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Sunday, April 13, 2014

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News


Researchers examine metabolism in defective cells

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:38 PM PDT

Mitochondria produce energy for cells through oxidative metabolism, but the process produces toxic byproducts that can accumulate and cause defects in the cell's mitochondria. These defects, in turn, affect the cell's ability to generate energy and can potentially lead to cell death and are associated with aging and various neurological diseases. Researchers have examined how dietary changes at the cell level can affect cell health.

Warming climate has consequences for Michigan's forests

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:38 PM PDT

The vulnerability of forest ecosystems within a 16.6-million-acre area in Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula, about 70 percent of the state's forested land cover, has been assessed by researchers. Topics of their report include information on the contemporary landscape, past climate trends, and a range of projected future climates.

NASA simulation portrays ozone intrusions from aloft

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT

Outdoor enthusiasts in Colorado's Front Range are occasionally rewarded with remarkable visibility brought about by dry, clear air and wind. But it's what people in the mountainous U.S. West can't see in conditions like this -- ozone plunging down to the ground from high in the stratosphere, the second layer of the atmosphere -- that has attracted the interest of scientists, university scientists and air quality managers.

Passive houses save lots of energy

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:17 AM PDT

Housing is the easiest sector to change if we are to reach the climate targets, experts say. Norwegian research shows the housing sector today represents about one-third of the country's energy consumption, or about 35 terawatt hours out of a total of 112 terawatt hours. As a result, it is indirectly one of largest contributors to Norway's greenhouse gas emissions.

How a bird flu virus spreads could prevent pandemics

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 09:20 AM PDT

The H5N1 bird flu virus has killed hundreds of people, despite the fact that the virus can't spread easily between people. The death toll could become much worse if the virus became airborne. A study reveals a minimal set of mutations allowing H5N1 to be transmitted through the air from one ferret to another. The findings will be invaluable for future surveillance programs and may provide warning signals of the emergence of potential pandemic strains.

Mercury contamination threatens Antarctic birds

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 09:20 AM PDT

Mercury contamination in the Antarctic and Subantarctic affects bird populations, reveal researchers. The scientists monitored skuas in Adélie Land and the Kerguelen Islands for ten years and showed that, when these seabirds exhibit high mercury levels in their blood, their breeding success decreases. This is the first time that toxicological measurements have been combined with a population study carried out over such a long period in the Antarctic and Subantarctic.

Influenza has an Achilles' Heel: New drug reduces flu mortality

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 09:19 AM PDT

Flu epidemics cause up to half a million deaths worldwide each year, and emerging strains continually threaten to spread to humans and cause even deadlier pandemics. A study reveals that a drug that inhibits a molecule called prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) increases survival rates in mice infected with a lethal dose of the H1N1 flu virus. The findings pave the way for an urgently needed therapy that is highly effective against the flu virus and potentially other viral infections.

Decades-old mystery solved of how cells keep from bursting

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 09:19 AM PDT

A team led by scientists has identified a long-sought protein that facilitates one of the most basic functions of cells: regulating their volume to keep from swelling excessively. The identification of the protein, dubbed SWELL1, solves a decades-long mystery of cell biology and points to further discoveries about its roles in health and disease -- including a serious immune deficiency that appears to result from its improper function.

Security barriers in U.S./Mexico national parks affect movement of animals

Posted: 09 Apr 2014 05:45 PM PDT

Security barriers in national parks on the US/Mexican border which aim to deter illegal migrants are affecting the movements of some native animal species while not necessarily restricting the movement of humans, according to new research.

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