ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Ancient cranial surgery: Practice of drilling holes in the cranium that dates back thousands of years
• Driving force behind mitochondrial 'sex' in ancient flowering plant
• Telecoupling science shows China's forest sustainability packs global impact
• Mating is kiss of death for certain female worms
• The origin of flowers: DNA of storied plant provides insight into the evolution of flowering plants
• DNA clamp to grab cancer before it develops
• Coastal ocean aquaculture can be environmentally sustainable
• Controlling parasitic worms with genetic selection
• Evolution of plumage patterns in male and female birds
• A new -- and reversible -- cause of aging: A naturally produced compound rewinds aspects of age-related demise in mice
• Data are lost to science at 'astonishing rate'
• Biomechanics of how marine snail larvae swim
• Lemur babies of older moms less likely to get hurt
• Big data project reveals where carbon-stocking projects in Africa provide greatest benefits
• Lonely this Christmas? Hire an 18th century hermit
• Emerald ash borer may have met its match
• Contraception program effectively manages bison population
• Newly identified immune receptor may activate B cells in autoimmunity
• Researchers identify genetic marker of resistance to key malaria drug
• Water in cells behaves in complex, intricate ways
• First high-altitude device to help detect health threats from the sky
• New gene mutation will help improve diagnosis of myopathy
• Researchers take a step toward developing a 'universal' flu vaccine

Ancient cranial surgery: Practice of drilling holes in the cranium that dates back thousands of years Posted: 19 Dec 2013 05:00 PM PST Some might consider drilling a hole in someone's head a form of torture, but in the province of Ahdahuaylas in Peru, ca. AD 100-1250, it was state-of-the-art medical care.

Driving force behind mitochondrial 'sex' in ancient flowering plant Posted: 19 Dec 2013 04:59 PM PST A new study has uncovered an unprecedented example of horizontal gene transfer in a South Pacific shrub that is considered to be the sole survivor of one of the two oldest lineages of flowering plants.

Telecoupling science shows China's forest sustainability packs global impact Posted: 19 Dec 2013 12:45 PM PST As China increases its forests, a sustainability scholar proposes a new way to answer the question: if a tree doesn't fall in China, can you hear it elsewhere in the world?

Mating is kiss of death for certain female worms Posted: 19 Dec 2013 12:45 PM PST The presence of male sperm and seminal fluid causes female worms to shrivel and die after giving birth, researchers reported this week. The demise of the female appears to benefit the male worm by removing her from the mating pool for other males.

The origin of flowers: DNA of storied plant provides insight into the evolution of flowering plants Posted: 19 Dec 2013 11:22 AM PST Biologists have sequenced the genome of the Amborella plant. The genome sequence sheds new light on a major event in the history of life on Earth: the origin of flowering plants, including all major food crop species.

DNA clamp to grab cancer before it develops Posted: 19 Dec 2013 10:44 AM PST As part of an international research project, a team of researchers has developed a DNA clamp that can detect mutations at the DNA level with greater efficiency than methods currently in use. Their work could facilitate rapid screening of those diseases that have a genetic basis, such as cancer, and provide new tools for more advanced nanotechnology.

Coastal ocean aquaculture can be environmentally sustainable Posted: 19 Dec 2013 10:12 AM PST Specific types of fish farming can be accomplished with minimal or no harm to the coastal ocean environment as long as proper planning and safeguards are in place, according to a new report.

Controlling parasitic worms with genetic selection Posted: 19 Dec 2013 10:12 AM PST Helminths are gastrointestinal parasitic worms that have become a major concern and source of economic loss for sheep producers around the world. A new article reviews current research into a promising alternative to control the disease.

Evolution of plumage patterns in male and female birds Posted: 19 Dec 2013 10:11 AM PST Research looks at the evolutionary pathways to differences in bird plumage patterns between males and females -- and concludes that birds are able to adapt their appearance with remarkable ease.

A new -- and reversible -- cause of aging: A naturally produced compound rewinds aspects of age-related demise in mice Posted: 19 Dec 2013 10:07 AM PST Researchers have discovered a cause of aging in mammals involving a series of molecular events that disables communication between the nucleus and mitochondria. By administering a molecule naturally produced by the human body, the communication network was restored in older mice. Subsequent tissue samples showed biological hallmarks comparable to much younger animals.

Data are lost to science at 'astonishing rate' Posted: 19 Dec 2013 10:07 AM PST New evidence confirms long-held fears about the fate of scientific data. Careful evaluation of more than 500 randomly selected studies found that the original data behind those published papers have been lost to science at a rapid rate.

Biomechanics of how marine snail larvae swim Posted: 19 Dec 2013 06:36 AM PST Equipped with high-speed, high-resolution video, scientists have discovered important new information on how marine snail larvae swim, a key behavior that determines individual dispersal and ultimately, survival.

Lemur babies of older moms less likely to get hurt Posted: 19 Dec 2013 06:36 AM PST A long-term study of aggression in lemurs finds that infants born to older mothers are less likely to get hurt than those born to younger mothers. The findings come from an analysis of detailed medical records for more than 240 ring-tailed lemurs that were monitored daily from infancy to adulthood over a 35-year period.

Big data project reveals where carbon-stocking projects in Africa provide greatest benefits Posted: 19 Dec 2013 06:35 AM PST One way to reduce concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is to ensure that carbon is stored on the ground to the greatest extent possible. But how do you quantify the potential of landscapes to stock carbon? Researchers now present the first continental-scale assessment of which areas may provide the greatest direct and indirect benefits from carbon storage reforestation projects in Africa.

Lonely this Christmas? Hire an 18th century hermit Posted: 19 Dec 2013 06:34 AM PST For those who are wondering what to buy the person who has everything this Christmas, an academic has suggested one of history's most bizarre garden accessories: an 'ornamental' hermit.

Emerald ash borer may have met its match Posted: 18 Dec 2013 02:08 PM PST Woodpeckers find emerald ash borers a handy food source and may slow the spread of this noxious pest, even ultimately controlling it, suggest researchers.

Contraception program effectively manages bison population Posted: 18 Dec 2013 12:26 PM PST A new study reports that a contraception program proved effective in managing a bison herd's numbers. Previously, more than two-thirds of the cows delivered calves every year. After receiving the contraceptive, the calving rate dropped to 10.4 percent in the first year and 3.3 percent the following year.

Newly identified immune receptor may activate B cells in autoimmunity Posted: 18 Dec 2013 11:37 AM PST A newly identified immune protein influences each person's response to vaccines and risk for autoimmune diseases like lupus and multiple sclerosis. The protein, called a receptor and part of signaling pathways, also provides a new target for personalized therapies for patients with autoimmune diseases.

Researchers identify genetic marker of resistance to key malaria drug Posted: 18 Dec 2013 10:37 AM PST An international team of researchers has discovered a way to identify, at a molecular level, malaria-causing Plasmodium falciparum parasites that are resistant to artemisinin, the key drug for treating this disease.

Water in cells behaves in complex, intricate ways Posted: 17 Dec 2013 12:53 PM PST In a sort of biological "spooky action at a distance," water in a cell slows down in the tightest confines between proteins and develops the ability to affect other proteins much farther away, researchers have discovered.

First high-altitude device to help detect health threats from the sky Posted: 17 Dec 2013 12:52 PM PST A researcher is using the first ever high-altitude sampling device designed to collect microorganisms from the upper atmosphere, to examine the massive dust clouds that roll into Florida from Africa each year. He's looking to see if the latest plant, animal or human health threats will come from the sky.

New gene mutation will help improve diagnosis of myopathy Posted: 17 Dec 2013 09:41 AM PST A new gene mutation that will help doctors give a more accurate diagnosis of a particular type of brain and muscle disease in children has been discovered for the first time.

Researchers take a step toward developing a 'universal' flu vaccine Posted: 16 Dec 2013 12:50 PM PST On the surface of the flu virus sits a mushroom-shaped protein with a head that changes and a stem that stays more constant; current vaccines target the head so they must change each year; could a vaccine that targets the stem offer broader, multi-year protection?

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