ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Salad at high school concession stands!?
• System to predict lightning under development
• Genes may thwart seniors' exercise gains
• Big data tackles tiny molecular machines
• Little Foot is oldest complete Australopithecus, new stratigraphic research shows
• Motion, muscles don't always work in lockstep, researchers find in surprising new study
• New cell line should accelerate embryonic stem cell research
• Number of days without rain to dramatically increase in some world regions
• Impacts of climate change in Switzerland: Adaptation and climate change mitigation must go hand in hand
• Vitamin D hypothesis challenged: Some racial disparities in childbirth more environmental than genetic
• Fish species unique to Hawaii dominate deep coral reefs in Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
• Immune cells need each other to combat deadly lung-invading fungus
• Purified fish oils could help treat rare disease affecting newborn babies
• Stem cells inside sutures could improve healing in Achilles tendon injuries
• Concerns raised about using beta agonists in beef cattle
• New treatment guidelines for skin abscesses caused by MRSA

Salad at high school concession stands!? Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:22 PM PDT Is there something that can be done to improve the healthfulness of high school concession stand food, and preserve the profits they generate? According to this new study the answer is yes! This study shows that if you give people healthy foods they will buy them and be more satisfied, one of the authors said.

System to predict lightning under development Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:20 PM PDT Millions of people who work or play outdoors might one day soon have a new tool to help them reduce the risk of being struck by lightning. While there is no operational lightning forecast system using radar, researchers using the existing Doppler weather radar system can get lightning predictions right about 90 percent of the time, but can only give about a ten to 15 minute lead time.

Genes may thwart seniors' exercise gains Posted: 14 Mar 2014 08:15 AM PDT The ACE I/D gene and how its variations -- the ID, DD, and II genotypes -- cause some seniors' to lose out on the benefits of exercise, new research shows. These findings suggest that the ACE I/D genotype may be a significant factor in how well seniors respond to exercise. This insight could be used to develop more effective, individualized, and senior-friendly exercise recommendations for improving physical function and preventing in disability.

Big data tackles tiny molecular machines Posted: 14 Mar 2014 08:15 AM PDT Open, feed, cut. Such is the humdrum life of a motor molecule that eats and excretes damaged proteins and turns them into harmless peptides for disposal. The why is obvious: Without these trash bins, the Escherichia coli bacteria they serve would die. And thanks to new research, the how is becoming clearer. Researchers have combined genetic and structural data to begin to solve one of the most compelling mysteries in biology: how proteins perform the regulatory mechanisms in cells upon which life depends.

Little Foot is oldest complete Australopithecus, new stratigraphic research shows Posted: 14 Mar 2014 08:15 AM PDT After 13 years of meticulous excavation of the nearly complete skeleton of the Australopithecus fossil named Little Foot, South African and French scientists have now convincingly shown that it is probably around 3 million years old.

Motion, muscles don't always work in lockstep, researchers find in surprising new study Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:51 AM PDT Animals 'do the locomotion' every day, whether it's walking down the hall to get some coffee or darting up a tree to avoid a predator. And until now, scientists believed the inner workings of movement were pretty much the same. But in a first-of-its-kind study on wild green anole lizards, biologists have discovered that the link between muscle function and movement is a lot more complicated than anyone realized.

New cell line should accelerate embryonic stem cell research Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:51 AM PDT A new line of human embryonic stem cells that have the ability to develop into a far broader range of tissues than most existing cell lines has been created by researchers. The cells, called naïve embryonic stem cells, normally appear at the earliest stages of embryonic development. They retain the ability to turn into any of all the different types of cells of the human body -- a capacity called "pluripotency."

Number of days without rain to dramatically increase in some world regions Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:51 AM PDT By the end of the 21st century, some parts of the world can expect as many as 30 more days a year without precipitation, according to a new study. Ongoing climate change caused by human influences will alter the nature of how rain and snow falls; areas that are prone to dry conditions will receive their precipitation in narrower windows of time. Computer model projections of future conditions indicate that regions such as the Amazon, Central America, Indonesia, and all Mediterranean climate regions around the world will likely see the greatest increase in the number of "dry days" per year, going without rain for as many as 30 days more every year. California, with its Mediterranean climate, is likely to have five to ten more dry days per year.

Impacts of climate change in Switzerland: Adaptation and climate change mitigation must go hand in hand Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:36 AM PDT Southern Switzerland emerges as a hotspot of the effects of climate change. And the bark beetle is putting spruces all over Switzerland under increasing pressure, because an additional generation of pests could hatch each year due to the rising temperatures. Also, about half of the remaining glacial ice will already have melted away by 2035.

Vitamin D hypothesis challenged: Some racial disparities in childbirth more environmental than genetic Posted: 13 Mar 2014 12:42 PM PDT A new study investigating racial disparities in birth outcomes shows that contrary to some theories, vitamin D is unlikely to play a role in differences in preterm birth and low birth weight between African-Americans and whites. "For years there has been this hypothesis that African-Americans have worse birth outcomes because they have more melanin in their skin which reflects the sun and therefore lowers levels of Vitamin D," said the study's author. "But in examining the relationship between ultraviolet exposure and birth outcomes nationwide, there was no evidence to support this."

Fish species unique to Hawaii dominate deep coral reefs in Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Posted: 13 Mar 2014 12:42 PM PDT Deep coral reefs in Papahanaumokakea Marine National Monument may contain the highest percentage of fish species found nowhere else on Earth, according to a study. In waters 100-300 feet deep, nearly 50 percent of fish observed over a two-year period were unique to Hawaii -- higher than any other marine ecosystem. The study also found that on some deeper reefs, more than 90 percent were endemic.

Immune cells need each other to combat deadly lung-invading fungus Posted: 13 Mar 2014 09:25 AM PDT Although long recognized as an essential defense against the lung-invading fungus Asperfillus fumigatus, Neutrophils actually require a little help from fellow immune cells, according to a study. The work suggests that although neutrophils alone may contain the fungus initially (these cells are the first on the scene), they need help from inflammatory monocytes for sustained control of infection.

Purified fish oils could help treat rare disease affecting newborn babies Posted: 13 Mar 2014 06:27 AM PDT A rare and potentially lethal disease of newborn babies whose bodies make too much insulin may be treatable with fish oils, according to researchers. The disease, called congenital hyperinsulinism, means that the infant's brain is starved of blood sugar which can lead to brain damage or long-term disability. But by giving the children purified fish oils similar to those used to treat some heart attack patients, alongside standard medical treatment, their blood sugar levels improve, the researchers have reported.

Stem cells inside sutures could improve healing in Achilles tendon injuries Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:20 PM PDT Sutures embedded with stem cells led to quicker and stronger healing of Achilles tendon tears than traditional sutures, according to a new study. Achilles tendon injuries are common for professional, collegiate and recreational athletes. These injuries are often treated surgically to reattach or repair the tendon if it has been torn. Patients have to keep their legs immobilized for a while after surgery before beginning their rehabilitation.

Concerns raised about using beta agonists in beef cattle Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:19 PM PDT Use of beta agonists in cattle production has received considerable national attention. A veterinary epidemiologist has found that although there are significant benefits to the practice, an increase in death loss of cattle raises questions about welfare implications of its use.

New treatment guidelines for skin abscesses caused by MRSA Posted: 12 Mar 2014 03:19 PM PDT It has been more than 10 years since the clinical battle began with community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and doctors are still grappling with how to diagnose, treat and prevent this virulent form of staph infection, which is immune to many antibiotics. As MRSA cases have increased dramatically, so have the number of skin abscesses -- generally pus-filled boils or pimples with discharge -- that characterize these infections. Updated guidelines outlining the best ways to treat and manage these abscesses have been released.

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