ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Fossil saved from mule track revolutionizes understanding of ancient dolphin-like marine reptile
• Mum and dad dinosaurs shared the work
• Research helps paint finer picture of massive 1700 earthquake
• Human disease leptospirosis identified in new species, the banded mongoose, in Africa
• Mining the botulinum genome
• When green means danger: A stunning new species of palm-pitviper from Honduras
• Cooling ocean temperature could buy more time for coral reefs
• Making gold green: New non-toxic method for mining gold
• Learning to recycle: Does political ideology matter?
• From ocean to land: The fishy origins of our hips
• Alligator stem cell study gives clues to tooth regeneration
• Do potatoes grow on vines? A review of the wild relatives of some favorite food plants
• Flower power fights orchard pests
• Microbes capture, store, and release nitrogen to feed reef-building coral
• Corals turn to algae for stored food when times get tough
• Water governs cell movement: Aquaporins play key role, new research finds
• Sulfate aerosols cool climate less than assumed
• Could carbon dioxide be injected in sandstone? Would it stay there?
• Searching for clandestine graves with geophysical tools
• First X-class solar flares of 2013
• Living close to major road may impair kidney function
• Productivity increases with species diversity, just as Darwin predicted

Fossil saved from mule track revolutionizes understanding of ancient dolphin-like marine reptile Posted: 14 May 2013 06:31 PM PDT Scientists have revealed a new species of ichthyosaur (a dolphin-like marine reptile from the age of dinosaurs) from Iraq, which revolutionizes our understanding of the evolution and extinction of these ancient marine reptiles.

Mum and dad dinosaurs shared the work Posted: 14 May 2013 06:31 PM PDT A study into the brooding behavior of birds has revealed their dinosaur ancestors shared the load when it came to incubation of eggs.

Research helps paint finer picture of massive 1700 earthquake Posted: 14 May 2013 04:06 PM PDT In 1700, a massive earthquake struck the west coast of North America, but a lack of local documentation has made studying this historic event challenging. Now, researchers have helped unlock this geological mystery using a fossil-based technique. Their work provides a finer-grained portrait of this earthquake and the changes in coastal land level it produced, enabling modelers to better prepare for future events.

Human disease leptospirosis identified in new species, the banded mongoose, in Africa Posted: 14 May 2013 09:27 AM PDT Leptospirosis is the world's most common illness transmitted to humans by animals. It's a two-phase disease that begins with flu-like symptoms. If untreated, it can cause meningitis, liver damage, pulmonary hemorrhage, renal failure and death.

Mining the botulinum genome Posted: 14 May 2013 09:27 AM PDT Scientists have been mining the genome of C. botulinum to uncover new information about the toxin genes that produce the potent toxin behind botulism.

When green means danger: A stunning new species of palm-pitviper from Honduras Posted: 14 May 2013 08:29 AM PDT A remarkable new species of bright green palm-viper has been discovered in a threatened cloud forest in Honduras, and is named to honor grassroots conservationist Mario Guifarro, who was assassinated in 2007. Despite being superficially similar to other Honduran palm pitvipers, the closest relative to the new species lives over 600 km to the south in Costa Rica.

Cooling ocean temperature could buy more time for coral reefs Posted: 14 May 2013 08:28 AM PDT Limiting the amount of warming experienced by the world's oceans in the future could buy some time for tropical coral reefs, say researchers.

Making gold green: New non-toxic method for mining gold Posted: 14 May 2013 08:28 AM PDT Scientists have struck gold in the laboratory. They have discovered an inexpensive and environmentally benign method that uses simple cornstarch -- instead of cyanide -- to isolate gold from raw materials in a selective manner. This green method extracts gold from crude sources and leaves behind other metals that are often found mixed together with the crude gold.

Learning to recycle: Does political ideology matter? Posted: 14 May 2013 08:27 AM PDT Some targeted messages based on political orientation are more effective at persuading consumers to recycle according to a new study.

From ocean to land: The fishy origins of our hips Posted: 14 May 2013 07:15 AM PDT New research has revealed that the evolution of the complex, weight-bearing hips of walking animals from the basic hips of fish was a much simpler process than previously thought.

Alligator stem cell study gives clues to tooth regeneration Posted: 14 May 2013 07:14 AM PDT Alligators may help scientists learn how to stimulate tooth regeneration in people, according to new research. For the first time, a global team of researchers has uncovered unique cellular and molecular mechanisms behind tooth renewal in American alligators.

Do potatoes grow on vines? A review of the wild relatives of some favorite food plants Posted: 14 May 2013 07:14 AM PDT Solanum is is well-known for its agriculturally important species such as potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants, but also has many species that are less well known. The vining solanums related to the woody nightshade are often used as ornamentals. A new study completely revises the understanding of these vining species, known as the Dulcamaroid clade, providing extensive community-shared knowledge of the genus.

Flower power fights orchard pests Posted: 14 May 2013 07:14 AM PDT Researchers have found they can control one of fruit growers' more severe pests, aphids, with a remarkably benign tool: flowers. The discovery is a boon for organic as well as conventional tree fruit growers. The researchers found that plantings of sweet alyssum attracted a host of spiders and predator bugs that in turn preyed on woolly apple aphids, a pest that growers often control with chemical sprays.

Microbes capture, store, and release nitrogen to feed reef-building coral Posted: 14 May 2013 05:54 AM PDT Microscopic algae that live within reef-forming corals scoop up available nitrogen, store the excess in crystal form, and slowly feed it to the coral as needed, according to a study published in mBio.

Corals turn to algae for stored food when times get tough Posted: 14 May 2013 05:54 AM PDT Researchers present new evidence for the crucial role of algae in the survival of their coral hosts. Ultra-high resolution images reveal that the algae temporarily store nutrients as crystals, building up reserves for when supplies run low.

Water governs cell movement: Aquaporins play key role, new research finds Posted: 14 May 2013 05:53 AM PDT Water gives life. Researchers now show how the cells in our bodies are driven mainly by water power -- a discovery that in the long run opens the way for a new strategy in cancer therapy.

Sulfate aerosols cool climate less than assumed Posted: 14 May 2013 05:53 AM PDT Life span of cloud-forming sulfate particles in the air is shorter than assumed due to a sulfur dioxide oxidation pathway which has been neglected in climate models so far.

Could carbon dioxide be injected in sandstone? Would it stay there? Posted: 14 May 2013 05:53 AM PDT As carbon dioxide levels in the Earth's atmosphere top 400 parts per million, options such as storing the greenhouse gas in porous sandstone rock formations found in abundance on the sea floor are of increasing interest. But how do we know if carbon dioxide can be safely injected into spongy sandstone, and that once it is there, that it will stay there?

Searching for clandestine graves with geophysical tools Posted: 14 May 2013 05:52 AM PDT It's very hard to convict a murderer if the victim's body can't be found. And the best way to hide a body is to bury it. Developing new tools to find those clandestine graves is the goal of a small community of researchers spread across several countries.

First X-class solar flares of 2013 Posted: 14 May 2013 05:37 AM PDT On May 13, 2013, the sun emitted an X2.8-class flare, peaking at 12:05 p.m. EDT. This is the the strongest X-class flare of 2013 so far, surpassing in strength the X1.7-class flare that occurred 14 hours earlier. It is the 16th X-class flare of the current solar cycle and the third-largest flare of that cycle. The second-strongest was an X5.4 event on March 7, 2012. The strongest was an X6.9 on Aug. 9, 2011.

Living close to major road may impair kidney function Posted: 13 May 2013 05:24 PM PDT Living close to a major road may impair kidney function -- itself a risk factor for heart disease and stroke -- and so help contribute to the known impact of air pollution on cardiovascular risk, suggests new research.

Productivity increases with species diversity, just as Darwin predicted Posted: 13 May 2013 12:28 PM PDT Environments containing species that are distantly related to one another are more productive than those containing closely related species, according to new research.

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