ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Moa's ark: Why the female giant moa was about twice the size of the male
• Bean leaves can trap bedbugs, researchers find
• Genetics of life and death in an evolutionary arms-race
• Surf's up: Turbulence tells sea urchins to settle down
• Measuring microbes makes wetland health monitoring more affordable, says researcher
• System provides clear brain scans of awake, unrestrained mice
• Scientists seek sea urchin's secret to surviving ocean acidification
• Urban grass might be greener, but that doesn't mean it's 'greener'
• Research holds revelations about an ancient society's water conservation, purification
• Striped like a badger: New genus of bat identified in South Sudan
• New chart shows the entire topography of the Antarctic seafloor in detail for the first time
• Der Steppenworm? Two new species differ from the elusive 'Mongolian Death Worm'
• Neolithic Iceman Ötzi had bad teeth: Periodontitis, tooth decay, accident-related dental damage in ice mummy
• Currently used drugs found active in laboratory mice against bioterror threats
• Better monitoring and diagnostics tackle algae biofuel pond crash problem
• Spring rains bring life to Midwest granaries but foster Gulf of Mexico 'Dead Zone'
• Environmental change triggers rapid evolution
• Polluting plastic particles invade the Great Lakes
• Beavers use their nose to assess their foes
• Pioneering study calculates Arctic Ocean nutrient budget
• Sea level rise: Jeopardy for terrestrial biodiversity on islands
• Peel-and-stick thin film solar cells

Moa's ark: Why the female giant moa was about twice the size of the male Posted: 09 Apr 2013 06:19 PM PDT The evolutionary reason for the massive difference in size between male and female giant moa -- the extinct giant birds of New Zealand -- has been revealed for the first time.

Bean leaves can trap bedbugs, researchers find Posted: 09 Apr 2013 06:19 PM PDT Inspired by a traditional Balkan bedbug remedy, researchers have documented how microscopic hairs on kidney bean leaves effectively stab and trap the biting insects. Scientists are now developing materials that mimic the geometry of the leaves.

Genetics of life and death in an evolutionary arms-race Posted: 09 Apr 2013 06:19 PM PDT Scientists have found evidence of the genetic basis of the evolutionary arms-race between parasitoids and their aphid hosts.

Surf's up: Turbulence tells sea urchins to settle down Posted: 09 Apr 2013 11:51 AM PDT Tumbling in the waves as they hit a rocky shore tells purple sea urchin larvae it's time to settle down and look for a spot to grow into an adult, researchers at have found.

Measuring microbes makes wetland health monitoring more affordable, says researcher Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:20 AM PDT Tiny, unseen wetland creatures provided crucial indicators of the ecosystems' health in a new study. Using analysis of the microbiological health of wetlands is cheaper and faster than traditional assessments, and could lead to improvements in harnessing natural processes to filter human's wastewater.

System provides clear brain scans of awake, unrestrained mice Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:19 AM PDT Researchers have shown that the AwakeSPECT system can obtain detailed, functional images of the brain of a freely moving, conscious mouse.

Scientists seek sea urchin's secret to surviving ocean acidification Posted: 09 Apr 2013 08:16 AM PDT Ocean research reveals rapid evolutionary adaptations to a changing climate. Genetic variation is the key to this ability to deal with higher acidity.

Urban grass might be greener, but that doesn't mean it's 'greener' Posted: 09 Apr 2013 08:16 AM PDT New research explores how efforts to keep urban lawns looking green and healthy might negate the soil's natural ability to store atmospheric toxins.

Research holds revelations about an ancient society's water conservation, purification Posted: 09 Apr 2013 08:16 AM PDT New research at the ancient Maya site of Medicinal Trail in northwestern Belize is revealing how populations in more remote areas -- the hinterland societies -- built reservoirs to conserve water and turned to nature to purify their water supply.

Striped like a badger: New genus of bat identified in South Sudan Posted: 09 Apr 2013 08:16 AM PDT Researchers have identified a new genus of bat, Niumbaha, after discovering a rare specimen in South Sudan. The word means "rare" or "unusual" in Zande, the language of the Azande people in Western Equatoria State, where the bat was captured. The bat is just the fifth specimen of its kind ever collected, and the first in South Sudan, which gained its independence in 2011.

New chart shows the entire topography of the Antarctic seafloor in detail for the first time Posted: 09 Apr 2013 08:16 AM PDT Reliable information on the depth and floor structure of the Southern Ocean has so far been available for only few coastal regions of the Antarctic. Scientists have for the first time succeeded in creating a digital map of the entire Antarctic seafloor.

Der Steppenworm? Two new species differ from the elusive 'Mongolian Death Worm' Posted: 09 Apr 2013 08:15 AM PDT Scientists have discovered the first proper earthworms from the Outer Mongolian steppes. Although the two new species don't have the deadly biology of the legendary olgoi-khorkhoi, 'Mongolian Death Worm', they still intrigue with the abilities of their cousins to regenerate body parts when cut in two and survive within astonishing temperature ranges.

Neolithic Iceman Ötzi had bad teeth: Periodontitis, tooth decay, accident-related dental damage in ice mummy Posted: 09 Apr 2013 07:59 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have been able to provide evidence of periodontitis, tooth decay and accident-related dental damage in the ice mummy 'Ötzi'. The latest scientific findings provide interesting information on the dietary patterns of the Neolithic Iceman and on the evolution of medically significant oral pathologies.

Currently used drugs found active in laboratory mice against bioterror threats Posted: 09 Apr 2013 07:57 AM PDT In the most extensive screen of its kind, scientists have demonstrated the feasibility of repurposing already-approved drugs for use against highly pathogenic bacteria and viruses. The pathogens included emerging diseases and potential bioterror threats ranging from anthrax to the Marburg and Ebola viruses.

Better monitoring and diagnostics tackle algae biofuel pond crash problem Posted: 09 Apr 2013 07:56 AM PDT Scientists are developing a suite of complementary technologies to help the emerging algae industry detect and quickly recover from algal pond crashes, an obstacle to large-scale algae cultivation for future biofuels.

Spring rains bring life to Midwest granaries but foster Gulf of Mexico 'Dead Zone' Posted: 09 Apr 2013 07:56 AM PDT The most serious ongoing water pollution problem in the Gulf of Mexico originates not from oil rigs, as many people believe, but rainstorms and fields of corn and soybeans a thousand miles away in the Midwest. An expert on that problem -- the infamous Gulf of Mexico "Dead Zone" -- today called for greater awareness of the connections between rainfall and agriculture in the Midwest and the increasingly severe water quality problems in the gulf.

Environmental change triggers rapid evolution Posted: 09 Apr 2013 06:54 AM PDT Environmental change can drive hard-wired evolutionary changes in animal species in a matter of generations. A new study overturns the common assumption that evolution only occurs gradually over hundreds or thousands of years.

Polluting plastic particles invade the Great Lakes Posted: 09 Apr 2013 06:54 AM PDT Floating plastic debris -- which helps populate the infamous "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" in the Pacific Ocean -- has become a problem in the Great Lakes, the largest body of fresh water in the world.

Beavers use their nose to assess their foes Posted: 09 Apr 2013 06:12 AM PDT Beavers use scent to detect when trespassers could be a threat, according to new research. For territorial animals, such as beavers, "owning" a territory ensures access to food, mates and nest sites. Defending that territory can involve fights which cause injury or death. How does an animal decide whether to take on an opponent or not? A new study has found that the anal gland secretions of beavers contain information about age and social status which helps other beavers gauge their level of response to the perceived threat.

Pioneering study calculates Arctic Ocean nutrient budget Posted: 09 Apr 2013 06:11 AM PDT The first study of its kind to calculate the amount of nutrients entering and leaving the Arctic Ocean has been carried out.

Sea level rise: Jeopardy for terrestrial biodiversity on islands Posted: 09 Apr 2013 06:10 AM PDT Model calculations predict a sea level rise of about one meter by the end of this century and of up to five and a half meters by the year 2500.  Until now there are few studies on the potential impacts of a rising sea level on biodiversity.

Peel-and-stick thin film solar cells Posted: 09 Apr 2013 06:07 AM PDT Scientists have fabricated peel-and-stick thin film solar cells (TFSCs). The Si wafer is clean and reusable. Moreover, as the peeled-off TFSCs from the Si wafer are thin, light-weight, and flexible, it can be attached onto any form or shape of surface like a sticker.

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