ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Our hands evolved for punching, not just dexterity
• NASA's Operation IceBridge data brings new twist to sea ice forecasting
• Multi-tasking whales sing while feeding, not just breeding
• Inside the head of a dinosaur
• New study sheds light on dinosaur size
• Dinosaur: First freshwater mosasaur discovered
• Lizard tails detach at a biological 'dotted line'
• Will the world end on December 21, 2012? What we know and don't know about forecasting natural disasters
• Leaping toads reveal muscle-protecting mechanism
• Sustainable way to make a prized fragrance ingredient
• A new, super-nutritious puffed rice for breakfast cereals and snacks
• When the ice melts, the Earth spews fire
• Badger sleeping habits could help target TB control
• Destructive forest cockchafers: Gut microbes help beetles digest wood
• Genomic frontier -- The unexplored animal kingdom: Genomes of limpet, leech and worm put spotlight on lophotrochozoans
• Unraveling the threads: Simplest cotton genome offers clues for fiber improvements
• Geo-engineering against climate change: Seeding the oceans with iron may not address carbon emissions
• Do palm trees hold the key to immortality?
• Research predicts growth, survival of 'superorganism' ant colonies
• Invasive plant species may harm native grasslands by changing soil composition

Our hands evolved for punching, not just dexterity Posted: 19 Dec 2012 07:31 PM PST Men whacked punching bags for a new study that suggests human hands evolved not only for the manual dexterity needed to use tools, play a violin or paint a work of art, but so men could make fists and fight.

NASA's Operation IceBridge data brings new twist to sea ice forecasting Posted: 19 Dec 2012 02:43 PM PST Shrinking Arctic sea ice grabbed the world's attention again earlier this year with a new record low minimum. Growing economic activity in the Arctic, such as fishing, mineral exploration and shipping, is emphasizing the need for accurate predictions of how much of the Arctic will be covered by sea ice. Every June, an international research group known as the Study of Environmental Arctic Change publishes a summary of the expected September Arctic sea ice minimum known as the Sea Ice Outlook.

Multi-tasking whales sing while feeding, not just breeding Posted: 19 Dec 2012 02:41 PM PST Humpback whales are famed for their songs, most often heard in breeding season when males are competing to mate with females. In recent years, however, reports of whale songs occurring outside traditional breeding grounds have become more common. A new study may help explain why.

Inside the head of a dinosaur Posted: 19 Dec 2012 02:41 PM PST A new study of the brain anatomy of therizinosaurs, plant-eating dinosaurs that lived during the Cretaceous Period, has revealed interesting links with their notorious meat-eating 'cousins' Tyrannosaurus rex and Velociraptor.

New study sheds light on dinosaur size Posted: 19 Dec 2012 02:41 PM PST Dinosaurs were not only the largest animals to roam the Earth -- they also had a greater number of larger species compared to all other back-boned animals -- scientists suggest in a new article.

Dinosaur: First freshwater mosasaur discovered Posted: 19 Dec 2012 02:39 PM PST A new dinosaur species discovered in Hungary is the first known example of a mosasaur that lived in freshwater river environments similar to modern freshwater dolphins, according to new research.

Lizard tails detach at a biological 'dotted line' Posted: 19 Dec 2012 02:39 PM PST Like sheets of paper marked with perforated lines, gecko tails have unique structural marks that help them sever their tails to make a quick getaway. Though voluntarily shedding a body part in this manner is a well-known phenomenon, research reveals aspects of the process that may have applications for structural engineers making similar, quickly detachable structures.

Will the world end on December 21, 2012? What we know and don't know about forecasting natural disasters Posted: 19 Dec 2012 01:03 PM PST Based on interpretations of the ancient Maya calendar, some people are predicting the world will end on December 21, 2012, Others believe that instead of doomsday and destruction, the day will mark a new era for humanity and will be a time for celebration. Such beliefs aside, what we know with certainty is that Earth has a tremendous capacity to generate natural disasters on any day of any year. For this reason, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists continue to look for ways to better forecast a wide range of natural hazards and protect our communities.

Leaping toads reveal muscle-protecting mechanism Posted: 19 Dec 2012 10:36 AM PST Most people are impressed by how a toad jumps. One biologist is more impressed by how one lands.

Sustainable way to make a prized fragrance ingredient Posted: 19 Dec 2012 10:36 AM PST Large amounts of a substitute for one of the world's most treasured fragrance ingredients -- a substance that also has potential anti-cancer activity -- could be produced with a sustainable new technology, scientists are reporting. The advance enables cultures of bacteria to produce a substitute for natural ambergris, which sells for hundreds of dollars an ounce.

A new, super-nutritious puffed rice for breakfast cereals and snacks Posted: 19 Dec 2012 10:36 AM PST A new process for blowing up grains of rice produces a super-nutritious form of puffed rice, with three times more protein and a rich endowment of other nutrients that make it ideal for breakfast cereals, snack foods and nutrient bars for school lunch programs, scientists are reporting.

When the ice melts, the Earth spews fire Posted: 19 Dec 2012 10:35 AM PST It has long been known that volcanic activity can cause short-term variations in climate. Now, researchers have found evidence that the reverse process also occurs: Climate affects volcanic activity.

Badger sleeping habits could help target TB control Posted: 19 Dec 2012 10:34 AM PST Sleeping away from the family home is linked to health risks for badgers, new research has revealed. Scientists found that badgers which strayed away from the family burrow in favor of sleeping in outlying dens were more likely to carry TB.

Destructive forest cockchafers: Gut microbes help beetles digest wood Posted: 19 Dec 2012 10:34 AM PST European forest cockchafers can damage huge areas of trees. They house microbes in their guts that help them to digest their woody food. Larvae and adult beetles have the same microbial species in their guts. Only a few microbes living in the gut originated from the roots or leaves the larvae or beetles were feeding on. These microbes seem to be characteristic bacterial symbionts with which the forest cockchafer has long been associated.

Genomic frontier -- The unexplored animal kingdom: Genomes of limpet, leech and worm put spotlight on lophotrochozoans Posted: 19 Dec 2012 10:34 AM PST A new report unveils three of the first genomes from a vast, understudied swath of the animal kingdom that includes as many as one-quarter of Earth's marine species. By publishing the genomes of a leech, an ocean-dwelling worm and a limpet, scientists have more than doubled the number of sequenced genomes from a diverse group of animals called lophotrochozoans.

Unraveling the threads: Simplest cotton genome offers clues for fiber improvements Posted: 19 Dec 2012 10:33 AM PST An international consortium has published a high-quality draft assembly of the simplest cotton genome. In the study, researchers traced the evolution of cotton and fiber development over millions of years. Additionally, bioenergy researchers hope to learn more about cellulose biosynthesis from the genome as each cotton strand is made of several cellulose coils, a target biomass for next-generation biofuels.

Geo-engineering against climate change: Seeding the oceans with iron may not address carbon emissions Posted: 19 Dec 2012 07:12 AM PST Plans for seeding the oceans with iron fail to take into account several factors that could scupper those plans, according to experts.

Do palm trees hold the key to immortality? Posted: 19 Dec 2012 06:28 AM PST For centuries, humans have been exploring, researching, and discovering how to stave off life-threatening diseases, increase life spans, and obtain immortality. Biologists, doctors, spiritual gurus, and even explorers have pursued these quests. Yet the key to longevity may not lie in a miraculous essence of water, but rather in the structure and function of cells within a plant -- and not a mysterious, rare plant, but a quite commonplace, even ordinary, one: the palm.

Research predicts growth, survival of 'superorganism' ant colonies Posted: 19 Dec 2012 06:28 AM PST Smaller ant colonies tend to live faster, die younger and burn up more energy than their larger counterparts, as do the individual ants that make up those colonies, according to new research that views the colonies as "superorganisms" in which social insects function much like the cells of a body.

Invasive plant species may harm native grasslands by changing soil composition Posted: 19 Dec 2012 06:28 AM PST The future landscape of the American Midwest could look a lot like the past—covered in native grasslands rather than agricultural crops. This is not a return to the past, however, but a future that could depend on grasslands for biofuels, grazing systems, carbon sequestration, and other ecosystem services. A major threat to this ecosystem is an old one—weeds and their influence on the soil.

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