ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Under-appreciated benefit of oyster restoration highlighted
• Using bacteria to stop malaria
• Dust in the clouds: Cirrus clouds form around mineral dust and metallic particles
• Ice-free Arctic may be in our future, international researchers say
• New advance in biofuel production
• Loss of eastern hemlock will affect forest water use
• Studies generate comprehensive list of genes required by innate system to defend sex cells
• Genes define the interaction of social amoeba and bacteria
• Coral reefs suffering, but collapse not inevitable
• 'Power plants': How to harvest electricity directly from plants
• Could eating peppers prevent Parkinson's? Dietary nicotine may hold protective key
• Secret streets of Britain's 'Atlantis' are revealed
• Geologists study mystery of 'eternal flames'
• In ancient China, sago palms were major plant food prior to rice cultivation

Under-appreciated benefit of oyster restoration highlighted Posted: 09 May 2013 12:46 PM PDT A new study shows that healthy oyster reefs would help to buffer the increasing acidity of coastal waters.

Using bacteria to stop malaria Posted: 09 May 2013 11:21 AM PDT Mosquitoes are deadly efficient disease transmitters. New research however, demonstrates that they also can be part of the solution for preventing diseases such as malaria.

Dust in the clouds: Cirrus clouds form around mineral dust and metallic particles Posted: 09 May 2013 11:21 AM PDT Cirrus clouds influence global climate, cooling the planet by reflecting incoming solar radiation and warming it by trapping outgoing heat. Understanding the mechanisms by which these clouds form may help scientists better predict future climate patterns. Scientists have now identified the major seeds on which cirrus clouds form.

Ice-free Arctic may be in our future, international researchers say Posted: 09 May 2013 11:20 AM PDT Analyses of the longest continental sediment core ever collected in the Arctic provide "absolutely new knowledge" of Arctic climate from 2.2 to 3.6 million years ago. The research has major implications for understanding how the Arctic transitioned from a forested landscape without ice sheets to the ice- and snow-covered land we know today.

New advance in biofuel production Posted: 09 May 2013 09:37 AM PDT Researchers have developed an enzyme-free ionic liquid pretreatment of cellulosic biomass that makes it easier to recover fermentable sugars for biofuels and to recycle the ionic liquid.

Loss of eastern hemlock will affect forest water use Posted: 09 May 2013 09:36 AM PDT The loss of eastern hemlock from forests in the Southern Appalachian region of the United States could permanently change the area's hydrologic cycle, reports a new study.

Studies generate comprehensive list of genes required by innate system to defend sex cells Posted: 09 May 2013 09:35 AM PDT Investigators have published studies revealing many previously unknown components of an innate system that defends sex cells -- the carriers of inheritance across generations -- from the ravages of transposable genetic elements.

Genes define the interaction of social amoeba and bacteria Posted: 09 May 2013 09:34 AM PDT Researchers have used the model of the social amoeba -- Dictyostelium discoideum -- to identify the genetic controls on how the amoeba differentiate the different bacteria and respond to achieve their goal of destruction.

Coral reefs suffering, but collapse not inevitable Posted: 09 May 2013 09:34 AM PDT Coral reefs are in decline, but their collapse can still be avoided with local and global action. That's according to findings based on an analysis that combines the latest science on reef dynamics with the latest climate models.

'Power plants': How to harvest electricity directly from plants Posted: 09 May 2013 07:43 AM PDT The sun provides the most abundant source of energy on the planet. However, only a tiny fraction of the solar radiation on Earth is converted into useful energy.

Could eating peppers prevent Parkinson's? Dietary nicotine may hold protective key Posted: 09 May 2013 06:12 AM PDT New research reveals that Solanaceae -- a flowering plant family with some species producing foods that are edible sources of nicotine -- may provide a protective effect against Parkinson's disease. The study suggests that eating foods that contain even a small amount of nicotine, such as peppers and tomatoes, may reduce risk of developing Parkinson's.

Secret streets of Britain's 'Atlantis' are revealed Posted: 09 May 2013 06:11 AM PDT Archeologists have carried out the most detailed analysis ever of the archaeological remains of the lost medieval town of Dunwich, dubbed 'Britain's Atlantis'. Using advanced underwater imaging techniques, the project has produced the most accurate map to date of the town's streets, boundaries and major buildings, and revealed new ruins on the seabed.

Geologists study mystery of 'eternal flames' Posted: 09 May 2013 06:07 AM PDT "Eternal flames" fueled by hydrocarbon gas could shine a light on the presence of natural gas in underground rock layers and conditions that let it seep to the surface, according to new research.

In ancient China, sago palms were major plant food prior to rice cultivation Posted: 08 May 2013 02:21 PM PDT Before rice cultivation became prevalent, ancient populations on the southern coast of China likely relied on sago palms as staple plant foods, according to new research.

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