ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• How songbirds learn to sing: Mathematical model explains how birds correct mistakes to say on key
• Low pH levels can eliminate harmful blooms of golden algae, one cause of massive fish kills
• Black piranha, megapiranha have most powerful bites of fish living or extinct, researcher finds
• Thirty-three new trapdoor spider species discovered in the American southwest
• Maya scholar debunks world-ending myth
• Biologists design method to monitor global bee decline
• Major source of evolutionary differences among species uncovered
• Peacock love songs lure eavesdropping females from afar
• Chromosome 'anchors' organize DNA during cell division: New role for telomeres in cellular growth may shed light on aging and age-related diseases
• Scientists create nanoscale window to biological world
• Dragonflies have human-like 'selective attention'
• Effects of climate change on birds worsened by housing development
• Peel-and-stick solar panels: Decal-like application process allows thin, flexible solar panels to be applied to virtually any surface
• Biological concrete for constructing 'living' building materials with lichens, mosses
• Archaeologists date world's oldest timber constructions
• Animals contribute to seagrass dispersal: Fish, terrapins, and birds may help spread eelgrass seeds into new areas
• From farm to table, mealworms may be the next best food

How songbirds learn to sing: Mathematical model explains how birds correct mistakes to say on key Posted: 20 Dec 2012 02:18 PM PST Scientists studying how songbirds stay on key have developed a statistical explanation for why some things are harder for the brain to learn than others, building the first mathematical model that uses a bird's previous sensorimotor experience to predict its ability to learn. Their results show that adult birds correct small errors in their songs more rapidly and robustly than large errors.

Low pH levels can eliminate harmful blooms of golden algae, one cause of massive fish kills Posted: 20 Dec 2012 01:17 PM PST Researchers are one step closer to understanding the algae that causes a substantial number of fish deaths in more than 18 states.

Black piranha, megapiranha have most powerful bites of fish living or extinct, researcher finds Posted: 20 Dec 2012 01:07 PM PST The black piranha and the extinct giant piranha, or megapiranha, have the most powerful bites of carnivorous fishes, living or extinct, once body size is taken into account, researchers find. Their study highlights the piranhas' specialized jaw morphology, which allows them to attack and bite chunks out of much larger prey.

Thirty-three new trapdoor spider species discovered in the American southwest Posted: 20 Dec 2012 12:46 PM PST A researcher reports the discovery of 33 new trapdoor spider species from the US. Most species are from California, a biodiversity hotspot, and represents the largest discovery of new animal species in the US in over a decade. New species bear the names of prominent individuals: Barack Obama, Edward Abbey, Bono, Dorothea Lange, Penn Jillette, and César Chávez; one is named for George Lucas' Star Wars creature, the Sarlacc.

Maya scholar debunks world-ending myth Posted: 20 Dec 2012 12:38 PM PST As we hurtle toward the end of 2012, the conversation about a certain date with roots in an ancient Maya calendar has reached a fever pitch. Dec. 21, 2012, has taken over popular culture this year: It's been the subject of movies, books and news shows. The date and its supposed prophecy that the world will come to an end has been the subject of water cooler conversations and international media attention. But the truth regarding the date, according to renowned Maya scholar David Stuart, is that the day is indeed meaningful -- but not in the way you might think.

Biologists design method to monitor global bee decline Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:42 AM PST A new study has found that a global network of bee traps may form an early warning system alerting scientists to dangers threatening the world's food system and economies.

Major source of evolutionary differences among species uncovered Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:41 AM PST Researchers have uncovered a genetic basis for fundamental differences between humans and other vertebrates that could also help explain why humans are susceptible to diseases not found in other species.

Peacock love songs lure eavesdropping females from afar Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:41 AM PST The distinctive call that male peacocks make right before mating poses a puzzle for scientists. For one, he's already got the girl. What's more, the calls could alert potential predators that an easy meal is near. In a new study, researchers found that the love sounds made by amorous peacocks drew eavesdropping females from afar. Announcing the fact that he's getting a girl could help a male attract additional mates, the researchers say.

Chromosome 'anchors' organize DNA during cell division: New role for telomeres in cellular growth may shed light on aging and age-related diseases Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:41 AM PST For humans to grow and to replace and heal damaged tissues, the body's cells must continually reproduce, a process known as "cell division," by which one cell becomes two, two become four, and so on. A key question of biomedical research is how chromosomes, which are duplicated during cell division so that each daughter cell receives an exact copy of a person's genome, are arranged during this process.

Scientists create nanoscale window to biological world Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:33 AM PST Researchers have invented a way to directly image biological structures at their most fundamental level and in their natural habitats.

Dragonflies have human-like 'selective attention' Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:32 AM PST In a discovery that may prove important for cognitive science, our understanding of nature and applications for robot vision, researchers have found evidence that the dragonfly is capable of higher-level thought processes when hunting its prey.

Effects of climate change on birds worsened by housing development Posted: 20 Dec 2012 07:19 AM PST Although climate change may alter the distributions of many species, changes in land use may compound these effects. Now, a new study suggests that the effects of future housing development may be as great or greater than those of climate change for many bird species. In fact, some species projected to expand their distributions with climate change may actually lose ground when future development is brought into the picture.

Peel-and-stick solar panels: Decal-like application process allows thin, flexible solar panels to be applied to virtually any surface Posted: 20 Dec 2012 07:19 AM PST Decal-like application process allows thin, flexible solar panels to be applied to virtually any surface from business cards to roofs to window panes. Process is the first to use existing processes and materials pointing to potential commercial viability.

Biological concrete for constructing 'living' building materials with lichens, mosses Posted: 20 Dec 2012 05:03 AM PST It is a material that improves thermal comfort in buildings and helps to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

Archaeologists date world's oldest timber constructions Posted: 20 Dec 2012 05:01 AM PST A research team has succeeded in precisely dating four water wells built by the first Central European agricultural civilization with the help of dendrochronology or growth ring dating. The wells were excavated at settlements in the Greater Leipzig region and are the oldest known timber constructions in the world. They were built by the Linear Pottery culture, which existed from roughly 5600 to 4900 BC.

Animals contribute to seagrass dispersal: Fish, terrapins, and birds may help spread eelgrass seeds into new areas Posted: 19 Dec 2012 02:42 PM PST A new study is first to show that marine animals can disperse eelgrass seeds, with implications for management and restoration.

From farm to table, mealworms may be the next best food Posted: 19 Dec 2012 02:39 PM PST Food enthusiasts interested in sustainable farm practices may soon have a new meat alternative: insects. Beetle larvae (called mealworms) farms produce more edible protein than traditional farms for chicken, pork, beef or milk, for the same amount of land used, according to new research.

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