ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Erosion has a point, and an edge
• Species persistence or extinction: Through a mathematical lens
• Desecrated ancient temple sheds light on early power struggles at Tel Beth-Shemesh
• Call for global monitoring of infectious diseases in dogs and cats
• Undersea gas leaks off Israel’s coast discovered
• Researchers unlock ancient Maya secrets with modern soil science
• Did wild birds cause the 2010 deadly West Nile virus outbreak in Greece?
• Scientists unravel the mystery of marine methane oxidation
• The energy of stunt kites
• How bacteria attack their host cells with sticky lollipops
• Mongolia and the Altai Mountains: Origins of genetic blending between Europeans and Asians
• Researchers discover a new type of toxic protein
• Surveying Earth's interior with atomic clocks
• Stable compounds of oxygen and 'inert' gas xenon predicted

Erosion has a point, and an edge Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:12 PM PST Erosion caused by flowing water does not only smooth out objects, but can also form distinct shapes with sharp points and edges, researchers have found. Their findings reveal the unexpected ways that erosion can affect landscapes and artificial materials.

Species persistence or extinction: Through a mathematical lens Posted: 12 Nov 2012 10:56 AM PST A new study uses mathematical modeling to study Allee effects, the phenomenon by which a population's growth declines at low densities.

Desecrated ancient temple sheds light on early power struggles at Tel Beth-Shemesh Posted: 12 Nov 2012 10:56 AM PST In a finding unparalleled in the archaeological record, researchers have uncovered evidence of the desecration of a sacred temple at the excavation of Tel Beth-Shemesh in Israel.

Call for global monitoring of infectious diseases in dogs and cats Posted: 12 Nov 2012 07:10 AM PST Most emerging infectious diseases of humans come from animals. International health agencies monitor these diseases, but they do so only for humans and livestock, not for companion dogs and cats. A new study recommends a global system is needed to monitor infectious diseases of companion dogs and cats.

Undersea gas leaks off Israel’s coast discovered Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:59 AM PST Most of the efforts in Israel's energy field are being directed at gas buried deep under the Mediterranean seabed. Now a new geophysical study, the first of its kind in Israel, has uncovered a system of active gas springs in the Haifa Bay seabed, at relatively shallow depths, only a few dozen meters below the surface. The study describes the entire system, from its sources under the sea floor through the natural springs emerging from the seabed.

Researchers unlock ancient Maya secrets with modern soil science Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:07 AM PST Soil scientists and archeologists have uncovered evidence that the Maya grew corn sustainably in the lowlands of Tikal, Guatemala, but that they may also have farmed erosion-prone slopes over time.

Did wild birds cause the 2010 deadly West Nile virus outbreak in Greece? Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:05 AM PST In 2010, 35 people in Greece died from a West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak, with a further 262 laboratory-confirmed human cases. A new article examines whether wild or migratory birds could have been responsible for importing and amplifying the deadly virus.

Scientists unravel the mystery of marine methane oxidation Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:05 AM PST Researchers have uncovered how microorganisms on the ocean floor protect the atmosphere from methane.

The energy of stunt kites Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:05 AM PST It may seem as though the German plains are all but tapped out when it comes to wind energy production. To refute this theory researchers are sending stunt kites into the skies to harness the wind and convert the kinetic energy generated into electricity.

How bacteria attack their host cells with sticky lollipops Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:05 AM PST Yersinia enterocolitica, a pathogenic bacterium, causes fever and diarrhea. With the help of a protein anchored in its membrane, Yersinia attaches to its host cells and infects them. Scientists have determined the structure of an important component of the membrane protein and have gained insight into its biogenesis. The membrane proteins provide an interesting starting point for the development of new antibiotics against pathogens.

Mongolia and the Altai Mountains: Origins of genetic blending between Europeans and Asians Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:04 AM PST A group of researchers has discovered the first scientific evidence of genetic blending between Europeans and Asians in the remains of ancient Scythian warriors living over 2,000 years ago in the Altai region of Mongolia. Contrary to what was believed until now, the results indicate that this blending was not due to an eastward migration of Europeans, but to a demographic expansion of local Central Asian populations, thanks to the technological improvements the Scythian culture brought with them.

Researchers discover a new type of toxic protein Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:04 AM PST Researchers have discovered a toxic protein of pathogenic acanthamoebae and have been able to elucidate its three-dimensional structure. They found that this protein molecule looks different from all the structures formerly discovered. The acanthamoeba secretes a cell toxin (Acanthaporin); when roused from its inactive state this toxin infiltrates human nerve cells or bacteria and embeds itself in the plasma membrane, forming a kind of circular channel (pore).

Surveying Earth's interior with atomic clocks Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:00 AM PST Have you ever thought to use a clock to identify mineral deposits or concealed water resources within the Earth? Some scientists are convinced that ultraprecise portable atomic clocks will make this a reality in the next decade. The scientists argue that these atomic clocks have already reached the necessary degree of precision to be useful for geophysical surveying. They say that such clocks will provide the most direct measurement of the geoid – the Earth's true physical form. It will also be possible to combine atomic clocks measurements to existent geophysical methods to explore the interior of the Earth.

Stable compounds of oxygen and 'inert' gas xenon predicted Posted: 12 Nov 2012 05:49 AM PST An international team of researchers has established stability of several oxides of normally inert xenon. These compounds are predicted to be stable at high pressures above 830,000 atmospheres, i.e. at pressures corresponding to Earth's mantle and readily achievable in the laboratory.

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