ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Why Arctic ice is disappearing more rapidly than expected: River ice reveals new twist on Arctic melt
• Large carnivores with large geographic ranges better-studied
• Dinosaur chase reconstructed 70 years after excavation
• Skipping meals may affect butterfly wing size, coloration
• Magnetic anomaly deep within Earth's crust reveals Africa in North America
• Magnitude 8.2 earthquake off Chile: Thrust faulting at shallow depths near the Chilean coast
• Killing a name of an extinct sea cow species
• Most comprehensive wiring diagram of the mammalian brain to date
• New general concept for treatment of cancer
• One or two? How to decide how many species you have got
• Researchers identify how zinc regulates key enzyme involved in cell death
• Strain-specific Lyme disease immunity lasts for years
• The science of champagne fizz: How many bubbles are in your bubbly?
• '3-D' test could reduce reliance on animals for testing asthma and allergy medications
• Key chocolate ingredients could help prevent obesity, diabetes
• First peanut genome sequenced
• Pharmocogenomics Has Not Fulfilled Its Promise to Developing Countries
• Rainy day can ruin online restaurant review
• Europeans have three times more Neanderthal genes for lipid catabolism than Asians or Africans
• Tiny crystals to boost solar
• Climate change forces flower festival forward a month since 1960s, study shows
• Pigeons share our ability to place everyday things in categories
• Ancient nomads spread earliest domestic grains along Silk Road: Findings push back earliest known East-West interaction by 2,000 years
• Amazon Studied to Predict Impact of Climate Change
• Ancient stormy weather: World's oldest weather report could revise bronze age chronology
• A protein could be key weapon in battle of the bulge
• 'Chemical atlas' provides unique understanding of ocean geochemistry
• How E. coli clone has become globally distributed
• Can antibiotics cause autoimmunity?
• Newly discovered molecule may offer hope for immune disorders, runaway inflammation

Why Arctic ice is disappearing more rapidly than expected: River ice reveals new twist on Arctic melt Posted: 02 Apr 2014 06:26 PM PDT A new study has discovered unexpected climate-driven changes in the mighty Mackenzie River's ice breakup. This discovery may help resolve the complex puzzle underlying why Arctic ice is disappearing more rapidly than expected.

Large carnivores with large geographic ranges better-studied Posted: 02 Apr 2014 06:25 PM PDT Scientists tend to study larger carnivores with larger geographic ranges than those with greater adaptability and broader diets. Scientists need to evaluate research efforts and their effectiveness in order to meet the conservation needs of a wider range of species which may be threatened due to habitat loss, exploitation, and climate change. The characteristics of the species themselves may influence how much we study them, possibly creating a bias in our understanding of this diverse group of animals.

Dinosaur chase reconstructed 70 years after excavation Posted: 02 Apr 2014 06:25 PM PDT Scientists digitally reconstructed a model of a dinosaur chase using photos of theropod and sauropod footprints excavated 70 years ago. As one of the most famous set of dinosaur tracks in the world, the Paluxy River tracks contain both theropod and sauropod footprints. American paleontologist Roland Bird originally excavated the extensive and well preserved footprints in 1940 in Texas, but post-excavation, paleontologists removed the tracks from their original location, divided them into blocks, and transported them to various locations around the world.

Skipping meals may affect butterfly wing size, coloration Posted: 02 Apr 2014 06:25 PM PDT High food stress may impact wing size and coloration -- both indicators of migratory success -- in monarch butterflies. Monarch butterflies migrate long distances according to the seasons every year. Because this requires so much energy, they rely on access to food during early stages of growth so that they can develop the necessary characteristics to safely complete the trek, including appropriate wing shape and coloration.

Magnetic anomaly deep within Earth's crust reveals Africa in North America Posted: 02 Apr 2014 01:24 PM PDT The repeated cycles of plate tectonics that have led to collision and assembly of large supercontinents and their breakup and formation of new ocean basins have produced continents that are collages of bits and pieces of other continents. Figuring out the origin and make-up of continental crust formed and modified by these tectonic events is vital to understanding Earth's geology and is important for many applied fields, such as oil, gas, and gold exploration.

Magnitude 8.2 earthquake off Chile: Thrust faulting at shallow depths near the Chilean coast Posted: 02 Apr 2014 11:56 AM PDT A large earthquake struck off Chile on April 1, 2014 at 23:46:46 UTC, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The magnitude 8.2 earthquake in northern Chile occurred as the result of thrust faulting at shallow depths near the Chilean coast. The location and mechanism of the earthquake are consistent with slip on the primary plate boundary interface, or megathrust, between the Nazca and South America plates.

Killing a name of an extinct sea cow species Posted: 02 Apr 2014 10:40 AM PDT Sirenians, or sea cows, are a particular group of mammals that superficially resembles whales in having, amongst other features, a streamlined-body and horizontal tail fluke. Though belonging to the so-called marine mammals, such as whales and seals, sea cows are members of a group having a single origin that includes their closest living relatives, the proboscideans (or elephants in the broader sense).

Most comprehensive wiring diagram of the mammalian brain to date Posted: 02 Apr 2014 10:39 AM PDT Researchers have published the first comprehensive, large-scale data set on how the brain of a mammal is wired, providing a groundbreaking data resource and fresh insights into how the nervous system processes information. Their landmark paper describes the publicly available Allen Mouse Brain Connectivity Atlas and demonstrates the exciting knowledge that can be gleaned from this valuable resource.

New general concept for treatment of cancer Posted: 02 Apr 2014 10:39 AM PDT A team of researchers from five Swedish universities has identified a new way of treating cancer. The concept is based on inhibiting a specific enzyme called MTH1, which cancer cells, unlike normal cells, require for survival. Without this enzyme, oxidized nucleotides are incorporated into DNA, resulting in lethal DNA double-strand breaks in cancer cells.

One or two? How to decide how many species you have got Posted: 02 Apr 2014 09:16 AM PDT It is often difficult to decide whether two animals belong to the same or two distinct species. This can be especially challenging for animals which externally look very similar. In a recent study, scientists use genetic data and calls analysis to test if treefrogs from West and Central Africa belong to different or the same species.

Researchers identify how zinc regulates key enzyme involved in cell death Posted: 02 Apr 2014 08:16 AM PDT The molecular details of how zinc, an essential trace element of human metabolism, interacts with the enzyme caspase-3, which is central to apoptosis or cell death, have been elucidated in a new study led by researchers. Dysregulation of apoptosis is implicated in cancer and neurodegenerative disease. Zinc is known to affect the process by inhibiting the activity of caspases, which are important drug targets for the treatment of the above conditions.

Strain-specific Lyme disease immunity lasts for years Posted: 02 Apr 2014 08:00 AM PDT Lyme disease, if not treated promptly with antibiotics, can become a lingering problem for those infected. But a new study led by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania has some brighter news: Once infected with a particular strain of the disease-causing bacteria, humans appear to develop immunity against that strain that can last six to nine years.

The science of champagne fizz: How many bubbles are in your bubbly? Posted: 02 Apr 2014 08:00 AM PDT The importance of fizz, more technically known as effervescence, in sparkling wines and champagnes is not to be underestimated -- it contributes to the complete sensory experience of a glass, or flute, of fine bubbly. A scientist has now closely examined the factors that affect these bubbles, and he has come up with an estimate of just how many are in each glass.

'3-D' test could reduce reliance on animals for testing asthma and allergy medications Posted: 02 Apr 2014 08:00 AM PDT To determine whether new medicines are safe and effective for humans, researchers must first test them in animals, which is costly and time-consuming, as well as ethically challenging. Scientists now report that they've developed a simple, '3-D' laboratory method to test asthma and allergy medications that mimics what happens in the body, which could help reduce the need for animal testing.

Key chocolate ingredients could help prevent obesity, diabetes Posted: 02 Apr 2014 08:00 AM PDT Improved thinking. Decreased appetite. Lowered blood pressure. The potential health benefits of dark chocolate keep piling up, and scientists are now homing in on what ingredients in chocolate might help prevent obesity, as well as type-2 diabetes. They found that one particular type of antioxidant in cocoa prevented laboratory mice from gaining excess weight and lowered their blood sugar levels.

First peanut genome sequenced Posted: 02 Apr 2014 07:59 AM PDT The International Peanut Genome Initiative -- a group of multinational crop geneticists who have been working in tandem for the last several years -- has successfully sequenced the peanut's genome. The new peanut genome sequence will be available to researchers and plant breeders across the globe to aid in the breeding of more productive and more resilient peanut varieties.

Pharmocogenomics Has Not Fulfilled Its Promise to Developing Countries Posted: 02 Apr 2014 07:56 AM PDT From 1997 to 2010, despite promises made by the international scientific community, pharmacogenomic research produced few studies focusing on rare, orphan and tropical diseases prevalent in developing countries. Pharmcogenomics is a field of scientific research that studies the interaction between the genomic information of individuals (or populations) and their responses to drugs.

Rainy day can ruin online restaurant review Posted: 02 Apr 2014 07:55 AM PDT After looking at 1.1 million online reviews for 840,000 restaurants in more than 32,000 cities across the country, researchers have found that the weather outside can be just as significant a factor for reviews as what happens inside a restaurant. The study shows evaluations written on rainy or snowy days, or very cold or hot days, are more negative than those written on nice days.

Europeans have three times more Neanderthal genes for lipid catabolism than Asians or Africans Posted: 02 Apr 2014 07:00 AM PDT Contemporary Europeans have as many as three times more Neanderthal variants in genes involved in lipid catabolism than Asians and Africans. Although Neanderthals are extinct, fragments of their genomes persist in modern humans. These shared regions are unevenly distributed across the genome and some regions are particularly enriched with Neanderthal variants.

Tiny crystals to boost solar Posted: 02 Apr 2014 07:00 AM PDT A new approach to studying solar panel absorber materials has been developed. The technique could accelerate the development of non-toxic and readily available alternatives to current absorbers in thin film based solar cells.

Climate change forces flower festival forward a month since 1960s, study shows Posted: 02 Apr 2014 06:54 AM PDT Organizers of flower festivals are being forced to adapt to increasingly early first blooming dates in spring, according to a study. The early flowering phenomenon is caused by the UK's increasingly mild springs, specifically a mean rise in March and April temperatures of 1.8 degrees Celsius since 1969.

Pigeons share our ability to place everyday things in categories Posted: 02 Apr 2014 06:51 AM PDT Pinecone or pine nut? Friend or foe? Distinguishing between the two requires that we pay special attention to the telltale characteristics of each. And as it turns out, us humans aren't the only ones up to the task. According to researchers, pigeons share our ability to place everyday things in categories. And, like people, they can home in on visual information that is new or important and dismiss what is not.

Ancient nomads spread earliest domestic grains along Silk Road: Findings push back earliest known East-West interaction by 2,000 years Posted: 01 Apr 2014 06:04 PM PDT Charred grains of barley, millet and wheat deposited nearly 5,000 years ago at campsites in the high plains of Kazakhstan show that nomadic sheepherders played a surprisingly important role in the early spread of domesticated crops throughout a mountainous east-west corridor along the historic Silk Road, suggests new research.

Amazon Studied to Predict Impact of Climate Change Posted: 01 Apr 2014 06:02 PM PDT Extreme weather events in the Amazon Basin are giving scientists an opportunity to predict the impacts of climate change and deforestation on ecological processes and ecosystem services of the Amazon River wetlands. "The research fills an important gap in our understanding of the vulnerability of tropical river-forest systems to changes in climate and land cover," said the project's leader.

Ancient stormy weather: World's oldest weather report could revise bronze age chronology Posted: 01 Apr 2014 02:29 PM PDT An inscription on a 3,500-year-old stone block from Egypt may be one of the world's oldest weather reports —- and could provide new evidence about the chronology of events in the ancient Middle East. A new translation of a 40-line inscription on the 6-foot-tall calcite block called the Tempest Stela describes rain, darkness and "the sky being in storm without cessation, louder than the cries of the masses."

A protein could be key weapon in battle of the bulge Posted: 01 Apr 2014 01:19 PM PDT Elevated levels of the neuroprotein GDNF may help fight the weight gain and health problems associated with a high-fat diet, new research finds. More than one-third of people in the US are obese. Obesity and its related health problems -- including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, insulin resistance, and belly fat -- affect so many, yet effective treatments to date are very few.

'Chemical atlas' provides unique understanding of ocean geochemistry Posted: 01 Apr 2014 08:20 AM PDT An international project has produced a 'chemical atlas' providing unprecedented insight into the distributions of key elements, isotopes and other substances in the world's oceans. The atlas, which includes 3D maps and rotating images, provides a wealth of information including the distribution of micronutrients. They are important for the growth of marine phytoplankton and determine how much planet-warming carbon dioxide the ocean can soak up through biology, plus they can indicate areas of lead contamination from cars burning petrol laced with the toxic metal.

How E. coli clone has become globally distributed Posted: 31 Mar 2014 12:36 PM PDT Scientists have for the first time come closer to understanding how a clone of E. coli, described as the most important of its kind to cause human infections, has spread across the world in a very short time. E. coli clone ST131 is one of the leading causes of urinary tract and blood stream infections and has crossed the globe at a rapid rate. Worryingly, members of this clone are becoming more resistant to antibiotics. As an indication of scale, more than half of all women will suffer a urinary tract infection at least once in their lives.

Can antibiotics cause autoimmunity? Posted: 31 Mar 2014 12:35 PM PDT A certain class of antibiotics prompts cells to produce low levels of novel self proteins that could trigger an autoimmune disease, research suggests. The code for every gene includes a message at the end of it that signals the translation machinery to stop. Some diseases can result from mutations that insert this stop signal into the middle of an essential gene, causing the resulting protein to be truncated. Some antibiotics cause the cell's translation machinery to ignore the stop codons and are therefore being explored as a potential therapy for these diseases.

Newly discovered molecule may offer hope for immune disorders, runaway inflammation Posted: 31 Mar 2014 10:08 AM PDT A new research discovery may open the door to new therapies that help treat immune disorders or curb runaway inflammation. Specifically, scientists have discovered a molecule that can induce cell death (apoptosis) in a key type of immune cell (dendritic cells). With this understanding, it may be possible to develop new therapies that essentially shut down dendritic cell activity, and thereby reducing an immune reaction.

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