ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• New Study Sheds Light on Survivors of the Black Death
• Emerald ash borers were in U.S. long before first detection
• As carbon dioxide levels rise, some crop nutrients will fall, researchers find
• Greenland melting due equally to global warming, natural variations
• Living fossils in the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool: A refuge for thermophilic dinoflagellates during glaciations
• Ticks abundant in New York and region despite cold winter
• Semi-synthetic organism: Scientists create first living organism that transmits added letters in DNA 'alphabet'
• Yellowstone geyser eruptions influenced more by internal processes
• A hydrogel that knows when to go
• Mapping the spider genome: Surprising similarities to humans
• Starting signal for antiviral defense seen in cells
• Ancient crater points to massive meteorite strike
• Melting an entire iceberg with a hot poker: Spotting phase changes triggered by impurities
• Sprites form at plasma irregularities in the lower ionosphere
• Newly found dinosaur is long-nosed cousin of Tyrannosaurus rex
• Arctic study sheds light on tree-ring divergence problem: Changes in light intensity may impact density of tree rings
• Psilocybin inhibits the processing of negative emotions in the brain
• Using DNA to build tool that may literally shine light on cancer
• Statistical test increases power of genetic studies of complex disease
• Mass vaccination campaigns reduce the substantial burden of yellow fever in Africa
• Study validates air sampling techniques to fight bioterrorism
• College kids need to change unhealthy ways
• Impulsivity is risk factor for food addiction

New Study Sheds Light on Survivors of the Black Death Posted: 07 May 2014 06:14 PM PDT A new study suggests that people who survived the medieval mass-killing plague known as the Black Death lived significantly longer and were healthier than people who lived before the epidemic struck in 1347. These findings have important implications for understanding emerging diseases and how they impact the health of individuals and populations of people.

Emerald ash borers were in U.S. long before first detection Posted: 07 May 2014 10:27 AM PDT The uber-destructive emerald ash borer arrived at least 10 years before it was first identified in North America, new research confirms. shows that EABs were feasting on ash trees in southeast Michigan by the early 1990s, well before this pest was discovered in 2002, arriving inside wood crating or pallets imported from Asia where the beetle is native.

As carbon dioxide levels rise, some crop nutrients will fall, researchers find Posted: 07 May 2014 10:26 AM PDT Researchers have some bad news for future farmers and eaters: As carbon dioxide levels rise this century, some grains and legumes will become significantly less nutritious than they are today.

Greenland melting due equally to global warming, natural variations Posted: 07 May 2014 10:26 AM PDT Up to half of the recent warming in Greenland and neighboring parts of the Canadian Arctic may be due to climate variations that originate in the tropical Pacific and are not connected with the overall warming of the planet. The other portion is likely due to global warming.

Living fossils in the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool: A refuge for thermophilic dinoflagellates during glaciations Posted: 07 May 2014 10:23 AM PDT Scientists have reported the unique discovery of the marine dinoflagellate Dapsilidinium pastielsii from Southeast Asia, notably the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP). This unicellular species, with planktonic and benthic stages, was previously thought to have become extinct within the early Pleistocene. It evolved more than 50 million years ago and is the last survivor of a major early Cenozoic lineage.

Ticks abundant in New York and region despite cold winter Posted: 07 May 2014 10:21 AM PDT Experts explain why tick populations are still high in New York and surrounding areas -- and provide tips about how to avoid ticks and tick bites.

Semi-synthetic organism: Scientists create first living organism that transmits added letters in DNA 'alphabet' Posted: 07 May 2014 10:21 AM PDT Scientists have engineered a bacterium whose genetic material includes an added pair of DNA "letters," or bases, not found in nature; the bacterium's cells can replicate the unnatural DNA bases more or less normally, as long as the molecular building blocks are supplied.

Yellowstone geyser eruptions influenced more by internal processes Posted: 07 May 2014 08:48 AM PDT The intervals between geyser eruptions depend on a delicate balance of underground factors, such as heat and water supply, and interactions with surrounding geysers. Some geysers are highly predictable, with intervals between eruptions varying only slightly. The predictability of these geysers offer earth scientists a unique opportunity to investigate what may influence their eruptive activity, and to apply that information to rare and unpredictable types of eruptions, such as those from volcanoes.

A hydrogel that knows when to go Posted: 07 May 2014 08:47 AM PDT Bioengineers have created a hydrogel that instantly turns from liquid to semisolid at close to body temperature -- and then degrades at precisely the right time. The gel shows potential as a bioscaffold to support the regrowth of bone and other three-dimensional tissues in a patient's body using the patient's own cells to seed the process.

Mapping the spider genome: Surprising similarities to humans Posted: 07 May 2014 07:50 AM PDT For the first time ever, a group of researchers has sequenced the genome of the spider. This knowledge provides a much more qualified basis for studying features of the spider. It also shows that humans share certain genomic similarities with spiders. However, the sequencing has far greater significance for our future understanding of the spider's special properties. The researchers worked with two types of spiders, representing two of the three main groups in the spider family. One of these is a small velvet spider and the other is a tarantula.

Starting signal for antiviral defense seen in cells Posted: 07 May 2014 07:50 AM PDT Cells have to protect themselves: against damage in their genetic material for one thing, but also against attack from the outside, by viruses for example. They do this by using different mechanisms: special proteins search out and detect defects in the cell's own DNA, while the immune system takes action against intruders. Scientists have now shown that the two protective mechanisms are linked by a shared protein.

Ancient crater points to massive meteorite strike Posted: 07 May 2014 07:50 AM PDT An eight-kilometer-wide crater suggests a meteorite strike devastated southern Alberta within the last 70 million years, experts theorize. Time and glaciers have buried and eroded much of the evidence, making it impossible at this point to say with full certainty the ring-like structure was caused by a meteorite impact, but that's what seismic and geological evidence strongly suggests.

Melting an entire iceberg with a hot poker: Spotting phase changes triggered by impurities Posted: 07 May 2014 07:04 AM PDT "What a curious feeling," says Alice in Lewis Carroll's tale, as she shrinks to a fraction of her size, and everything around her suddenly looks totally unfamiliar. Scientists too have to get used to these curious feelings when they examine matter on tiny scales and at low temperatures: all the behavior we are used to seeing around us is turned on its head.

Sprites form at plasma irregularities in the lower ionosphere Posted: 07 May 2014 07:04 AM PDT Atmospheric sprites have been known for nearly a century, but their origins were a mystery. Now, a team of researchers has evidence that sprites form at plasma irregularities and may be useful in remote sensing of the lower ionosphere.

Newly found dinosaur is long-nosed cousin of Tyrannosaurus rex Posted: 07 May 2014 07:04 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a new species of long-snouted tyrannosaur, nicknamed Pinocchio rex, which stalked the Earth more than 66 million years ago. Researchers say the animal, which belonged to the same dinosaur family as Tyrannosaurus rex, was a fearsome carnivore that lived in Asia during the late Cretaceous period. The newly found ancient predator looked very different from most other tyrannosaurs.

Arctic study sheds light on tree-ring divergence problem: Changes in light intensity may impact density of tree rings Posted: 07 May 2014 07:04 AM PDT New research has found that changes in tree-ring density in the Arctic may be evidence of changes in light intensity during the trees' growth. The finding has direct implications for the tree-ring 'divergence problem,' in which the density of tree rings in recent decades has not kept pace with increases in temperature, as expected.

Psilocybin inhibits the processing of negative emotions in the brain Posted: 07 May 2014 06:57 AM PDT Emotions like fear, anger, sadness, and joy enable people to adjust to their environment and react flexibly to stress and strain and are vital for cognitive processes, physiological reactions, and social behavior. The processing of emotions is closely linked to structures  in the brain, i.e. to what is known as the limbic system. Within this system the amygdala  plays a central role – above all it processes negative emotions like anxiety and fear. If the activity of the amygdala becomes unbalanced, depression and anxiety disorders may develop.

Using DNA to build tool that may literally shine light on cancer Posted: 07 May 2014 06:53 AM PDT DNA has been used by researchers to develop a tool that detects and reacts to chemical changes caused by cancer cells and that may one day be used to deliver drugs to tumor cells. The researchers' nanosensor measures pH variations at the nanoscale -- how acidic or alkaline it is. Many biomolecules, such as enzymes and proteins, are strongly regulated by small pH changes. These changes affect in turn biological activities such as enzyme catalysis, protein assembly, membrane function and cell death. There is also a strong relation between cancer and pH.

Statistical test increases power of genetic studies of complex disease Posted: 07 May 2014 06:53 AM PDT The power of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to detect genetic influences on human disease can be substantially increased using a statistical testing framework. Despite the proliferation of GWAS, the associations found so far have largely failed to account for the known effects of genes on complex disease -- the problem of "missing heritability." Standard approaches also struggle to find combinations of multiple genes that affect disease risk in complex ways (known as genetic interactions). The new framework enhances the ability to detect genetic associations and interactions by taking advantage of data from other genomic studies of the same population.

Mass vaccination campaigns reduce the substantial burden of yellow fever in Africa Posted: 06 May 2014 04:07 PM PDT Yellow fever, an acute viral disease, is estimated to have been responsible for 78,000 deaths in Africa in 2013 according to new research. The research also estimates that recent mass vaccination campaigns against yellow fever have led to a 27 percent decrease in the burden of yellow fever across Africa in 2013.

Study validates air sampling techniques to fight bioterrorism Posted: 06 May 2014 04:05 PM PDT Air and surface sampling techniques currently used by the US government are effective in fighting bioterrorism and potentially saving lives, a researcher finds. In 2005 and 2009, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) in order to simulate a deliberate attack, staged the release of a harmless bacteria that is biological similar to Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes the disease anthrax. They then evaluated the local response procedures to such an attack.

College kids need to change unhealthy ways Posted: 06 May 2014 01:13 PM PDT A new study has found that the majority of college students are engaging in unhealthy behaviors that could increase their risk of cancer later on. A shocking 95 percent of college students fail to eat the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables (five or more servings a day), and more than 60 percent report not getting enough physical activity (three or more days of vigorous exercise for at least 20 minutes or five or more days of moderate exercise for at least 30 minutes a week).

Impulsivity is risk factor for food addiction Posted: 06 May 2014 11:21 AM PDT Have you ever said to yourself that you would only have a handful of potato chips from the bag then, minutes later, realized you ate the whole thing? A recent study shows that this type of impulsive behavior might not be easily controlled -- and could be a risk factor in the development of food addiction and eating disorders as a result of cellular activities in the part of the brain involved with reward.

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