ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• New owl species discovered in Indonesia is unique to one island
• Light-emitting bioprobe fits in a single cell
• Marsh plants actively engineer their landscape
• Clues to chromosome crossovers in meiosis
• Genetic study pursues elusive goal: How many humpbacks existed before whaling?
• Scientific misconduct is real, but rare
• Geologists quantify, characterize sediment carried by Mississippi flood to Louisiana's wetlands
• 'Masked' mold toxins in food should be included in safety regulations
• Busy beavers give Canada geese a lift, study shows
• A war without end, with Earth's carbon cycle held in the balance
• Amphibian study shows how biodiversity can protect against disease
• Epigenetics shapes fate of brain vs. brawn castes in carpenter ants
• Scientists discover how animals taste, and avoid, high salt concentrations
• Flood research shows human habits die hard: Few make plans to cut vulnerability
• Advance promises to expand biological control of crop pests
• Blackbirds in the spotlight: City birds that experience light at night are ready to breed earlier than their rural cousins
• Finding 'Mr. Right,' how insects sniff out the perfect mate
• Ice age extinction shaped Australian plant diversity
• Arctic Ocean is on thin ice: European satellite confirms numbers
• Wetland trees a significant overlooked source of methane
• Christianity influences meat taboos in Amazon

New owl species discovered in Indonesia is unique to one island Posted: 13 Feb 2013 02:31 PM PST A new owl is the first endemic bird species discovered on the island of Lombok, Indonesia, according to new research.

Light-emitting bioprobe fits in a single cell Posted: 13 Feb 2013 01:57 PM PST A new study is the first to demonstrate that sophisticated, engineered light resonators can be inserted inside cells without damaging the host. The researchers say it marks a new age in which tiny lasers and light-emitting diodes yield new avenues in the study and influence of living cells.

Marsh plants actively engineer their landscape Posted: 13 Feb 2013 12:25 PM PST Marsh plants, far from being passive wallflowers, are "secret gardeners" that actively engineer their landscape to increase their species' odds of survival, say scientists.

Clues to chromosome crossovers in meiosis Posted: 13 Feb 2013 12:24 PM PST Scientists have placed another piece in the puzzle of how sexual reproduction shuffles genes while making sure sperm and eggs get the right number of chromosomes.

Genetic study pursues elusive goal: How many humpbacks existed before whaling? Posted: 13 Feb 2013 12:24 PM PST Scientists are closing in on the answer to an important conservation question: how many humpback whales once existed in the North Atlantic?

Scientific misconduct is real, but rare Posted: 13 Feb 2013 12:21 PM PST While instances of scientific misconduct in the publication of research findings is a matter of serious concern, such occurrences are extremely rare, according to new research.

Geologists quantify, characterize sediment carried by Mississippi flood to Louisiana's wetlands Posted: 13 Feb 2013 10:25 AM PST The spring 2011 flood on the Mississippi was among the largest floods ever, the river swelling over its banks and wreaking destruction in the surrounding areas. But a new study also shows that the floods reaped environmental benefits -- transporting and laying down new sediment in portions of the Delta -- that may help maintain the area's wetlands.

'Masked' mold toxins in food should be included in safety regulations Posted: 13 Feb 2013 10:23 AM PST Government limits on mold toxins present naturally in grain crops should be expanded to include so-called "masked mycotoxins" that change from harmless to potentially harmful forms in the body, a new study concludes.

Busy beavers give Canada geese a lift, study shows Posted: 13 Feb 2013 10:23 AM PST A new study shows that busy beavers are helping Canada geese get an earlier start when the birds fly home and begin spring nesting.

A war without end, with Earth's carbon cycle held in the balance Posted: 13 Feb 2013 10:23 AM PST The greatest battle in Earth's history has been going on for hundreds of millions of years, isn't over yet, and until now no one knew it existed, scientists say. It's between a bacterium that's the most abundant organism in the oceans and a previously unknown virus that infects it. The contest has significant implications for Earth's carbon balance.

Amphibian study shows how biodiversity can protect against disease Posted: 13 Feb 2013 10:23 AM PST The richer the assortment of amphibian species living in a pond, the more protection that community of frogs, toads and salamanders has against a parasitic infection that can cause severe deformities, including the growth of extra legs, according to a new study.

Epigenetics shapes fate of brain vs. brawn castes in carpenter ants Posted: 13 Feb 2013 10:18 AM PST Researchers found that epigenetic regulation is key to distinguishing one caste of carpenter ants, the "majors", as brawny Amazons of the colony, compared to the "minors", their smaller, brainier sisters. The two castes have the same genes, but strikingly distinct behaviors and shape.

Scientists discover how animals taste, and avoid, high salt concentrations Posted: 13 Feb 2013 10:18 AM PST Researchers have discovered how the tongue detects high concentrations of salt, the first step in a salt-avoiding behavior common to most mammals. The findings could serve as a springboard for the development of taste modulators to help control the appetite for a high-salt diet and reduce the ill effects of too much sodium.

Flood research shows human habits die hard: Few make plans to cut vulnerability Posted: 13 Feb 2013 08:47 AM PST New research has come up with ways to quickly assess flood damage to houses while also showing most people didn't intend to make changes to reduce their vulnerability after the devastating 2010-11 floods in Australia.

Advance promises to expand biological control of crop pests Posted: 13 Feb 2013 08:47 AM PST A new discovery promises to allow expanded use of a mainstay biological pest control method, which avoids the health, environmental and pest-resistance concerns of traditional insecticides, scientists are reporting. This is an advance toward broadening applicability of the so-called sterile insect technique.

Blackbirds in the spotlight: City birds that experience light at night are ready to breed earlier than their rural cousins Posted: 13 Feb 2013 08:47 AM PST City birds that experience light at night are ready to breed earlier than their rural cousins.

Finding 'Mr. Right,' how insects sniff out the perfect mate Posted: 13 Feb 2013 08:45 AM PST You may want to ramp up your romance this year by sharing a candlelight dinner, a walk on the beach, or even the scent of a perfume, but will that help you find your perfect mate? For one wasp species, it only takes a whiff of his special love potion to know whether he's "Mr. Right."

Ice age extinction shaped Australian plant diversity Posted: 13 Feb 2013 07:50 AM PST Researchers have shown that part of Australia's rich plant diversity was wiped out by the ice ages, demonstrating that extinction, probably more than evolution, influences biodiversity.

Arctic Ocean is on thin ice: European satellite confirms numbers Posted: 13 Feb 2013 07:50 AM PST The September 2012 record low in Arctic sea-ice extent was big news, but a missing piece of the puzzle was lurking below the ocean's surface. What volume of ice floats on Arctic waters? And how does that compare to previous summers? These are difficult but important questions, because how much ice actually remains suggests how vulnerable the ice pack will be to more warming. New satellite observations confirm an analysis that for the past three years has produced widely quoted estimates of Arctic sea-ice volume. Findings based on observations from a European Space Agency satellite show that the Arctic has lost more than a third of summer sea-ice volume since a decade ago, when a U.S. satellite collected similar data.

Wetland trees a significant overlooked source of methane Posted: 13 Feb 2013 07:07 AM PST Wetland trees are a significant overlooked source of the potent greenhouse gas methane, according to a new study. The study may help to resolve an ongoing controversy about the origins of methane in the tropics.

Christianity influences meat taboos in Amazon Posted: 13 Feb 2013 06:41 AM PST The introduction of Christianity has changed the hunting habits of indigenous people in the Amazon. While some new practices could benefit animals, others could put populations at risk.

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