ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• NASA-JAXA launch mission to measure global rain, snow
• Food production in northeastern U.S. may need to change if climate does
• NASA scientists find evidence of water in meteorite, reviving debate over life on Mars
• Competition breeds new fish species, study finds
• Coral fish biodiversity loss: Humankind could be responsible
• Why and how anti-retroviral therapy works even against HIV cell-to-cell transmission
• Fossilized human feces from 14th century contain antibiotic resistance genes
• New study reveals evolution at work: Analyses elucidate a part of the brain particular to primates
• Nasty parasitic worm, common in wildlife, now infecting U.S. cats
• Deadly immune 'storm' caused by emergent flu infections
• Livestock found ganging up on pandas at the bamboo buffet
• How pathogens hack our immune systems to go undetected

NASA-JAXA launch mission to measure global rain, snow Posted: 28 Feb 2014 07:41 AM PST The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, a joint Earth-observing mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), thundered into space at 10:37 a.m. PST Thursday, Feb. 27 (3:37 a.m. JST Friday, Feb. 28) from Japan. The four-ton spacecraft launched aboard a Japanese H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island in southern Japan. The GPM spacecraft separated from the rocket 16 minutes after launch, at an altitude of 247 miles (398 kilometers). The solar arrays deployed 10 minutes after spacecraft separation, to power the spacecraft.

Food production in northeastern U.S. may need to change if climate does Posted: 28 Feb 2014 07:33 AM PST If significant climate change occurs in the United States it may be necessary to change where certain foods are produced in order to meet consumer demand. Researchers have provided an overview of current farmland use and food production in the Northeastern U.S., identifying potential vulnerabilities of the 12-state region.

NASA scientists find evidence of water in meteorite, reviving debate over life on Mars Posted: 28 Feb 2014 07:32 AM PST A team of scientists has found evidence of past water movement throughout a Martian meteorite, reviving debate in the scientific community over life on Mars. In 1996, a group of scientists reported biogenic evidence in the Allan Hills 84001(ALH84001) meteorite. In this new study, researchers focused on structures deep within a 30-pound (13.7-kilogram) Martian meteorite known as Yamato 000593 (Y000593). The team reports that newly discovered different structures and compositional features within the larger Yamato meteorite suggest biological processes might have been at work on Mars hundreds of millions of years ago.

Competition breeds new fish species, study finds Posted: 28 Feb 2014 05:07 AM PST Size differences among fish and competition for breeding space lead to the formation of new species, according to a new study, but empirical evidence for this is scarce, despite being implicit in Charles Darwin's work and support from theoretical studies. Speciation occurs when genetic differences between groups of individuals accumulate over time. In the case of Telmatochromis fish in Africa, subject of a new study, there are no obvious obstacles to the movement and interaction of individuals. But, the non-random mating between large- and small-bodied fish sets the stage for the evolutionary play.

Coral fish biodiversity loss: Humankind could be responsible Posted: 28 Feb 2014 05:07 AM PST Literal biodiversity reservoirs, coral reefs and associated ecosystems are in grave danger from natural and human-made disturbances. The latest World Resources Institute assessment is alarming with 75% of coral reefs reported as endangered worldwide, a figure that may reach 100% by 2050. The numbers are concerning, particularly as coral reefs provide sustenance and economic benefits for many developing countries and fish biodiversity on coral reefs partly determines the biomass available for human consumption.

Why and how anti-retroviral therapy works even against HIV cell-to-cell transmission Posted: 27 Feb 2014 04:12 PM PST A new study tested a panel of anti-HIV drugs for their ability to suppress cell-to-cell transmission of the virus. The results reveal differences between different drugs, explain why and how anti-retroviral therapy does work, and have implications for the prevention of drug resistance as well as the development of new effective anti-HIV drugs.

Fossilized human feces from 14th century contain antibiotic resistance genes Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:45 PM PST A team of French investigators has discovered viruses containing genes for antibiotic resistance in a fossilized fecal sample from 14th century Belgium, long before antibiotics were used in medicine.

New study reveals evolution at work: Analyses elucidate a part of the brain particular to primates Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:45 PM PST New research reveals some very unique evolutionary innovations in the primate brain. Scientists described the role of microRNAs -- so named because they contain only 22 nucleotides -- in a portion of the brain called the outer subventricular zone. These microRNAs belong to a special category of noncoding genes, which prevent the formation of proteins.

Nasty parasitic worm, common in wildlife, now infecting U.S. cats Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:38 PM PST When veterinarians found half-foot-long worms living in their feline patients, they had discovered something new: The worms, Dracunculus insignis, had never before been seen in cats. The worms can grow to almost a foot long and must emerge from its host to lay eggs that hatch into larvae. It forms a blister-like protrusion in an extremity, such as a leg, from which it slowly emerges over the course of days to deposit its young into the water.

Deadly immune 'storm' caused by emergent flu infections Posted: 27 Feb 2014 11:22 AM PST Scientists have mapped key elements of a severe immune overreaction -— a "cytokine storm" -— that can both sicken and kill patients who are infected with certain strains of flu virus. A cytokine storm is an overproduction of immune cells and their activating compounds (cytokines), which, in a flu infection, is often associated with a surge of activated immune cells into the lungs. The resulting lung inflammation and fluid buildup can lead to respiratory distress and can be contaminated by a secondary bacterial pneumonia -- often enhancing the mortality in patients.

Livestock found ganging up on pandas at the bamboo buffet Posted: 27 Feb 2014 10:48 AM PST Pandas, it turns out, aren't celebrating the Year of the Horse. Livestock, particularly horses, have been identified as a significant threat to panda survival. The reason: they're beating the pandas to the bamboo buffet. A paper by panda habitat experts explores an oft-hidden yet significant conflict in conservation. "Livestock affect most of the world's biodiversity hotspots," an author said. "They make up 20 percent of all of the earth's land mammals and therefore monopolize key resources needed to maintain the earth's fragile ecosystems."

How pathogens hack our immune systems to go undetected Posted: 27 Feb 2014 08:54 AM PST A new report helps shed light on what drives the evolution of pathogens, as well as how our bodies adapt to ward them off. Specifically, the report shows that our bodies naturally employ a mechanism, called "CD33rSiglecs," that not only dampens unwanted immune responses against one's own cells, but also evolves rapidly to recognize foreign invaders. What's more, the report explains how pathogens exploit this immunological "vulnerability" of "self-recognition" to evade our bodies' defenses. This leads to a seemingly endless "arms race" between constantly evolving pathogens and immune systems. Understanding this phenomenon may become crucial for developing novel drugs against various pathogens that try to take advantage of this system.

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