ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Stressed-out tadpoles grow larger tails to escape predators
• Spinal tap -- using cactus spines to isolate DNA
• New insight into double-protected dance of cell division
• New report confirms almost half of Africa's lions facing extinction
• The making of Antarctica's hidden fjords
• Science of sinkholes: 20 percent of U.S. lies in susceptible areas
• Biomass analysis tool is faster, more precise
• Statistical physics offers a new way to look at climate
• More storms like Sandy? Arctic ice loss amplified Superstorm Sandy violence
• New fossils of crocodilian, hippo-like species from Panama
• New evidence that comets could have seeded life on Earth
• On the trail of mucus-eaters in the gut
• Remains of extinct giant camel discovered in High Arctic
• Ancient DNA solves 320-year-old mystery: Origins of now extinct Falkland Islands wolf
• For birds, red means 'go': Some flowers evolved red hues favored by birds
• Iowa meteorite crater confirmed: USGS airborne surveys back up previous Decorah research
• Viruses: More survival tricks than previously thought
• Protein analysis: Understanding flexibility and how different parts move
• Monopoly of the male orangutan: Comparative field observations on Sumatra and Borneo
• Researchers find link to arsenic-contaminated groundwater
• New research confirms plight of bumble bees, persistence of other bees in Northeast

Stressed-out tadpoles grow larger tails to escape predators Posted: 05 Mar 2013 05:02 PM PST When people or animals are thrust into threatening situations such as combat or attack by a predator, stress hormones are released to help prepare the organism to defend itself or to rapidly escape from danger —- the so-called fight-or-flight response. Now researchers have demonstrated for the first time that stress hormones are also responsible for altering the body shape of developing animals, in this case the humble tadpole, so they are better equipped to survive predator attacks.

Spinal tap -- using cactus spines to isolate DNA Posted: 05 Mar 2013 02:46 PM PST In the family Cactaceae, isolation of genetic material can be difficult due to the presence of polysaccharide-based mucilage content and other secondary compounds. Although important for water storage, these compounds necessitate the use of toxic chemicals and numerous modifications to DNA extraction protocols. Scientists have now developed a novel method for isolation of DNA using cactus spines.

New insight into double-protected dance of cell division Posted: 05 Mar 2013 02:46 PM PST Biochemists recently gained new insight into how protein synthesis and degradation help to regulate the delicate ballet of cell division. In particular, they reveal how two proteins shelter each other in "mutually assured cleanup" to insure that division goes smoothly and safely.

New report confirms almost half of Africa's lions facing extinction Posted: 05 Mar 2013 02:46 PM PST A new report concludes that nearly half of Africa's wild lion populations may decline to near extinction over the next 20-40 years without urgent conservation measures. The plight of many lion populations is so bleak, the report concludes that fencing them in -- and fencing humans out -- may be their only hope for survival.

The making of Antarctica's hidden fjords Posted: 05 Mar 2013 01:03 PM PST Antarctica's topography began changing from flat to fjord-filled starting about 34 million years ago, according to a new report from a team of geoscientists.

Science of sinkholes: 20 percent of U.S. lies in susceptible areas Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:57 PM PST A devastating sinkhole occurred in Florida on Feb. 28, 2013, raising questions and concerns about this incredible phenomenon. Around 20 percent of the United States lies in areas susceptible to sinkhole events, highlighting the need for research and to be informed about this hazard.

Biomass analysis tool is faster, more precise Posted: 05 Mar 2013 11:58 AM PST A screening tool eases and greatly quickens one of the thorniest tasks in the biofuels industry: determining cell wall chemistry to find plants with ideal genes.

Statistical physics offers a new way to look at climate Posted: 05 Mar 2013 11:58 AM PST New research suggests that statistical simulations rooted in basic physics could make for new climate models that are more useful and require less brute-force computing power. A new article shows how statistical simulations can be applied to fluid jets like the ones in Earth's atmosphere and oceans.

More storms like Sandy? Arctic ice loss amplified Superstorm Sandy violence Posted: 05 Mar 2013 11:51 AM PST Researchers have shown that the severe loss of summertime Arctic sea ice – attributed to greenhouse warming – appears to increase the frequency of atmospheric blocking events like the one that steered Hurricane Sandy into the US Northeast.

New fossils of crocodilian, hippo-like species from Panama Posted: 05 Mar 2013 11:51 AM PST Paleontologists have discovered remarkably well-preserved fossils of two crocodilians and a mammal previously unknown to science during recent Panama Canal excavations that began in 2009.

New evidence that comets could have seeded life on Earth Posted: 05 Mar 2013 10:14 AM PST Scientists have shown that complex molecules can form on icy dust in space, suggesting that comets may have brought these molecules to Earth and seeded the growth of more complex building blocks of life. The team zapped icy snowballs of carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons, producing complex molecules, such as dipeptides, that are capable of catalyzing the formation of more complex structures.

On the trail of mucus-eaters in the gut Posted: 05 Mar 2013 10:10 AM PST Microbiologists have for the first time succeeded in directly observing microorganisms feeding on the intestinal mucosa.

Remains of extinct giant camel discovered in High Arctic Posted: 05 Mar 2013 10:10 AM PST Remains of an extinct giant camel have been discovered on Ellesmere Island in Canada's High Arctic. The evidence collected is from 30 fragments of a leg bone, dating to about three-and-a-half million years ago from the mid-Pliocene Epoch, when the planet was undergoing a global warm phase.

Ancient DNA solves 320-year-old mystery: Origins of now extinct Falkland Islands wolf Posted: 05 Mar 2013 10:04 AM PST Researchers have found the answer to one of natural history's most intriguing puzzles -- the origins of the now extinct Falkland Islands wolf and how it came to be the only land-based mammal on the isolated islands -- 460 kilometers from the nearest land, Argentina.

For birds, red means 'go': Some flowers evolved red hues favored by birds Posted: 05 Mar 2013 07:09 AM PST New research has shown that certain Australian native flowers have shifted away from using insects as pollinators and evolved their flower color to the red hues favored by birds.

Iowa meteorite crater confirmed: USGS airborne surveys back up previous Decorah research Posted: 05 Mar 2013 07:02 AM PST Recent airborne geophysical surveys near Decorah, Iowa are providing an unprecedented look at a 470-million-year-old meteorite crater concealed beneath bedrock and sediments. The aerial surveys, a collaboration of the U.S. Geological Survey with the Iowa and Minnesota Geological Surveys, were conducted in the last 60 days to map geologic structures and assess the mineral and water resources of the region.

Viruses: More survival tricks than previously thought Posted: 05 Mar 2013 05:07 AM PST Among eukaryotes with modified nuclear genetic codes, viruses are unknown. Until now it had been believed that the modifications to the genetic code effectively prevented new viral infections. However, researchers have now reported the first example of a virus that can be shown to have crossed the boundary from organisms using the standard genetic code to those with an alternate genetic code.

Protein analysis: Understanding flexibility and how different parts move Posted: 05 Mar 2013 05:06 AM PST Scientists have published a review on an innovative instrument for protein analysis. In order to understand how a protein works one may analyze its chemical composition or observe its shape. However, a new way to study proteins is to observe their flexibility and how their different parts move.

Monopoly of the male orangutan: Comparative field observations on Sumatra and Borneo Posted: 05 Mar 2013 05:06 AM PST The sexual development, mating habits and social hierarchy of the orangutans are more heavily dependent on their environment than had previously been assumed: where the rain forest supplies more food, the influence of the dominant male increases. In order to escape his attention, many other males remain "small."

Researchers find link to arsenic-contaminated groundwater Posted: 04 Mar 2013 06:15 PM PST A team of researchers has found that the arsenic in groundwater in the region is part of a natural process that predates any recent human interaction, such as intensive pumping.

New research confirms plight of bumble bees, persistence of other bees in Northeast Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:16 PM PST A new study shows that although certain bumble bees are at risk, other bee species in the northeastern United States persisted across a 140-year period despite expanding human populations and changing land use. The study informs conservation efforts aimed at protecting native bee species and the important pollinator services they provide.

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