ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Hunting gives deer-damaged forests in state parks a shot at recovery
• New recreational travel model to help states stop firewood assisted insect travel
• Not at home on the range: As hosts expand geographical range, the parasites don’t always follow
• Polar bears from space: Satellite imagery a promising tool to monitor arctic polar bears
• Odor communication in wild gorillas: Wild gorillas signal using odor
• Amphibians can acquire resistance to deadly fungus
• Biologists link sexual selection, placenta formation
• Bacteria hijack plentiful iron supply source to flourish
• Bee foraging chronically impaired by pesticide exposure: Study
• Safety of fecal transplant to treat C. difficile examined in study
• Postcards from the photosynthetic edge: Femtosecond snapshots of photosynthetic water oxidation
• Ranavirus predicted to be potential new culprit in amphibian extinctions
• Birdlike fossil challenges notion that birds evolved from ground-dwelling dinosaurs
• One secret of ancient amber revealed
• Wake-up call for more research into cell metabolism
• Urban heat: Not a myth, and worst where it's wet
• First snapshots of water splitting in photosynthesis
• Human cells' protein factory has an alternate operating manual: Process may help body rein in disease-fighting side effects
• Climate change provides good growing conditions for charcoal rot in soybeans
• 'Yin and yang' of malaria parasite development
• Zebra, quagga mussels trump pollution as change agents in Lake Erie
• Making a more healthful, low-fat hot dog without giving up texture

• Tiny DNA pyramids enter bacteria easily -- and deliver a deadly payload
• Shark teeth analysis provides detailed new look at Arctic climate change
• Rotten egg gas holds key to healthcare therapies
• Night-time brilliance lights up political patronage
• DNA 'replication fork' reconstituted for the first time
• Beautiful but a threat: Tropical fish invasion destroys kelp forests
• Immune system component found that resists sepsis in mice
• Ancient arachnid brought 'back to life': Video recreates 410-million-year-old animal walking
• Children on dairy farms run one-tenth the risk of developing allergies; Dairy farm exposure also beneficial during pregnancy
• Sugar protects cells from bacterial invasion
• Frog larvae have developed rapid defenses against red swamp crayfish
• Even geckos can lose their grip
• Climate change: Tropical species are most vulnerable to rising temperatures
• Short circuit in the food web: Complex interaction between algae and viruses
• Will genomics soon explain the human brain gain?
• New plant species from the heart of Texas
• Happy Feet III: Adélie penguin population actually on the rise
• For corals adapting to climate change, it's survival of the fattest, most flexible
• Cinnamon may be used to halt progression of Parkinson's disease, study suggests
• Neighborhoods with healthy food options less likely to have overweight kids

Hunting gives deer-damaged forests in state parks a shot at recovery Posted: 09 Jul 2014 01:44 PM PDT Regulated deer hunts in Indiana state parks have helped restore the health of forests suffering from decades of damage caused by overabundant populations of white-tailed deer, a study shows. A research team found that a 17-year-long policy of organizing hunts in state parks has successfully spurred the regrowth of native tree seedlings, herbs and wildflowers rendered scarce by browsing deer.

New recreational travel model to help states stop firewood assisted insect travel Posted: 09 Jul 2014 12:16 PM PDT The spread of damaging invasive forest pests is only partially powered by the insects' own wings. People moving firewood for camping can hasten and widen the insects' spread and resulting forest destruction. A new study gives state planners a tool for anticipating the most likely route of human-assisted spread they can use to enhance survey and public education efforts.

Not at home on the range: As hosts expand geographical range, the parasites don’t always follow Posted: 09 Jul 2014 12:16 PM PDT Do parasites accompany their hosts into neighboring territory? Not necessarily. For some species, the opposite may happen: Hosts may actually lose their parasites when the hosts shift or increase their range. Theirs is one of very few studies that examine the effects of climate change on the lives of often overlooked -- but nonetheless significant -- parasite populations.

Polar bears from space: Satellite imagery a promising tool to monitor arctic polar bears Posted: 09 Jul 2014 12:16 PM PDT The potentially severe impacts of climate change in the Arctic may threaten regional wildlife. Scientists trying to develop efficient and effective wildlife monitoring techniques to track Arctic populations face great challenges, including the remoteness and associated logistical constraints of accessing wildlife. Polar bear population estimates based on satellite images are similar to aerial estimates, according to new research.

Odor communication in wild gorillas: Wild gorillas signal using odor Posted: 09 Jul 2014 12:16 PM PDT Silverback gorillas appear to use odor as a form of communication to other gorillas. Mammals communicate socially through visual, auditory, and chemical signals. The chemical sense is in fact the oldest sense, shared by all organisms including bacteria, and mounting evidence suggests that humans also participate in social chemical signaling. However, not much is known about this type of signaling in closely related hominoids, like wild apes.

Amphibians can acquire resistance to deadly fungus Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:04 AM PDT Emerging fungal pathogens pose a greater threat to biodiversity than any other parasitic group, causing population declines of amphibians, bats, corals, bees and snakes. New research reveals that amphibians can acquire behavioral or immunological resistance to a deadly chytrid fungus implicated in global amphibian population declines.

Biologists link sexual selection, placenta formation Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:04 AM PDT Sexual selection enhances opportunities to mate, the tail of male peacocks being an iconic example. Biologists have found that sexual selection and 'placentation' -- the formation of a placenta -- are linked. Describing the life histories of more than 150 species of fish in the family Poeciliidae, the researchers found that species with placentas tend to have males that do not have bright coloration, ornamentation or courtship displays.

Bacteria hijack plentiful iron supply source to flourish Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:03 AM PDT In an era of increasing concern about antibiotic-resistant illness, researchers have identified a new pathway to disabling disease: blocking bacteria's access to iron. Scientists showed how bacterial siderophore, a small molecule, captures iron from two supply sources to fan bacterial growth -- as well as how the body launches a chemical counterassault against this infection process.

Bee foraging chronically impaired by pesticide exposure: Study Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:03 AM PDT A new study that involved fitting bumblebees with tiny radio frequency tags shows long-term exposure to a neonicotinoid pesticide hampers bees' ability to forage for pollen. The study shows how long-term pesticide exposure affects individual bees' day-to-day behavior, including pollen collection and which flowers worker bees chose to visit.

Safety of fecal transplant to treat C. difficile examined in study Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:02 AM PDT Fecal transplantation is effective and safe for treating C. difficile in immunocompromised patients, research has found. Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, has increased to epidemic proportions over the past decade. It is an infection that is often difficult to treat and leaves sufferers with frequent diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, and fever and can lead to dehydration, loss of appetite and weight loss. Patients who are immunocompromised, or considered high-risk, are more susceptible.

Postcards from the photosynthetic edge: Femtosecond snapshots of photosynthetic water oxidation Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:02 AM PDT Using the world's most powerful x-ray laser, an international collaboration took femtosecond 'snapshots' of water oxidation in photosystem II, the only known biological system able to harness sunlight for splitting the water molecule. The results should help advance the development of artificial photosynthesis for clean, green and renewable energy.

Ranavirus predicted to be potential new culprit in amphibian extinctions Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:02 AM PDT Amphibian declines and extinctions around the world have been linked to an emerging fungal disease called chytridiomycosis, but new research from shows that another pathogen, ranavirus, may also contribute. In a series of mathematical models, researchers showed that ranavirus, which causes severe hemorrhage of internal organs in frogs, could cause extinction of isolated populations of wood frogs if they are exposed to the virus every few years, a scenario that has been documented in wild populations.

Birdlike fossil challenges notion that birds evolved from ground-dwelling dinosaurs Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:02 AM PDT The re-examination of a sparrow-sized fossil from China challenges the commonly held belief that birds evolved from ground-dwelling theropod dinosaurs that gained the ability to fly. The birdlike fossil is actually not a dinosaur, as previously thought, but much rather the remains of a tiny tree-climbing animal that could glide.

One secret of ancient amber revealed Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:02 AM PDT The warm beauty of amber was captivating and mysterious enough to inspire myths in ancient times, and even today, some of its secrets remain locked inside the fossilized tree resin. But for the first time, scientists have now solved at least one of its puzzles that had perplexed them for decades.

Wake-up call for more research into cell metabolism Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:01 AM PDT More scientific research into the metabolism of stromal support cells and immune cells -- and the role of the metabolism of these cell types in the development of diseases -- could open new therapeutic avenues for diabetes, inflammatory conditions and cancer, scientists conclude.

Urban heat: Not a myth, and worst where it's wet Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:01 AM PDT A new quantifies for the first time the primary causes of the 'urban heat island' (UHI) effect, a common phenomenon that makes the world's urban areas significantly warmer than surrounding countryside and may increase health risks for city residents. In an analysis of 65 cities, researchers found that variation in how efficiently urban areas release heat back into the lower atmosphere is the dominant factor in the daytime UHI effect.

First snapshots of water splitting in photosynthesis Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:01 AM PDT Scientists have taken the first snapshots of photosynthesis in action as it splits water into protons, electrons and oxygen, the process that maintains Earth's oxygen atmosphere. The revealing of the mechanism of this water splitting process is essential for the development of artificial systems that mimic and surpass the efficiency of natural systems.

Human cells' protein factory has an alternate operating manual: Process may help body rein in disease-fighting side effects Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:01 AM PDT Working with a gene involved in HIV infection, researchers discovered some human genes have an alternate set of operating instructions written into their protein-making machinery, which can quickly alter the proteins' contents, functions and ability to survive. The study is the first to demonstrate the phenomenon of programmed ribosomal frameshifting in a human gene. Frameshifting helps regulate the gene's immune response, the authors report.

Climate change provides good growing conditions for charcoal rot in soybeans Posted: 09 Jul 2014 10:59 AM PDT With over 100 diseases that can attack soybean crops, why would charcoal rot rise to the top of the most wanted list? Scientists cite the earth's changing climate as one reason that more research is needed on the fungus that causes charcoal rot. Fungi may often be associated with cool, damp growing conditions but Macrophomina phaseolina, the fungus that causes charcoal rot, prefers hot and dry drought conditions.

'Yin and yang' of malaria parasite development Posted: 09 Jul 2014 10:59 AM PDT A 'Herculean study' into malaria parasite development is completed – bringing scientists closer to disrupting the life-cycle of this highly efficient parasite. Scientists searching for new drug and vaccine targets to stop transmission of one of the world's deadliest diseases believe they are closer than ever to disrupting the life-cycle of this highly efficient parasite.

Zebra, quagga mussels trump pollution as change agents in Lake Erie Posted: 09 Jul 2014 10:55 AM PDT Researchers find that invasive species, such as zebra mussels, have affected the composition of Lake Erie's zoobenthic community more than pollution has. In 1986, the zebra mussel was detected in Lake Erie, followed in 1989 by Dreissena rostriformis, the quagga mussel. "The zebra and quagga mussels are ecosystem engineers," said researchers, explaining that both are filter feeders that were brought to the Great Lakes by transoceanic shipping, and they out-compete native filter feeders, which then decrease in abundance.

Making a more healthful, low-fat hot dog without giving up texture Posted: 09 Jul 2014 10:55 AM PDT Low-fat wieners made with olive oil rather than pork fat make progress toward a healthful alternative hot dog without sacrificing satisfying flavor and texture.

Tiny DNA pyramids enter bacteria easily -- and deliver a deadly payload Posted: 09 Jul 2014 08:55 AM PDT Bacterial infections usually announce themselves with pain and fever but often can be defeated with antibiotics -- and then there are those that are sneaky and hard to beat. Now, scientists have built a new weapon against such pathogens in the form of tiny DNA pyramids.

Shark teeth analysis provides detailed new look at Arctic climate change Posted: 09 Jul 2014 08:55 AM PDT A new study shows that some shark species may be able to cope with the rising salinity of Arctic waters that may come with rising temperatures. The Arctic is of special interest today because it is increasing in temperature at twice the global rate. According to researchers, past climate change in the Arctic can serve as a proxy to better understand our current climate change and aid future predictions. The Eocene epoch is like a "deep-time analogue for what's going to happen if we don't curb CO2 emissions today, and potentially what a runaway greenhouse effect looks like."

Rotten egg gas holds key to healthcare therapies Posted: 09 Jul 2014 08:54 AM PDT It may smell of flatulence and have a reputation for being highly toxic, but when used in the right tiny dosage, hydrogen sulfide is now being being found to offer potential health benefits in a range of issues, from diabetes to stroke, heart attacks and dementia. A new compound (AP39) could hold the key to future therapies, by targeting delivery of very small amounts of the substance to the right (or key) places inside cells.

Night-time brilliance lights up political patronage Posted: 09 Jul 2014 07:50 AM PDT In some countries, a region that can lay claim to being the birthplace of a country's political leader is likely to get preferential treatment -- bias that shines out when the intensity of night lights is compared with that in other regions. Using information on the birthplaces of political leaders in 126 countries, and satellite data on night-time light intensity from 38,427 subnational regions from 1992-2009, researchers established a strong relationship between light intensity and regional GDP.

DNA 'replication fork' reconstituted for the first time Posted: 09 Jul 2014 07:01 AM PDT While scientists have had an idea of the molecular tools that cells use to replicate DNA -- the enzymes that unzip the double-stranded DNA and create 'daughter' copies -- they did not have a clear picture of how the process works. Now, researchers have built the first model system to decipher what goes on at the 'replication fork' -- the point where DNA is split down the middle in order to create two exact copies.

Beautiful but a threat: Tropical fish invasion destroys kelp forests Posted: 09 Jul 2014 07:01 AM PDT The migration of tropical fish as a result of ocean warming poses a serious threat to the temperate areas they invade, because they overgraze on kelp forests and seagrass meadows, a new study concludes. The harmful impact is most evident in southern Japanese waters and the eastern Mediterranean, where there have been dramatic declines in kelps. There is also emerging evidence of damage in Australia and the US from the spread of tropical fish towards the poles.

Immune system component found that resists sepsis in mice Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:59 AM PDT Mice lacking a specific component of the immune system are completely resistant to sepsis, a potentially fatal complication of infection, molecular microbiologists report. The discovery suggests that blocking this immune system component may help reduce inflammation in human autoimmune and hyper-inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Type 2 diabetes.

Ancient arachnid brought 'back to life': Video recreates 410-million-year-old animal walking Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:56 AM PDT Scientists have recreated the walking gait of a 410-million-year-old arachnid, one of the first predators on land, based on fossil evidence. The scientists used the fossils -- thin slices of rock showing the animal's cross-section -- to work out the range of motion in the limbs of this ancient, extinct early relative of the spiders.

Children on dairy farms run one-tenth the risk of developing allergies; Dairy farm exposure also beneficial during pregnancy Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:56 AM PDT Children who live on farms that produce milk run one-tenth the risk of developing allergies as other rural children. According to researchers, pregnant women may benefit from spending time on dairy farms to promote maturation of the fetal and neonatal immune system.

Sugar protects cells from bacterial invasion Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:56 AM PDT No admission for bacteria: Scientists have succeeded in preventing Pseudomonas bacteria from entering host cells with the help of a sugar complex that binds the bacterial protein LecA. This protein enables the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to invade human lung cells. Among other things, the hospital germ Pseudomonas aeruginosa can cause inflammation of the skin and lungs in patients with a weak immune system or a chronic illness. Moreover, these bacteria are often resistant to antibiotics.

Frog larvae have developed rapid defenses against red swamp crayfish Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:55 AM PDT The common frog is one of the amphibians with the highest distribution in the Iberian Peninsula. It reproduces preferably in permanent areas of water where it comes into contact with the red swamp crayfish, which preys on its larvae. Research confirms that the larvae of these frogs have developed a defensive response to the invasive species.

Even geckos can lose their grip Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:55 AM PDT Not even geckos and spiders can sit upside down forever. Nanophysics makes sure of that. Mechanics researchers have demonstrated this in an article that can be of great industrial benefit.

Climate change: Tropical species are most vulnerable to rising temperatures Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:55 AM PDT Tropical species will be most at risk from rising temperatures as the discrepancy between physiological thermal limits and projected temperatures is highest in tropical regions, research shows. In contrast, a large part of mammal and bird species in temperate zones will find ambient temperatures in 2080 within their tolerance ranges. However, indirect effects of rising temperatures may counteract opportunities given by species' physiological tolerances in temperate zones, researchers say.

Short circuit in the food web: Complex interaction between algae and viruses Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:55 AM PDT They are amongst the most numerous inhabitants of the sea: tiny haptophytes of the type Emiliania huxleyi. Not visible to the naked eye, when they are in bloom in spring, they form square kilometer sized patches, they are even visible on satellite images. "Together with other phytoplankton, Emiliania huxleyi is responsible for approximately half of the global photosynthesis output," states one researcher. In the process the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide – CO2 – is extracted from the atmosphere and oxygen is set free. Thus the unicellular algae are a decisive factor for a stable world climate.

Will genomics soon explain the human brain gain? Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:53 AM PDT Three geneticists at the forefront of human evolutionary genomics assess the changing state of the field and how we are moving closer to understanding the evolution of the human brain.

New plant species from the heart of Texas Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:53 AM PDT After collectors found specimens of a prickly plant in 1974 and 1990, it was wrongly identified as three different species. Now a botanist and team of researchers have identified the plant as a new, possibly endangered species named "from the heart" in Latin because it was found in Valentine, Texas.

Happy Feet III: Adélie penguin population actually on the rise Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:53 AM PDT The first global census of the Adélie penguin, long considered a key indicator species to monitor and understand the effects of climate change and fishing in the Southern Ocean, has revealed its population (3.79 million breeding pairs) to be 53 percent larger than previously estimated. By using high-resolution satellite imagery, researchers have applied a new method that permits regular monitoring of Adélie penguins across their entire breeding range, and by extension the health of the Southern Ocean ecosystem.

For corals adapting to climate change, it's survival of the fattest, most flexible Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:53 AM PDT The future health of the world's coral reefs and the animals that depend on them relies in part on the ability of one tiny symbiotic sea creature to get fat -— and to be flexible about the type of algae it cooperates with. In the first study of its kind, scientists discovered that corals -- tiny reef-forming animals that live symbiotically with algae -- are better able to recover from yearly bouts of heat stress, called "bleaching," when they keep large energy reserves -- mostly as fat -- socked away in their cells.

Cinnamon may be used to halt progression of Parkinson's disease, study suggests Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:52 AM PDT Using cinnamon, a common food spice and flavoring material, can reverse the biomechanical, cellular and anatomical changes that occur in the brains of mice with Parkinson's disease (PD), neurological scientists have found. "This could potentially be one of the safest approaches to halt disease progression in Parkinson's patients," the study's lead researcher said.

Neighborhoods with healthy food options less likely to have overweight kids Posted: 08 Jul 2014 03:56 PM PDT Children with a greater number of healthy food outlets near their homes had a reduced likelihood of being overweight or obese, finds a study. Children who had access to at least one healthy food outlet within 800 meters (about half a mile) of their home had a 38 percent decreased risk of being overweight or obese compared to those who did not. Each additional outlet for healthy foods within that distance was associated with a 19 percent reduction in risk of being overweight or obese.

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