ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• NASA data find some hope for water in Aral Sea basin
• Superbright, fast X-rays image single layer of proteins
• Geographic variation of human gut microbes tied to obesity
• Gene for dissected leaves: Lost gene leads to simple leaves
• Screening wastewater biosolids for environmental contaminants: Antimicrobial products cause for concern
• 'Neighbor plants' determine insects' feeding choices
• Grape seed promise in fight against bowel cancer
• Arctic biodiversity under serious threat from climate change
• How gut bacteria communicates within our bodies, builds special relationship
• Protein switch dictates cellular fate: Stem cell or neuron
• Worm infections in developing countries: Veterinary drugs improve health of school children
• Advanced techniques yield new insights into ribosome self-assembly

NASA data find some hope for water in Aral Sea basin Posted: 14 Feb 2014 11:35 AM PST A new study using data from NASA satellite missions finds that, although the long-term water picture for the Aral Sea watershed in Central Asia remains bleak, short-term prospects are better than previously thought. Once the fourth largest inland sea in the world, the Aral Sea has lost 90 percent of its water volume over the last 50 years. Its watershed -- the enormous closed basin around the sea -- encompasses Uzbekistan and parts of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

Superbright, fast X-rays image single layer of proteins Posted: 14 Feb 2014 10:09 AM PST In biology, a protein's shape is key to understanding how it causes disease or toxicity. Researchers who use X-rays to takes snapshots of proteins need a billion copies of the same protein stacked and packed into a neat crystal. Now, scientists using exceptionally bright and fast X-rays can take a picture that rivals conventional methods with a sheet of proteins just one protein molecule thick.

Geographic variation of human gut microbes tied to obesity Posted: 14 Feb 2014 10:09 AM PST Researchers know that obese people have a different balance of microbes in their guts: more Firmicutes, fewer Bacteroidetes. Now researchers have found that people living in northern latitudes have a greater proportion of the Firmicutes associated with obesity than do people living farther south, and a smaller proportion of Bacteroidetes. The implications are unclear, though microbes may evolve with people to better extract energy from food in colder climates.

Gene for dissected leaves: Lost gene leads to simple leaves Posted: 14 Feb 2014 08:11 AM PST Spinach looks nothing like parsley, and basil bears no resemblance to thyme. Each plant has a typical leaf shape that can differ even within the same family. The information about what shape leaves will be is stored in the DNA. According to researchers in Germany, the hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) has a particular gene to thank for its dissected leaves. This homeobox gene inhibits cell proliferation and growth between leaflets, allowing them to separate from each other. The thale cress Arabidopsis thaliana does not have this gene. Therefore, its leaves are not dissected, but simple and entire.

Screening wastewater biosolids for environmental contaminants: Antimicrobial products cause for concern Posted: 14 Feb 2014 07:15 AM PST Researchers describe a cost-effective method for screening chemicals found in wastewater biosolids used in fertilizer for potential environmental impact. They have used the test to show that triclosan, an antimicrobial agent currently under fire from environmentalists, has troubling concentrations in the environment, and they raise suspicions about three other commonly used antimicrobial products.

'Neighbor plants' determine insects' feeding choices Posted: 14 Feb 2014 07:15 AM PST Insects are choosier than you might think: whether or not they end up feeding on a particular plant depends on much more than just the species to which that plant belongs. The quality of the individual plant is an important factor as well. As is the variety of other plants growing around it. But what, ultimately, makes an insect choose one plant over another?

Grape seed promise in fight against bowel cancer Posted: 14 Feb 2014 06:20 AM PST Research has shown for the first time that grape seed can aid the effectiveness of chemotherapy in killing colon cancer cells as well as reducing the chemotherapy's side effects.

Arctic biodiversity under serious threat from climate change Posted: 14 Feb 2014 04:55 AM PST Climate change caused by human activities is by far the worst threat to biodiversity in the Arctic. Some of these changes are already visible. Unique and irreplaceable Arctic wildlife and landscapes are crucially at risk due to global warming caused by human activities according to a new report prepared by 253 scientists from 15 countries.

How gut bacteria communicates within our bodies, builds special relationship Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:23 AM PST Communication is vital to any successful relationship. Researchers have discovered how the beneficial bacteria in our guts communicate with our own cells. This is a key step in understanding how our bodies maintain a close relationship with the population of gut bacteria that plays crucial roles in maintaining our health, fighting infection and digesting our food.

Protein switch dictates cellular fate: Stem cell or neuron Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:16 AM PST Researchers have discovered that a well-known protein has a new function: It acts in a biological circuit to determine whether an immature neural cell remains in a stem-like state or proceeds to become a functional neuron.

Worm infections in developing countries: Veterinary drugs improve health of school children Posted: 12 Feb 2014 03:36 PM PST A new study reveals that the health of millions of children with worm infections could be improved thanks to a veterinary drug. The study represents a vital contribution in the fight against worm infections -- still largely neglected -- in developing countries.

Advanced techniques yield new insights into ribosome self-assembly Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:27 AM PST Ribosomes, the cellular machines that build proteins, are themselves made up of dozens of proteins and a few looping strands of RNA. A new study offers new clues about how the ribosome, the master assembler of proteins, also assembles itself.

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