ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Scientists confirm theory regarding the origins of the sucking disc of remora fish
• By trying it all, predatory sea slug learns what not to eat
• How similar are the gestures of apes and human infants? More than you might suspect
• Earthquake acoustics can indicate if a massive tsunami is imminent
• Three-billion-year-old microfossils include plankton
• Gannets don't eat off each other's plates
• The swing of architect genes
• Stalagmites provide new view of abrupt climate events over 100,000 years
• How young genes gain a toehold on becoming indispensable: Tracking a gene from its birth through to its pathway to purpose and evolutionary importance
• Pollution in Northern Hemisphere helped cause 1980s African drought
• Molecular Velcro for chromosome stability
• Predicting the future of coral reefs in a changing world
• NASA builds sophisticated Earth-observing microwave radiometer
• NASA spacecraft sees tornado's destructive swath
• Alpine lakes reflect climate change
• Drought, river fragmentation forcing endangered fish out of water, biologist finds
• 'Caldas tear' resolves puzzling seismic activity beneath Colombia
• New DNA test on roo poo identifies species
• Living fossils? Actually, sturgeon fish are evolutionary speedsters

Scientists confirm theory regarding the origins of the sucking disc of remora fish Posted: 06 Jun 2013 04:10 PM PDT Remora fish, with a sucking disc on their heads, have been the stuff of legend. They often attach themselves to boat hulls and were once thought to purposely slow the boat down. While that is a misunderstanding, something else not well understood was the origins of the fish's sucking disc. Scientists, however, have solved that mystery proving that the disc is actually a greatly modified dorsal fin.

By trying it all, predatory sea slug learns what not to eat Posted: 06 Jun 2013 04:08 PM PDT Researchers found that a type of predatory sea slug with a simple nervous system has more complex cognitive abilities than previously thought, allowing it to learn the warning cues of dangerous prey and avoid them in the future.

How similar are the gestures of apes and human infants? More than you might suspect Posted: 06 Jun 2013 04:08 PM PDT A new study used naturalistic video data for the first time to compare gestures in a female chimpanzee, bonobo and human infant.

Earthquake acoustics can indicate if a massive tsunami is imminent Posted: 06 Jun 2013 12:51 PM PDT Scientists have identified key acoustic characteristics of the 2011 Japan earthquake that indicated it would cause a large tsunami. The technique could be applied worldwide to create an early warning system for massive tsunamis.

Three-billion-year-old microfossils include plankton Posted: 06 Jun 2013 12:51 PM PDT Spindle-shaped inclusions in three-billion-year-old rocks are microfossils of plankton that probably inhabited the oceans around the globe during that time, according to scientists.

Gannets don't eat off each other's plates Posted: 06 Jun 2013 12:47 PM PDT Colonies of gannets maintain vast exclusive fishing ranges despite doing nothing to defend their territory from rival colonies, scientists have discovered.

The swing of architect genes Posted: 06 Jun 2013 12:47 PM PDT Architect genes are responsible for organizing structures of the body during embryonic development. Some of them, namely the Hox genes, are involved in the formation of forelimbs. They are activated in two successive waves, enabling the formation of the arm, then the hand. Scientists are uncovering the workings of this complex process.

Stalagmites provide new view of abrupt climate events over 100,000 years Posted: 06 Jun 2013 12:44 PM PDT A new set of long-term climate records based on cave stalagmites collected from tropical Borneo shows that the western tropical Pacific responded very differently than other regions of the globe to abrupt climate change events.

How young genes gain a toehold on becoming indispensable: Tracking a gene from its birth through to its pathway to purpose and evolutionary importance Posted: 06 Jun 2013 12:44 PM PDT Scientists have, for the first time, mapped a young gene's short, dramatic evolutionary journey to becoming essential, or indispensable. The researchers detail one gene's rapid switch to a new and essential function in the fruit fly, challenging the long-held belief that only ancient genes are important.

Pollution in Northern Hemisphere helped cause 1980s African drought Posted: 06 Jun 2013 12:43 PM PDT Air pollution in the Northern Hemisphere in the mid-20th century cooled the upper half of the planet and pushed rain bands south, contributing to the prolonged and worsening drought in Africa's Sahel region. Clean air legislation in the 1980s reversed the trend and the drought lessened.

Molecular Velcro for chromosome stability Posted: 06 Jun 2013 11:08 AM PDT Scientists have functionally dissected the molecular processes that ensure the stability of chromosomes. They show how three proteins interact on the repetitive sequences at the chromosomal ends (the telomeres) to form a powerful protein scaffold required for telomere homeostasis.

Predicting the future of coral reefs in a changing world Posted: 06 Jun 2013 11:06 AM PDT Scientists have described for the first time the biological process of how corals create their skeletons, which form massive and ecologically vital coral reefs in the world's oceans. They identified specific proteins secreted by corals that precipitate carbonate to form the corals' characteristic skeleton.

NASA builds sophisticated Earth-observing microwave radiometer Posted: 06 Jun 2013 10:28 AM PDT A NASA team delivered in May a sophisticated microwave radiometer specifically designed to overcome the pitfalls that have plagued similar Earth-observing instruments in the past. Literally years in the making, the new radiometer, which is designed to measure the intensity of electromagnetic radiation, specifically microwaves, is equipped with one of the most sophisticated signal-processing systems ever developed for an Earth science satellite mission.

NASA spacecraft sees tornado's destructive swath Posted: 06 Jun 2013 10:23 AM PDT A new image from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft shows the extent of destruction from the deadly Newcastle-Moore tornado that ripped through central Oklahoma on May 20, 2013. The Newcastle-Moore tornado was rated at EF-5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. An EF-5 is the most powerful category of tornado.

Alpine lakes reflect climate change Posted: 06 Jun 2013 08:05 AM PDT Global warming impacts lakes' structure, function and water quality. Increases in temperature as a result of climate change are mirrored in lake waters where temperatures are also on the rise. A new study forecasts surface water temperatures in large Austrian lakes for 2050 and discusses the impact on the lakes' structure, function and water quality.

Drought, river fragmentation forcing endangered fish out of water, biologist finds Posted: 06 Jun 2013 08:00 AM PDT North American drought has caused dramatic changes in native fish communities.

'Caldas tear' resolves puzzling seismic activity beneath Colombia Posted: 06 Jun 2013 07:17 AM PDT Colombia sits atop a complex geological area where three tectonic plates are interacting, producing seismicity patterns that have puzzled seismologists for years. Now seismologists have identified the "Caldas tear," which is a break in a slab that separates two subducting plates and accounts for curious features, including a "nest" of seismic activity beneath east-central Colombia and high grade mineral deposits on the surface.

New DNA test on roo poo identifies species Posted: 06 Jun 2013 07:13 AM PDT Researchers have developed a simple and cost-effective DNA test to identify kangaroo species from their droppings which will boost the ability to manage and conserve kangaroo populations.

Living fossils? Actually, sturgeon fish are evolutionary speedsters Posted: 06 Jun 2013 07:13 AM PDT Efforts to restore sturgeon in the Great Lakes region have received a lot of attention in recent years, and many of the news stories note that the prehistoric-looking fish are "living fossils" virtually unchanged for millions of years. But a new study reveals that in at least one measure of evolutionary change -- changes in body size over time -- sturgeon have been one of the fastest-evolving fish on the planet.

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