ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

---

• Santa Ana Watershed study completed
• From friend to foe: How benign bacteria evolve into virulent pathogens
• Bonefish spawning behavior in Bahamas surprising, may aid conservation
• Aquatic comb jelly floats into new evolutionary position
• Speeding up gene discovery
• Scientists discover double meaning in genetic code
• Rapid evolution of novel forms: Environmental change triggers inborn capacity for adaptation
• Tooth structure and wear provide clues to ecology and evolution of ancient marine creatures
• How bats took over the night
• Surprise: Duck-billed dinosaurs had fleshy 'cocks comb'
• Combining mutants results in 5-fold lifespan extension in C. elegans
• Neuroscience method of optogenetics as good as electrical stimulation
• Study of rodent family tree puts brakes on commonly held understanding of evolution
• Stealth maneuver allows nectar bats to target insect prey
• New species of horse, 4.4 million years old
• A penguin's tale: Diet linked to breeding failure
• Variety of genetic risk behind bone cancer in dogs
• Scientists map food security, self-provision of major cities
• Better protection for mangroves with models for successful seedling establishment
• What the past tells us about modern sea-level rise
• Environment drives genetics in 'Evolution Canyon': Discovery sheds light on climate change
• Toxic substances in banana plants kill root pests
• Choreographed stages of Salmonella infection revealed by scientists
• Cancer 'avalanche effect' refuted
• Risk assessment for pesticides in EU unsuitable for use in field
• Nutrients in food vital to location of early human settlements
• Nutritional information on oilseed crop for use in pig diets

Santa Ana Watershed study completed Posted: 12 Dec 2013 03:58 PM PST The Santa Ana River Watershed Basin Study, which addresses water supply and demand projections for the next 50 years and identifies potential climate change impacts to Southern California's Santa Ana River Watershed, has been released. This study is a first of its kind for the predominately urban basin. It encompasses approximately 2,600 square miles in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties and is home to more than 6 million residents.

From friend to foe: How benign bacteria evolve into virulent pathogens Posted: 12 Dec 2013 03:58 PM PST Bacteria can evolve rapidly to adapt to environmental change. When the "environment" is the immune response of an infected host, this evolution can turn harmless bacteria into life-threatening pathogens. A new study provides insight into how this happens.

Bonefish spawning behavior in Bahamas surprising, may aid conservation Posted: 12 Dec 2013 01:03 PM PST Bonefish, sometimes called the gray ghost, are among the most elusive and highly prized quarry of recreational anglers in the Florida Keys, the Bahamas and similar tropical habitats around the world. Now a research team has documented rarely seen pre-spawning behavior in bonefish, which should aid future conservation efforts.

Aquatic comb jelly floats into new evolutionary position Posted: 12 Dec 2013 11:21 AM PST In a study that compares the genomes of aquatic life forms, researchers have found evidence to shuffle the branches of the tree of life. The cornerstone of the study is the researchers' sequencing, assembly, annotation and analysis of the genome of Mnemiopsis leidyi, a comb jelly native to the coastal waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.

Speeding up gene discovery Posted: 12 Dec 2013 11:21 AM PST Researchers develop a new gene-editing system that enables large-scale studies of gene function.

Scientists discover double meaning in genetic code Posted: 12 Dec 2013 11:21 AM PST Scientists have discovered a second code hiding within DNA. The second code contains information that changes how scientists read the instructions contained in DNA and interpret mutations to make sense of health and disease. Genomes use the genetic code to write two separate languages. One describes how proteins are made, and the other instructs the cell on how genes are controlled. One language is written on top of the other.

Rapid evolution of novel forms: Environmental change triggers inborn capacity for adaptation Posted: 12 Dec 2013 11:19 AM PST In the classical view of evolution, species experience spontaneous genetic mutations that produce various novel traits—some helpful, some detrimental. Nature then selects for those most beneficial, passing them along to subsequent generations. It's an elegant model. It's also an extremely time-consuming process likely to fail organisms needing to cope with sudden, potentially life-threatening changes in their environments. Scientists now report that, at least in the case of one variety of cavefish, one agent of evolutionary change is the heat shock protein known as HSP90.

Tooth structure and wear provide clues to ecology and evolution of ancient marine creatures Posted: 12 Dec 2013 10:24 AM PST New studies shed light on ancient creatures' dental structure and wear -- and how these unique characteristics helped them live and adapt to their environments.

How bats took over the night Posted: 12 Dec 2013 09:33 AM PST Blessed with the power of echolocation -- reflected sound -- bats rule the night skies. And while it seems that echolocation works together with normal vision to give bats an evolutionary edge, nobody knows exactly how. Now research suggests that bats use vision to keep track of where they're going and echolocation to hunt tiny insects that most nocturnal predators can't see. The findings add to scientific understanding of sensory evolution.

Surprise: Duck-billed dinosaurs had fleshy 'cocks comb' Posted: 12 Dec 2013 09:33 AM PST A rare, mummified specimen of the duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosauraus regalis shows for the first time that those dinosaurs' heads were adorned with a fleshy comb, most similar to the roosters' red crest.

Combining mutants results in 5-fold lifespan extension in C. elegans Posted: 12 Dec 2013 09:33 AM PST What are the limits to longevity? Scientists combined mutations in two pathways well-known for lifespan extension and report a synergistic five-fold lifespan extension in the nematode C. elegans. The worms lived to the human equivalent of 400 to 500 years. The research introduces the possibility of combination therapy for aging and could help explain why scientists are having a difficult time identifying single genes responsible for long lives in human centenarians.

Neuroscience method of optogenetics as good as electrical stimulation Posted: 12 Dec 2013 09:33 AM PST Researchers have shown that optogenetics -- a technique that uses pulses of visible light to alter the behavior of brain cells -- can be as good as or possibly better than the older technique of using small bursts of electrical current. Optogenetics had been used in small rodent models. Research has shown that optogenetics works effectively in larger, more complex brains.

Study of rodent family tree puts brakes on commonly held understanding of evolution Posted: 12 Dec 2013 08:30 AM PST Rodents can tell us a lot about the way species evolve after they move into new areas, according to a new and exceptionally broad study.

Stealth maneuver allows nectar bats to target insect prey Posted: 12 Dec 2013 08:30 AM PST A nectar-feeding bat that was thought to eat insects in passing has been discovered to target its moving prey with stealth precision, according to new research.

New species of horse, 4.4 million years old Posted: 12 Dec 2013 08:30 AM PST Researchers have discovered a new species of fossil horse from 4.4 million-year-old fossil-rich deposits in Ethiopia. About the size of a small zebra, Eurygnathohippus woldegabrieli had three-toed hooves and grazed the grasslands and shrubby woods in the Afar Region.

A penguin's tale: Diet linked to breeding failure Posted: 12 Dec 2013 07:33 AM PST A study on a Victorian penguin colony has revealed new insight into the link between seabird diet and breeding success.

Variety of genetic risk behind bone cancer in dogs Posted: 12 Dec 2013 07:01 AM PST Bone cancer in dogs is affected by a variety of genetic risk factors. Researchers have discussed these variabilities in a new study published.

Scientists map food security, self-provision of major cities Posted: 12 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST Wealthy capital cities vary greatly in their dependence on the global food market. The Australian capital Canberra produces the majority of its most common food in its regional hinterland, while Tokyo primarily ensures its food security through import. The Copenhagen hinterland produces less than half of the consumption of the most common foods. For the first time, researchers have mapped the food systems of capital cities, an essential insight for future food security.

Better protection for mangroves with models for successful seedling establishment Posted: 12 Dec 2013 06:55 AM PST Seedlings of mangroves do not have an easy time to get established. Many forces of nature work against their anchorage in the soil. Human intervention in coastal areas and climate change also make life difficult for mangrove seedlings.

What the past tells us about modern sea-level rise Posted: 12 Dec 2013 06:55 AM PST Researchers report that sea-level rise since the industrial revolution has been fast by natural standards and - at current rates - may reach 80cm above the modern level by 2100 and 2.5 meters by 2200. The team used geological evidence of the past few million years to derive a background pattern of natural sea-level rise. This was compared with historical tide-gauge and satellite observations of sea-level change for the 'global warming' period, since the industrial revolution.

Environment drives genetics in 'Evolution Canyon': Discovery sheds light on climate change Posted: 12 Dec 2013 06:49 AM PST Researchers studying life from a unique natural environment in Israel discover heat stress seems to influence a species' genetic makeup, a finding that may influence understanding of climate change.

Toxic substances in banana plants kill root pests Posted: 11 Dec 2013 10:16 AM PST An international team of researchers has discovered that some banana varieties accumulate specific plant toxins in the immediate vicinity of root tissue that has been attacked by the parasitic nematode Radopholus similis. The toxin is stored in lipid droplets in the body of the nematode and the parasite finally dies. These findings provide important clues for the development of pest-resistant banana varieties.

Choreographed stages of Salmonella infection revealed by scientists Posted: 11 Dec 2013 10:16 AM PST Scientists have used a new method to map the response of every salmonella gene to conditions in the human body, providing new insight into how the bacteria triggers infection.

Cancer 'avalanche effect' refuted Posted: 11 Dec 2013 07:41 AM PST First, the number of chromosomes in a cell changes, then an avalanche of further mutations occur that transform the cell into a cancer cell, according to a well-known - but untested - theory. A research group in Sweden has now shown that the theory is not correct and constitutes a dead end for research.

Risk assessment for pesticides in EU unsuitable for use in field Posted: 11 Dec 2013 06:37 AM PST The method used to approve pesticides in the EU needs to be revised, according to a recent study. Results show that the level of fungicides measured in surface waters is often much higher than the level predicted by the current calculation model used in the approval process. Last year another study had a similarly alarming conclusion.

Nutrients in food vital to location of early human settlements Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:24 PM PST Research has found that early humans were driven by a need for nutrient-rich food to select 'special places' in northern Europe as their main habitat. Evidence of their activity at these sites comes in the form of hundreds of stone tools, including handaxes. A study has found that sites popular with our early human ancestors, were abundant in foods containing nutrients vital for a balanced diet. The most important sites, dating between 500,000 to 100,000 years ago were based at the lower end of river valleys, providing ideal bases for early hominins.

Nutritional information on oilseed crop for use in pig diets Posted: 10 Dec 2013 12:28 PM PST Long considered a weed in North America, Camelina sativa is increasingly valued as an oilseed crop.

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