ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Animal foraging tactics unchanged for 50 million years
• For bees and flowers, tongue size matters
• Mutation stops worms from getting drunk
• Dodos and spotted green pigeons are descendants of an island hopping bird
• Rainwater discovered at new depths, with high pressure and temperatures over 300 degrees Celsius
• Gene discovery could lead to better soybean varieties for northern United States
• Likely origin of lung fungus invading Pacific Northwest found by study
• New assay to spot fake malaria drugs could save thousands of lives
• Protein's 'hands' enable bacteria to establish infection, research finds
• New feathered predatory fossil sheds light on dinosaur flight
• 'Game theory' model reveals vulnerable moments for metastatic cancer cells' energy production
• Removing disordered regions of shape-shifting protein explains how blood clots
• Does cat poop parasite play a role in curing cancer?
• How gardens could help dementia care
• Little too late: Pathogenic bacterium in 700-year-old skeleton identified
• Ötzi's non-human DNA: Opportunistic pathogen discovered in Iceman tissue biopsy
• Progress in allergic asthma research after ingestion of fruits
• Fungicides for crops: Worrying link to fungal drug resistance in UK, warns scientists
• Bones of elephant ancestor unearthed: Meet the gomphothere
• Running for life: How speed restricts evolutionary change of the vertebral column
• Rethinking fish farming to offset its public health and environmental risks
• Beneath the surface: What zebrafish can tell us about anxiety
• Embryology: Doppler effect influences segmentation
• Innovative technique may transform hunt for new antibiotics, cancer therapies
• Senescence: New vision of a process wrongly associated with aging
• A-maize-ing double life of a genome
• Flower development in 3-D: Timing is the key
• Molecular mechanisms underlying prevention of autoimmunity by Roquin revealed
• Best for bees to be stay-at-homes: Imported bees don't do as well as locals
• Serendipity at the Smithsonian: The 107-year 'journey' of the beetle Rhipidocyrtus muiri
• A sweet pathway into the cell
• New theory turns cancer on its head: Does cancer form after cellular evolution?
• Prehistoric ‘bookkeeping’ tokens continued long after invention of writing
• How cannabis compound could slow tumor growth
• Domestication syndrome: White patches, baby faces and tameness explained by mild neural crest deficits
• New genome editing method brings possibility of gene therapies closer to reality
• Novel gene for salt tolerance found in wild soybean

Animal foraging tactics unchanged for 50 million years Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:57 PM PDT Animals have used the same technique to search for food that's in short supply for at least 50 million years, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed fossilized sea urchin trails from northern Spain and found the tracks reflect a search pattern still used by a huge range of creatures today.

For bees and flowers, tongue size matters Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:43 PM PDT When it comes to bee tongues, length is proportional to the size of the bee, but heritage sets the proportion. Estimating this hard to measure trait helps scientists understand bee species' resiliency to change.

Mutation stops worms from getting drunk Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:43 PM PDT Neuroscientists have generated mutant worms that do not get intoxicated by alcohol, a result that could lead to new drugs to treat the symptoms of people going through alcohol withdrawal. The scientists accomplished this feat by inserting a modified human alcohol target into the worms.

Dodos and spotted green pigeons are descendants of an island hopping bird Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:43 PM PDT The mysterious spotted green pigeon was a relative of the dodo, according to scientists who have examined its genetic make-up. The authors say their results support a theory that both birds are descended from 'island hopping' ancestors.

Rainwater discovered at new depths, with high pressure and temperatures over 300 degrees Celsius Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:42 PM PDT Researchers have found that rainwater can penetrate below the Earth's fractured upper crust, which could have major implications for our understanding of earthquakes and the generation of valuable mineral deposits. It had been thought that surface water could not penetrate the ductile crust - where temperatures of more than 300°C and high pressures cause rocks to flex and flow rather than fracture - but researchers have now found fluids derived from rainwater at these levels. Fluids in the Earth's crust can weaken rocks and may help to initiate earthquakes along locked fault lines.

Gene discovery could lead to better soybean varieties for northern United States Posted: 15 Jul 2014 01:59 PM PDT A soybean gene whose mutation affects plant stem growth has been discovered by scientists, a finding that could lead to the development of improved soybean cultivars for the northern United States. "This gene could help us improve the yield potential and adaptability of soybeans for specific growing areas," the lead researcher said. "We can now focus on developing a variety of elite semideterminate soybean cultivars, which could perform very well in high-yielding, irrigated environments such as Nebraska and northeastern Indiana."

Likely origin of lung fungus invading Pacific Northwest found by study Posted: 15 Jul 2014 12:45 PM PDT Cryptococcus gattii, a virulent fungus that has invaded the Pacific Northwest, is highly adaptive and warrants global "public health vigilance," according to a study by an international team of researchers. C. gattii, which likely originated in Brazil, is responsible for dozens of deaths in recent years since it was first found in 1999 on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, well outside its usual tropical habitats.

New assay to spot fake malaria drugs could save thousands of lives Posted: 15 Jul 2014 12:45 PM PDT Chemists have created a new type of chemical test, or assay, that's inexpensive, simple, and can tell whether or not one of the primary drugs being used to treat malaria is genuine -- an enormous and deadly problem in the developing world. If widely used it could help save hundreds of thousands of lives.

Protein's 'hands' enable bacteria to establish infection, research finds Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:27 AM PDT Biochemists have discovered how protein's 'hands' enable bacteria to establish infection. "These structures are like small hands on the surface of bacterial cells," said the study's principal investigator. "They make the bacteria capable of recognizing something and grabbing it from the environment. It's amazing that such a tiny molecule can do that." The research may help scientists develop targeted treatment and intervention methods.

New feathered predatory fossil sheds light on dinosaur flight Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:24 AM PDT A new raptorial dinosaur fossil with exceptionally long feathers has provided exciting insights into dinosaur flight. A new article asserts that the fossil has a long feathered tail that scientists believe was instrumental for decreasing descent speed and assuring safe landings.

'Game theory' model reveals vulnerable moments for metastatic cancer cells' energy production Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:17 AM PDT Cancer's no game, but researchers are borrowing ideas from evolutionary game theory to learn how cells cooperate within a tumor to gather energy. Their experiments, they say, could identify the ideal time to disrupt metastatic cancer cell cooperation and make a tumor more vulnerable to anti-cancer drugs.

Removing disordered regions of shape-shifting protein explains how blood clots Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:13 AM PDT Researchers used x-ray crystallography to publish the first image of prothrombin. The protein's flexible structure is key to the development of blood-clotting. Blood-clotting has long ensured our survival, stopping blood loss after an injury. However, when triggered in the wrong circumstances, clotting can lead to debilitating or fatal conditions such as a heart attack, stroke or deep vein thrombosis.

Does cat poop parasite play a role in curing cancer? Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:55 AM PDT From the litter box to the laboratory, a microscopic organism native to cats shows promise in treating cancer. Researchers' mutated strain of T. gondii has been found to reprogram the natural power of the immune system to kill cells. Found worldwide, T. gondii affects about one-third of the world's population, 60 million of which are Americans.

How gardens could help dementia care Posted: 15 Jul 2014 05:52 AM PDT Gardens in care homes could provide promising therapeutic benefits for patients suffering from dementia, a study has shown. The research critically reviewed the findings from 17 different pieces of research, has found that outdoor spaces can offer environments that promote relaxation, encourage activity and reduce residents' agitation.

Little too late: Pathogenic bacterium in 700-year-old skeleton identified Posted: 15 Jul 2014 05:51 AM PDT Researchers have recovered a genome of the bacterium Brucella melitensis from a 700-year-old skeleton found in the ruins of a Medieval Italian village. Researchers used a technique called shotgun metagenomics to sequence DNA from a calcified nodule from the pelvic region of a middle-aged male skeleton excavated from the settlement of Geridu in Sardinia, an island off the coast of Italy. Geridu is thought to have been abandoned in the late 14th century.

Ötzi's non-human DNA: Opportunistic pathogen discovered in Iceman tissue biopsy Posted: 15 Jul 2014 05:50 AM PDT Ötzi's human genome was decoded from a hip bone sample taken from the 5,300 year old mummy. However the tiny sample weighing no more than 0.1 g provides so much more information. A team of scientists analyzed the non-human DNA in the sample. They found evidence for the presence of Treponema denticola, an opportunistic pathogen involved in the development of periodontal disease.

Progress in allergic asthma research after ingestion of fruits Posted: 15 Jul 2014 05:50 AM PDT The interaction between two proteins can be the responsible for the allergic asthma episodes after eating an infected fruit, new research suggests. Alternaria alternata is a fungus that proliferates in fruit and vegetables crops and also when are collected and are on sale for the final consumer. A protein known as Alt a 1 and related to the virulence is found in the spores, this protein is described as the major allergen of this fungus. According to this research, this protein can be a major cause of childhood asthma in U.S.

Fungicides for crops: Worrying link to fungal drug resistance in UK, warns scientists Posted: 14 Jul 2014 06:34 PM PDT Aspergillus -- a common fungus that attacks the lungs and is found in soil and other organic matter -- has become resistant to life-saving drugs in parts of rural Yorkshire, researchers report. Although the link has been made before in the Netherlands, it's the first time its been made in the UK between drug resistance in Aspergillus and fungicides used on crops. Experts warn their findings, now published, are significant and raise serious implications for transplant patients, those with leukemia and people who suffer from severe asthma.

Bones of elephant ancestor unearthed: Meet the gomphothere Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:24 PM PDT An ancient ancestor of the elephant, once believed to have disappeared from North America before humans ever arrived there, might actually have roamed the continent longer than previously thought. Archaeologists have uncovered the first evidence that gomphotheres were once hunted in North America.

Running for life: How speed restricts evolutionary change of the vertebral column Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:24 PM PDT One of the riddles of mammal evolution is explained: the conservation of the number of trunk vertebrae. Dutch and American researchers have shown that this conservation is due to the role of speed in survival of fast running mammals. They measured variation of 774 skeletons of fast and slow species. The researchers found that a combination of developmental and biomechanical problems prevents evolutionary change in the number of trunk vertebrae in fast, but not in slow mammals.

Rethinking fish farming to offset its public health and environmental risks Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:23 PM PDT As government agencies recommend greater consumption of seafood for its health benefits, a new analysis urges medical and public health professionals to consider the environmental and health impact of seafood sourcing, particularly aquaculture, or the farming of fish, shellfish and crustaceans.

Beneath the surface: What zebrafish can tell us about anxiety Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:23 PM PDT One researcher has focused how genetics influence responses to stimuli that can trigger anxiety, and he's using zebrafish — a tropical member of the minnow family named for the black stripes on their bodies — to do so. His research team examines how fish with tweaked genes respond to different triggers compared to unmodified fish. The work could someday lead to better, more nuanced medications for anxiety disorders.

Embryology: Doppler effect influences segmentation Posted: 14 Jul 2014 10:40 AM PDT Many animals exhibit segmental patterns that manifest themselves during development. One classical example is the sequential and rhythmic formation the segmental precursors of the backbone, a process that has been linked to the ticking of an oscillator in the embryo -- the "segmentation clock." Researchers now paint a potentially revolutionary picture of the process of developmental segmentation, one controlled by not only the time scale of genetic oscillations, but also by changes in oscillation profile and tissue shortening.

Innovative technique may transform hunt for new antibiotics, cancer therapies Posted: 14 Jul 2014 09:28 AM PDT A new technique to quickly uncover novel, medically relevant products produced by bacteria has been developed by researchers. Past techniques involved screening more than 10,000 samples to find a novel product, but now researchers have discovered a novel product after screening just a few dozen soil bacteria by using this new technique.

Senescence: New vision of a process wrongly associated with aging Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:59 AM PDT Without actually renaming the term 'senescence,' a new article promotes a paradigm shift: senescence is, above all, 'a mechanism to eliminate unwanted cells', which ends with the remodelling of tissues. And it can be something of a double-edged sword for the body.

A-maize-ing double life of a genome Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:59 AM PDT Early maize farmers selected for genes that improved the harvesting of sunlight, a new detailed study of how plants use 'doubles' of their genomes reveals. The findings could help current efforts to improve existing crop varieties. In the wild plants have to overcome the challenges posed by pathogens and predators in order to survive. However, once domestication by humans began plants grown as crops had to cope with a new set of artificial selection pressures, such as delivering a high yield and greater stress tolerance.

Flower development in 3-D: Timing is the key Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:59 AM PDT Developmental processes in all living organisms are controlled by genes. At the same time there is a continuous metabolism taking place. Researchers have analyzed this interaction between metabolism and developmental processes in flowering plants. In a recent study on flower development, changes in metabolism were linked to three-dimensional morphometric data using micro-computed tomography for the first time.

Molecular mechanisms underlying prevention of autoimmunity by Roquin revealed Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:59 AM PDT Scientists have moved an important step closer to understanding molecular mechanisms of autoimmune diseases. They solved the three-dimensional structure of the Roquin protein when bound to messenger ribonucleic acid molecules. The results revealed that there is a much wider range of functionally important Roquin binding partners than previously assumed.

Best for bees to be stay-at-homes: Imported bees don't do as well as locals Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:59 AM PDT Bees born in the local area manage better than bees imported from elsewhere, a study has shown. "Many beekeepers believe that it is best to buy queens from outside instead of using the queens they have in their own beehives. However, there is increasing evidence that the global honey bee trade has detrimental effects, including the spread of new diseases and pests," says one expert.

Serendipity at the Smithsonian: The 107-year 'journey' of the beetle Rhipidocyrtus muiri Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:59 AM PDT Serendipity leads scientists to the discovery and description of Rhipidocyrtus muiri -- a 107 year old, lost in collections specimen, which turned out to represent a new genus and species. The long and tortuous history of the enigmatic ripidiine wedge beetle from Borneo is discussed in a recent article.

A sweet pathway into the cell Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:58 AM PDT Researchers engineer bacterial proteins that can transport substances across the cell membrane, as outlined in a new report. Lectins are proteins that can be formed by bacteria. They bind to sugars distributed on signaling proteins on the surface of the host cell, thus activating a cascade of signals in the cell. The outer membrane then folds in to cover the protein and transport it inside the cell. Bacteria use this process, referred to as endocytosis, to penetrate into the cell and reproduce.

New theory turns cancer on its head: Does cancer form after cellular evolution? Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:41 AM PDT A new theory of how cancer works could lead to the next generation of treatments of the disease. The theory suggests that cancer forms when recently evolved genes are damaged, and cells have to revert to using older, inappropriate genetic pathways. "Our model suggests that cancer progression is the accumulation of damage to the more recently acquired genes. Without the regulation of these recent genes, cell physiology reverts to earlier programs, such as unregulated cell proliferation," researchers explain.

Prehistoric ‘bookkeeping’ tokens continued long after invention of writing Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:04 AM PDT An archaeological dig in southeast Turkey has uncovered a large number of clay tokens that were used as records of trade until the advent of writing, or so it had been believed. But the new find of tokens dates from a time when writing was commonplace -- thousands of years after it was previously assumed this technology had become obsolete. Researchers compare it to the continued use of pens in the age of the word processor.

How cannabis compound could slow tumor growth Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:03 AM PDT Scientists have shown how the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, THC, could reduce tumor growth in cancer patients. New research reveals the existence of previously unknown signaling platforms which are responsible for the drug's success in shrinking tumors.

Domestication syndrome: White patches, baby faces and tameness explained by mild neural crest deficits Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:01 AM PDT More than 140 years ago, Charles Darwin noticed something peculiar about domesticated mammals. Compared to their wild ancestors, domestic species are more tame, and they also tend to display a suite of other characteristic features, including floppier ears, patches of white fur, and more juvenile faces with smaller jaws. Since Darwin's observations, the explanation for this pattern has proved elusive, but now, a new hypothesis has been proposed that could explain why breeding for tameness causes changes in such diverse traits.

New genome editing method brings possibility of gene therapies closer to reality Posted: 11 Jul 2014 07:13 AM PDT An important theoretical foundation for stem cell-based gene therapy has been published by scientists. The combination of stem cells and targeted genome editing technology provides a powerful tool to model human diseases and develop potential cell replacement therapy. Although the utility of genome editing has been extensively documented, but the impact of these technologies on mutational load at the whole-genome level remains unclear.

Novel gene for salt tolerance found in wild soybean Posted: 11 Jul 2014 07:13 AM PDT A gene of wild soybean linked to salt tolerance has been discovered by researchers, with implication for improving this important crop to grow in saline soil. This study provides an effective strategy to unveil novel genomic information for crop improvement.

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