ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

---

• Rising mountains, cooling oceans prompted spread of invasive species 450 million years ago
• After a fire, before a flood: NASA's Landsat directs restoration to at-risk areas
• Experimental Ebola treatment protects some primates even after disease symptoms appear
• The bitter and the sweet: Fruit flies reveal a new interaction between the two
• MERS virus discovered in bat near site of outbreak in Saudi Arabia
• Bacteria make us feel pain… and suppress our immune response
• Forest-interior birds may be benefiting from harvested clearings
• Viewing Fukushima in the cold light of Chernobyl
• Crocodile confession: Meat-eating predators occasionally eat fruit
• A new gene-expression mechanism is a minor thing of major importance
• Hue of barn swallow breast feathers can influence their health
• Hamster genome decoded: Researchers successfully sequence genome of Chinese hamster
• Honeyguide birds destroy own species' eggs to eliminate competition
• Peering into the heart of aquatic embryo development
• Human foot not as unique as originally thought

Rising mountains, cooling oceans prompted spread of invasive species 450 million years ago Posted: 21 Aug 2013 02:01 PM PDT New research suggests that the rise of an early phase of the Appalachian Mountains and cooling oceans allowed invasive species to upset the North American ecosystem 450 million years ago.

After a fire, before a flood: NASA's Landsat directs restoration to at-risk areas Posted: 21 Aug 2013 12:28 PM PDT While the 138,000-acre Silver Fire still smoldered, forest restoration specialists were on the job. They analyzed maps created using Landsat satellite data to determine where the burn destroyed vegetation and exposed soil -- and where to focus emergency restoration efforts.

Experimental Ebola treatment protects some primates even after disease symptoms appear Posted: 21 Aug 2013 12:20 PM PDT Scientists have successfully treated the deadly Ebola virus in infected animals following onset of disease symptoms, according to a new article. The results show promise for developing therapies against the virus, which causes hemorrhagic fever with human case fatality rates as high as 90 percent.

The bitter and the sweet: Fruit flies reveal a new interaction between the two Posted: 21 Aug 2013 10:27 AM PDT Fruit flies have a lot to teach us about the complexity of food. Like these tiny little creatures, most animals are attracted to sugar but are deterred from eating it when bitter compounds are added.

MERS virus discovered in bat near site of outbreak in Saudi Arabia Posted: 21 Aug 2013 10:27 AM PDT A 100 percent genetic match for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome has been discovered in an insect-eating bat in close proximity to the first known case of the disease in Saudi Arabia. The discovery points to the likely animal origin for the disease, although researchers say that an intermediary animal is likely also involved.

Bacteria make us feel pain… and suppress our immune response Posted: 21 Aug 2013 10:27 AM PDT Researchers found pain from invasive skin infections from Staph, and possibly other serious, painful infections, appear to be induced by the invading bacteria themselves, and not by the body's immune response as previously thought. The research demonstrates that once the pain neurons "sense" the bacteria, they suppress the immune system, potentially helping the bacteria become more virulent.

Forest-interior birds may be benefiting from harvested clearings Posted: 21 Aug 2013 09:46 AM PDT Wildlife biologists suggest that forest regrowth in clearcuts may be vital to birds as they prepare for fall migration.

Viewing Fukushima in the cold light of Chernobyl Posted: 21 Aug 2013 09:45 AM PDT Three research articles on Chernobyl bring a new focus on just how extensive the long-term effects of the Fukushim Daiichi nuclear disaster might be on Japanese wildlife.

Crocodile confession: Meat-eating predators occasionally eat fruit Posted: 21 Aug 2013 09:43 AM PDT A new study led by the Wildlife Conservation Society says that the American alligator and a dozen other crocodile species enjoy an occasional taste of fruit along with their normal meat-heavy diets of mammals, birds, and fish.

A new gene-expression mechanism is a minor thing of major importance Posted: 21 Aug 2013 09:42 AM PDT A rare, small RNA turns a gene-splicing machine into a switch that controls the expression of hundreds of human genes. Researchers have discovered an entirely new aspect of the gene-splicing process that produces messenger RNA.

Hue of barn swallow breast feathers can influence their health Posted: 21 Aug 2013 06:49 AM PDT A new study shows the outward appearance of female barn swallows, specifically the hue of their chestnut-colored breast feathers, has an influence on their physiological health.

Hamster genome decoded: Researchers successfully sequence genome of Chinese hamster Posted: 21 Aug 2013 06:48 AM PDT Genome researchers have succeeded in sequencing the genome of the Chinese hamster. The Chinese hamster supplies the cell cultures used by the pharmaceutical industry to produce biopharmaceutical products such as antibodies used in medicine.

Honeyguide birds destroy own species' eggs to eliminate competition Posted: 21 Aug 2013 05:54 AM PDT Like cuckoos, honeyguides are parasitic birds that lay their eggs in other birds' nests and dupe them into raising their young. Now scientists reveal that, unlike in cuckoos, the resemblance between honeyguide eggs and those of their bee-eater bird hosts hasn't evolved to trick hosts into accepting the imposter egg as one of their own.

Peering into the heart of aquatic embryo development Posted: 21 Aug 2013 05:54 AM PDT Scientists using a pioneering bio-imaging system to record simultaneously the development of hundreds of aquatic embryos have discovered significant parent-offspring similarities in the timing and sequence of that development.

Human foot not as unique as originally thought Posted: 21 Aug 2013 05:54 AM PDT The mechanisms of the human foot are not as unique as originally thought and have much more in common with the flexible feet of other great apes.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Environment News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610