (88 degrees F), but according to a new mathematical model, the temperature for peak transmission of the parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, is much, much lower.

Traditional fisheries management approach jeopardizes marine ecosystems worldwide, expert argues Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:45 AM PDT A new article urges cautions against continuing traditional fisheries management.

NASA sees power in Hurricane Sandy moving toward Bahamas Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:08 AM PDT NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Hurricane Sandy as it was moving over eastern Cuba early on Oct. 25. The AIRS instrument captured an infrared image of Sandy that showed a large area of very high, cold cloud tops indicating the power within the storm. Sandy is now headed toward the Bahamas and warnings and watches have already been posted for the mainland US.

Triclosan -- harmful to ecological status of rivers -- needs to be monitored, researchers say Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:08 AM PDT Researchers from Germany and Slovakia have pointed out that the chemical triclosan is one of those substances that are particularly harmful to the ecological status of rivers that are still not sufficiently monitored.

Bushmeat pushes African species to the brink Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:07 AM PDT A recent report says illegal hunting of wildlife in South African Development Community (SADC) states can lead to the eradication of many species across extensive areas and even complete ecological collapse.

Size does matter in sexual selection, at least among beetles Posted: 25 Oct 2012 10:09 AM PDT The size of genital spines has a measurable effect on sexual success in beetles, according to a recent article.

Far from random, evolution follows a predictable genetic pattern Posted: 25 Oct 2012 10:09 AM PDT Research suggests that knowledge of a species' genes -- and how certain external conditions affect the proteins encoded by those genes -- could be used to determine a predictable evolutionary pattern driven by outside factors. Scientists could then pinpoint how the diversity of adaptations seen in the natural world developed even in distantly related animals.

Using planarian flatworms to understand organ regeneration Posted: 25 Oct 2012 09:26 AM PDT Researchers report that they have identified genes that control growth and regeneration of the intestine in the freshwater planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. How animals repair their internal organs after injury is not well understood. Planarian flatworms are useful models for studying this question. After injury, they are able to re-grow missing body parts, as well as all as organs that are damaged or lost, such as brain, eyes, and intestine.

Genetic tradeoff: Harmful genes are widespread in yeast but hold hidden benefits Posted: 25 Oct 2012 09:18 AM PDT The genes responsible for inherited diseases are clearly bad for us, so why hasn't evolution, over time, weeded them out and eliminated them from the human genome altogether? Part of the reason seems to be that genes that can harm us at one stage of our lives are necessary and beneficial to us at other points in our development.

DNA's double stranded stretch: Models simulate what happens to DNA strands when stretched to the breaking point Posted: 25 Oct 2012 08:01 AM PDT Theoretical physicists like to play with very unconventional toys. Researchers have adopted a seemingly playful approach to examining what happens to a double stranded molecule of DNA when it is stretched to the breaking point, in a new study.

Unique sea snake found in museum Posted: 25 Oct 2012 07:59 AM PDT The pristine jungle and the deep seas are full of undiscovered biological species -- but they can be found in museums as well. In a formalin-filled jar in Copenhagen Natural History Museum, a new snake species has recently been discovered.

Gatekeeper protein identified: New details on cell's power source discovered Posted: 25 Oct 2012 07:57 AM PDT Researchers have discovered an essential mechanism that regulates the flow of calcium into mitochondria.

New bio-adhesive polymer demonstrated Posted: 25 Oct 2012 07:57 AM PDT A new article details the use of a new laser-activated bio-adhesive polymer. The chitosan-based polymer, SurgiLux, is found in fungal cell walls or in exoskeletons of crustaceans and insects. This molecular component allows SurgiLux to form low energy bonds between the polymer and the desired tissue when it absorbs light. The technology may soon replace traditional sutures in the clinic.

Climate change may alter amphibian evolution Posted: 25 Oct 2012 06:55 AM PDT Most of the more than 6,000 species of frogs in the world lay their eggs in water. But many tropical frogs lay their eggs out of water. This behavior protects the eggs from aquatic predators, such as fish and tadpoles, but also increases their risk of drying out. A researcher has discovered that climate change in Panama may be altering frogs' course of evolution.

Sleep-deprived bees have difficulty relearning Posted: 25 Oct 2012 06:55 AM PDT Everyone needs sleep and sleep is key to memory formation, so how does sleep help us to alter preformed memories? Answering this question is impossible in humans, but when researchers in Germany tested the effect of sleep deprivation on bee brains, they discovered that the insects could not modify their memories. So bee brains could teach us how we modify well-established memories.

Did the changing climate shrink Europe's ancient hippos? Posted: 25 Oct 2012 06:54 AM PDT Giant German hippopotamuses wallowing on the banks of the Elbe are not a common sight. Yet 1.8 million years ago hippos were a prominent part of European wildlife, when mega-fauna such as woolly mammoths and giant cave bears bestrode the continent. Now palaeontologists believe that the changing climate during the Pleistocene Era may have forced Europe's hippos to shrink to pygmy sizes before driving them to warmer climes.

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