ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Something in the (expecting mother's) water: Contaminated water breeds low-weight babies, sometimes born prematurely
• Part of brain that makes humans and primates social creatures may play similar role in carnivores
• DNA research sheds light on ancestry of Ashkenazi Jews
• Archaeology experts solve 200 year old mystery of Roman statue
• Iron melt network helped grow Earth's core, study suggests
• Primate brains follow predictable developmental pattern
• Evolutionary question answered: Ants more closely related to bees than to most wasps
• How viral proteins are produced: New clues
• Working together: Bacteria join forces to produce electricity
• Rural land use policies curb wildfire risks -- to a point
• More than 500 million people might face increasing water scarcity
• First ever evidence of a comet striking Earth
• Terrestrial ecosystems at risk of major shifts as temperatures increase
• Making Martian clouds on Earth: Clouds on Mars form in much more humid conditions than clouds on Earth
• 3-D printed microscopic cages confine bacteria in tiny zoos for the study of infections
• Fruit science: Switching between repulsion and attraction
• Desert trial for ESA Mars rover
• Astronauts exploring the depths

Something in the (expecting mother's) water: Contaminated water breeds low-weight babies, sometimes born prematurely Posted: 08 Oct 2013 09:29 AM PDT Pregnant women living in areas with contaminated drinking water may be more likely to have babies that are premature or with low birth weights (considered less than 5.5 pounds), according to a new study.

Part of brain that makes humans and primates social creatures may play similar role in carnivores Posted: 08 Oct 2013 08:25 AM PDT The part of the brain that makes humans and primates social creatures may play a similar role in carnivores, according to a growing body of research. In studying spotted hyenas, lions and, most recently, the raccoon family, biologists found a correlation between the size of the animals' frontal cortex and their social nature.

DNA research sheds light on ancestry of Ashkenazi Jews Posted: 08 Oct 2013 08:25 AM PDT Many of the maternal ancestors of modern Ashkenazi Jews were European converts, according to new research. Analysis of DNA samples has shown that on the female line, the Ashkenazim are descended not from the Near East but from southern and western Europe.

Archaeology experts solve 200 year old mystery of Roman statue Posted: 08 Oct 2013 08:24 AM PDT Archaeologists have been able to identify a stone head that was found in a flowerbed in Chichester over 200 years ago, and remained a mystery ever since. Using the latest laser scanning technology, they have revealed that The Bosham Head, as it is known, is from a Roman statue of Emperor Trajan, dating back to AD 122, and one of the most significant Roman finds in Britain.

Iron melt network helped grow Earth's core, study suggests Posted: 08 Oct 2013 07:26 AM PDT Scientists recreated the intense pressures and temperatures found deep within the Earth, resulting in a discovery that complicates theories of how the planet and its core were formed.

Primate brains follow predictable developmental pattern Posted: 08 Oct 2013 07:25 AM PDT In a breakthrough for understanding brain evolution, neuroscientists have shown that differences between primate brains -- from the tiny marmoset to human -- can be largely explained as consequences of the same genetic program.

Evolutionary question answered: Ants more closely related to bees than to most wasps Posted: 08 Oct 2013 07:25 AM PDT Genome sequencing and bioinformatics resolves a long-standing, evolutionary issue, demonstrating that ants and bees are more closely related to each other than they are to certain wasps.

How viral proteins are produced: New clues Posted: 08 Oct 2013 07:25 AM PDT Understanding how viral proteins are produced can provide important clues on how we might interfere with the process. Scientists have discovered that a key protease of a particular virus breaks itself down into two different functional molecules. The findings may have important implications for the development of defense strategies against diseases caused by flaviviruses.

Working together: Bacteria join forces to produce electricity Posted: 08 Oct 2013 07:25 AM PDT Scientists have explored the relationships of two important bacterial forms, demonstrating their ability to produce electricity by coordinating their metabolic activities.

Rural land use policies curb wildfire risks -- to a point Posted: 08 Oct 2013 06:17 AM PDT Using Montana's fast-growing Flathead County as a template, a Washington State University researcher has found that moderately restrictive land-use policies can significantly curb the potential damage of rural wildfires. However, highly restrictive planning laws will not do much more.

More than 500 million people might face increasing water scarcity Posted: 08 Oct 2013 06:17 AM PDT Both freshwater availability for many millions of people and the stability of ecosystems such as the Siberian tundra or Indian grasslands are put at risk by climate change. Even if global warming is limited to two degrees above pre-industrial levels, 500 million people could be subject to increased water scarcity -- while this number would grow by a further 50 percent if greenhouse-gas emissions are not cut soon. At five degrees global warming almost all ice-free land might be affected by ecosystem change.

First ever evidence of a comet striking Earth Posted: 08 Oct 2013 06:15 AM PDT The first ever evidence of a comet entering Earth's atmosphere and exploding, raining down a shock wave of fire which obliterated every life form in its path, has been discovered by a team of South African scientists and international collaborators.

Terrestrial ecosystems at risk of major shifts as temperatures increase Posted: 08 Oct 2013 06:12 AM PDT Over 80% of the world's ice-free land is at risk of profound ecosystem transformation by 2100, a new study reveals. "Essentially, we would be leaving the world as we know it," says a researcher who studied the critical impacts of climate change on landscapes.

Making Martian clouds on Earth: Clouds on Mars form in much more humid conditions than clouds on Earth Posted: 07 Oct 2013 01:24 PM PDT At first glance, Mars' clouds might easily be mistaken for those on Earth: Images of the Martian sky, taken by NASA's Opportunity rover, depict gauzy, high-altitude wisps, similar to our cirrus clouds. Given what scientists know about the Red Planet's atmosphere, these clouds likely consist of either carbon dioxide or water-based ice crystals. But it's difficult to know the precise conditions that give rise to such clouds without sampling directly from a Martian cloud. Researchers have now done the next-best thing: They've recreated Mars-like conditions within a three-story-tall cloud chamber in Germany, adjusting the chamber's temperature and relative humidity to match conditions on Mars -- essentially forming Martian clouds on Earth.

3-D printed microscopic cages confine bacteria in tiny zoos for the study of infections Posted: 07 Oct 2013 12:17 PM PDT Researchers have used a novel 3-D printing technology to build homes for bacteria at a microscopic level. Their method uses a laser to construct protein "cages" around bacteria in gelatin. The resulting structures can be of almost any shape or size, and can be moved around in relationship to other structures containing bacterial microcommunities.

Fruit science: Switching between repulsion and attraction Posted: 07 Oct 2013 06:42 AM PDT A team of researchers has shown how temporal control of a single gene solves two problems during fruit ripening in strawberry.

Desert trial for ESA Mars rover Posted: 04 Oct 2013 08:11 AM PDT Next week will see the European Space Agency's most ambitious planetary rover test yet. Robotic exploration of a Mars-like desert in South America will be overseen from the UK, providing experience for future missions to the Red Planet.

Astronauts exploring the depths Posted: 04 Oct 2013 08:11 AM PDT Usually, the European Space Agency sends astronauts to outer space, but last week six astronauts from around the world spent six days underground to get a taste of working together in extreme conditions.

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