ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Ancient hedgehog and tapir once inhabited British Columbia
• Transgender algae reveal evolutionary origin of sexes
• Virtual reality crowds produce real behavior insights
• NASA-JAXA's new precipitation satellite sees first Atlantic hurricane
• Solar energy gets a boost: 'Singlet fission' can increase solar cell efficiency by as much as 30 percent
• Advances in mollusk parasite culturing methods drives research
• Record levels of solar ultraviolet on Earth's surface measured in South America
• New compounds that could affect circadian rhythm uncovered in study
• Logging and burning cause the loss of 54 million tons of carbon a year in Amazonia
• Bacterial switches in human gut pave way for therapeutic manipulation
• NASA's RapidScat to unveil hidden cycles of sea winds
• When faced with some sugars, bacteria can be picky eaters
• Damage assessment of runaway barges at Marseilles lock and dam
• Was da Vinci wrong? New research shows friction and fracture are interrelated, with implications for earthquakes
• Wolf mother deaths threaten pack survival but not population
• Shining light on the 100-year mystery of birds sensing spring for offspring
• HIV study leads to insights into deadly infection
• Low doses of arsenic cause cancer in male mice
• NASA's Aquarius returns global maps of soil moisture
• Fungus in yogurt outbreak poses threat to consumers
• Safe harbor: Freight transport logistics
• Bonelli's Eagle diet reconstruction by means of isotope analysis to improve population conservation
• Giant earthquakes help predict volcanic eruptions
• Consuming whey protein before meals could help improve blood glucose control in people with diabetes
• Energy study commissioned by California Air Resources Board recommends three reforms to protect cap-and-trade
• Mesophotic coral reef geology the focus of new study
• Protective role for specialized cells in intestinal, respiratory systems revealed in study

Ancient hedgehog and tapir once inhabited British Columbia Posted: 08 Jul 2014 01:58 PM PDT A new study describes an ancient hedgehog and tapir that lived in what is now Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park, British Columbia, approximately 52 million years ago. The ancient hedgehog is a species hitherto unknown to science.

Transgender algae reveal evolutionary origin of sexes Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:39 PM PDT Throughout evolution, living things have repeatedly developed physically distinct sexes, but how does this actually happen? A discovery in the multicellular green alga, Volvox carteri, has revealed the genetic origin of male and female sexes, showing how they evolved from a more primitive mating system in a single-celled relative. A team of scientists identified the master regulatory gene for sex determination in Volvox.

Virtual reality crowds produce real behavior insights Posted: 08 Jul 2014 11:09 AM PDT Scientists are advancing virtual reality technology in the service of studying the science of the swarm: how patterns of crowd movement emerge from individual behaviors. They have developed a wireless virtual reality system to study how pedestrians interact with each other and how those individual behaviors, in turn, generate patterns of crowd movement. It's an everyday experience for all kinds of animals including ants, birds, fish and people.

NASA-JAXA's new precipitation satellite sees first Atlantic hurricane Posted: 08 Jul 2014 10:23 AM PDT The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory flew over Hurricane Arthur five times between July 1 and July 5, 2014. Arthur is the first tropical cyclone of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The Core Observatory was launched Feb. 27 from Japan and began its prime mission on May 29, just in time for the hurricane season.

Solar energy gets a boost: 'Singlet fission' can increase solar cell efficiency by as much as 30 percent Posted: 08 Jul 2014 10:21 AM PDT Scientists have reviewed chemists' work on "singlet fission," a process in which a single photon generates a pair of excited states. This conversion process has the potential to boost solar cell efficiency by as much as 30 percent.

Advances in mollusk parasite culturing methods drives research Posted: 08 Jul 2014 10:18 AM PDT Researchers dug into the last 70 years of peer-reviewed publications about protozoan parasites that infest bivalve mollusks and found that when an organism can be cultured in the laboratory, a three to 10 fold increase in papers and greater understanding result. Four protozoan parasitic genera that threaten natural and bivalve populations were studied. Increased understanding about how they function, interact and evolve enhances potential protection of food resources.

Record levels of solar ultraviolet on Earth's surface measured in South America Posted: 08 Jul 2014 10:18 AM PDT Researchers have measured the highest level of ultraviolet radiation ever recorded on Earth's surface. The extraordinary UV fluxes, observed in the Bolivian Andes only 1,500 miles from the equator, are far above those normally considered to be harmful to both terrestrial and aquatic life.

New compounds that could affect circadian rhythm uncovered in study Posted: 08 Jul 2014 10:17 AM PDT A surprising new role has been found for a pair of compounds that have the potential to alter circadian rhythm, the complex physiological process, present in most living things, that responds to a 24-hour cycle of light and dark. At least one of these compounds could be developed as a chemical probe to uncover new therapeutic approaches to a range of disorders, including diabetes and obesity.

Logging and burning cause the loss of 54 million tons of carbon a year in Amazonia Posted: 08 Jul 2014 09:17 AM PDT A study has quantified the impact that selective logging, partial destruction by burning, and fragmentation resulting from the development of pastures and plantations have had on the Amazon rainforest. In combination, these factors could be removing nearly 54 million tons of carbon from the forest each year, introduced into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases. This total represents up to 40 percent of the carbon loss caused by deforestation in the region.

Bacterial switches in human gut pave way for therapeutic manipulation Posted: 08 Jul 2014 09:15 AM PDT The microbial ecosystem in the human gut can switch from one stable state into another, without staying for a long time in between. Key groups of bacteria tend to be either nearly absent, or relatively abundant in any given individual. This discovery highlights fundamental organizing principles of the intestinal ecosystem and they suggest novel strategies for diagnostic purposes and therapeutic manipulation to improve well-being and health.

NASA's RapidScat to unveil hidden cycles of sea winds Posted: 08 Jul 2014 09:11 AM PDT Ocean waves, the hot sun, sea breezes -- the right combination makes a great day at the beach. A different combination makes a killer hurricane. The complex interactions of the ocean and the air above it that can create such different outcomes are not yet fully known. Scientists would especially like to understand the role that the daily heat of the sun plays in creating winds. In a few months, NASA will send an ocean wind-monitoring instrument to a berth on the International Space Station. That unique vantage point will give ISS-RapidScat, short for the International Space Station Rapid Scatterometer, the ability to observe daily (also called diurnal) cycles of wind created by solar heat.

When faced with some sugars, bacteria can be picky eaters Posted: 08 Jul 2014 08:12 AM PDT Researchers have found for the first time that genetically identical strains of bacteria can respond very differently to the presence of sugars and other organic molecules in the environment, with some individual bacteria devouring the sugars and others ignoring it. "While this is the first time we've seen such divergent behavior from bacteria regarding sugars, it's consistent with 'bet-hedging' behaviors that have been reported for bacteria in other contexts," said one researcher. "Bet hedging means that at least some of the bacteria will survive when faced with new environments."

Damage assessment of runaway barges at Marseilles lock and dam Posted: 08 Jul 2014 08:11 AM PDT It takes a synchronized lock and dam system —- operating like a motorized flight of stairs on the Illinois River, using gravity to move the water —- to maintain a minimum depth for boat traffic. A disastrous domino effect occurred on April 19, 2013, when heavy rain and runoff, strong winds, and river currents resulted in seven unmoored barges crashing into the dam at Marseilles. Soil scientists have now studied the extensive repercussions of the incident.

Was da Vinci wrong? New research shows friction and fracture are interrelated, with implications for earthquakes Posted: 08 Jul 2014 08:11 AM PDT Overturning conventional wisdom stretching all the way to Leonardo da Vinci, new research shows that how things break (fracture) and how things slide (friction) are closely interrelated. The breakthrough study marks an important advance in understanding friction and fracture, with implications for describing the mechanics that drive earthquakes.

Wolf mother deaths threaten pack survival but not population Posted: 08 Jul 2014 07:31 AM PDT When a breeding wolf dies, its sex and the size of its pack can determine whether that pack continues, according to research. In 2012, biologists at Denali National Park and Preserve noted a drop in wolf sightings following the death of a breeding female from a pack that lived along the Denali Park Road.

Shining light on the 100-year mystery of birds sensing spring for offspring Posted: 08 Jul 2014 07:31 AM PDT Biologists have identified for the first time, a key photoreceptor cell deep inside the brain of birds, which takes the role of eyes in humans by directly responding to light and regulates breeding activity according to seasonal changes.

HIV study leads to insights into deadly infection Posted: 08 Jul 2014 07:15 AM PDT New insights into how the HIV virus greatly boosts its chances of spreading infection has been gained by research that also indicates why HIV is so hard to combat. "We now have a better understanding of the role of these protein enhancers in HIV infection. However, it's clear that much more research is needed in this area," one researcher says.

Low doses of arsenic cause cancer in male mice Posted: 08 Jul 2014 07:15 AM PDT Mice exposed to low doses of arsenic in drinking water, similar to what some people might consume, developed lung cancer, researchers have found. Arsenic levels in public drinking water cannot exceed 10 parts per billion (ppb), which is the standard set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. However, there are no established standards for private wells, from which millions of people get their drinking water.

NASA's Aquarius returns global maps of soil moisture Posted: 08 Jul 2014 06:30 AM PDT Scientists working with data from NASA's Aquarius instrument have released worldwide maps of soil moisture, showing how the wetness of the land fluctuates with the seasons and weather phenomena.

Fungus in yogurt outbreak poses threat to consumers Posted: 08 Jul 2014 06:29 AM PDT The fungus responsible for an outbreak of contaminated Greek yogurt last year is not harmless after all but a strain with the ability to cause disease, according to research. "When people think about food-borne pathogens, normally they list bacteria, viruses, and maybe parasites. Fungal pathogens are not considered as food-borne pathogens. However, this incidence indicates that we need to pay more attention to fungi. Fungal pathogens can threaten our health systems as food-borne pathogens" says the lead author.

Safe harbor: Freight transport logistics Posted: 08 Jul 2014 06:21 AM PDT One of the most important means of connecting with foreign countries is by sea, especially for the transport of freight. Researchers are assessing harbor safety using simulations in order to help provide smooth and efficient navigation.

Bonelli's Eagle diet reconstruction by means of isotope analysis to improve population conservation Posted: 08 Jul 2014 06:21 AM PDT Carbon, nitrogen and sulphur stable isotopes analysis is an effective technique to reconstruct nestling Bonelli's Eagle diet, according to a new paper. Diet analyses are central to the study of avian trophic ecology and can be an important conservation tool. Despite the high number of studies on Bonelli's Eagle (Aquila fasciata) diet developed in Western Europe, eagle's relationship between prey consumption and vital parameters remains unknown.

Giant earthquakes help predict volcanic eruptions Posted: 08 Jul 2014 06:21 AM PDT Researchers have for the first time observed the response of Japanese volcanoes to seismic waves produced by the giant Tohoku-oki earthquake of 2011. Their conclusions reveal how earthquakes can impact volcanoes and should help to assess the risk of massive volcanic eruptions worldwide.

Consuming whey protein before meals could help improve blood glucose control in people with diabetes Posted: 07 Jul 2014 06:27 PM PDT Consuming whey protein before a regular breakfast reduces the blood sugar spikes seen after meals and also improves the body's insulin response, a new study has found. Protein consumption is known to stimulate the production of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a gut hormone that in turn stimulates insulin production.

Energy study commissioned by California Air Resources Board recommends three reforms to protect cap-and-trade Posted: 07 Jul 2014 06:25 PM PDT California's landmark cap-and-trade system for regulating greenhouse gases could be vulnerable to price spikes and market manipulation, according to a study. But the state's air-quality regulators can prevent that outcome with three straightforward reforms, the study says.

Mesophotic coral reef geology the focus of new study Posted: 07 Jul 2014 02:11 PM PDT A new study on biological erosion of mesophotic tropical coral reefs, which are low energy reef environments between 30-150 meters deep, provides new insights into processes that affect the overall structure of these important ecosystems. The purpose of the study was to better understand how bioerosion rates and distribution of bioeroding organisms, such as fish, mollusks and sponges, differ between mesophotic reefs and their shallow-water counterparts and the implications of those variations on the sustainability of the reef structure.

Protective role for specialized cells in intestinal, respiratory systems revealed in study Posted: 07 Jul 2014 12:25 PM PDT Ripping a page from the 'Star Trek' script, specialized cells of the barrier that lines the inside of the intestines and airways of humans have invoked a biological version of Captain Kirk's famous command 'shields up' as a first defense against invading microbes. Research found that certain cells of the epithelium have a potentially important role in immune surveillance -- creating an electrostatic repulsion field to microbial invasion.

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