ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Lead in teeth can tell a body's tale, study finds
• Gulf oil spill researcher: Bacteria ate some toxins, but worst remain, research finds
• Brother of Hibiscus flower is found alive and well on Maui, Hawaii
• Congressional rift over environment influences public
• Singing the same tune: Scientists develop novel ways of separating birdsong sources
• Boat noise impacts development, survival of sea hares
• Bees able to spot which flowers offer best rewards before landing
• How black truffles deal with jumpers in their genome
• Otzi Iceman had genetic predisposition for atherosclerosis: Much the same in ancient peoples as it is today
• Mechanism promoting multiple DNA mutations described by scientists
• Classic Lewis Carroll character inspires new ecological model
• Pesticide DDT linked to slow metabolism, obesity and diabetes, mouse study finds
• Vocal variety in African penguins: Four basic vocalizations used for adult communication, two more for the young
• New malaria vaccine candidates identified
• Antarctic ice sheet is result of carbon dioxide decrease, not continental breakup
• Deep-sea octopus broods eggs for over four years -- longer than any known animal
• Scientists reproduce evolutionary changes by manipulating embryonic development of mice
• Barnacles: Marine 'pest' provides advances in maritime anti-fouling and biomedicine
• Toward a home test for detecting potentially dangerous levels of caffeine
• All-in-one energy system offers greener power for off–grid homes, farms and businesses
• Five daily portions of fruit and vegetables may be enough to lower risk of early death
• Eating tree nuts results in 'modest decreases' in blood fats and sugars, survey finds
• Malaria vaccine shows continued protection during 18 months of follow-up
• Algae-eating native freshwater snails: 'Little janitor' merits attention in Florida springs health debate
• Top water saving tips for American households

Lead in teeth can tell a body's tale, study finds Posted: 31 Jul 2014 08:09 AM PDT Your teeth can tell stories about you, and not just that you always forget to floss. The discovery could help police solve cold cases, an investigator has said. For instance, if an unidentified decomposed body is found, testing the lead in the teeth could immediately help focus the investigation on a certain geographic area. That way, law enforcement can avoid wasting resources checking for missing persons in the wrong places.

Gulf oil spill researcher: Bacteria ate some toxins, but worst remain, research finds Posted: 31 Jul 2014 06:53 AM PDT Bacteria in the Gulf of Mexico consumed many of the toxic components of the oil released during the Deepwater Horizon spill in the months after the spill, but not the most toxic contaminants, new research has found.

Brother of Hibiscus flower is found alive and well on Maui, Hawaii Posted: 31 Jul 2014 06:53 AM PDT Most people are familiar with Hibiscus flowers -- they are an iconic symbol of tropical resorts worldwide where they are commonly planted in the landscape. Only a few, however, are aware of an equally beautiful and highly endangered related group of plants known as Hibiscadelphus -- literally 'brother of Hibiscus.' Remarkably, in 2012 scientists found a population of these unique trees in a remote, steep valley on the west side of Maui.

Congressional rift over environment influences public Posted: 31 Jul 2014 06:53 AM PDT American citizens are increasingly divided over the issue of environmental protection and seem to be taking their cue primarily from Congress, finds new research. The gap between conservatives who oppose environmental protection and liberals who support it has risen drastically in the past 20 years, a trend seen among lawmakers, activists and -- as the study indicates -- the general public as well, said a sociologist.

Singing the same tune: Scientists develop novel ways of separating birdsong sources Posted: 31 Jul 2014 06:51 AM PDT A new study could greatly improve current methods of localizing birdsong data. The study demonstrates the validity of using approximate maximum likelihood (AML) algorithms to determine the direction of arrival (DOA) of birdsong sources.

Boat noise impacts development, survival of sea hares Posted: 31 Jul 2014 06:50 AM PDT The development and survival of an important group of marine invertebrates known as sea hares is under threat from increasing boat noise in the world's oceans, according to a new study. Sea hares usually hatch from their eggs to swim away and later feed on toxic alga but this study found that when exposed to playback of boat noise, more eggs failed to develop and those that hatched were more likely to die.

Bees able to spot which flowers offer best rewards before landing Posted: 30 Jul 2014 05:37 PM PDT Bumblebees are able to connect differences in pollen quality with floral features, like petal color, and so land only on the flowers that offer the best rewards, according to a new study.

How black truffles deal with jumpers in their genome Posted: 30 Jul 2014 05:37 PM PDT Black truffles, also known as Périgord truffles, have a syrupy sweet flavor and are highly prized in haute cuisine. They are fungi that grow on the roots of oak and hazelnut trees, and are the second most expensive truffle species. The black truffle uses reversible epigenetic processes to regulate its genes, and adapt to changes in its surroundings. The 'methylome' illustrates how the truffle deals with its complex genome's repeating elements and 'jumping genes.' The authors say this may shed light on how traits like aroma and color are controlled.

Otzi Iceman had genetic predisposition for atherosclerosis: Much the same in ancient peoples as it is today Posted: 30 Jul 2014 05:37 PM PDT While prevalence and types of risk factors for atherosclerosis have varied over time from ancient times to modern society -- such as levels of obesity, physical activity -- genetic predisposition/risk for the condition today appears to be very similar to that in ancient times.

Mechanism promoting multiple DNA mutations described by scientists Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:31 PM PDT Recent studies have shown that cancer development frequently involves the formation of multiple mutations that arise simultaneously and in close proximity to each other. These groups of clustered mutations are frequently found in regions where chromosomal rearrangements take place. The finding that cancer development often involves multiple mutations arising in clusters and in regions where chromosomal rearrangement takes place may one day lead to new cancer therapies.

Classic Lewis Carroll character inspires new ecological model Posted: 30 Jul 2014 01:16 PM PDT Inspired by the Red Queen in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, researchers have improved a 35-year-old ecology model to better understand how species evolve over decades to millions of years. The new model, called a mean field model for competition, incorporates the "Red Queen Effect," an evolutionary hypothesis introduced by Lee Van Valen in the 1970s, which suggests that organisms must constantly increase their fitness (or ability to survive and reproduce) in order to compete with other ever-evolving organisms in an ever-changing environment.

Pesticide DDT linked to slow metabolism, obesity and diabetes, mouse study finds Posted: 30 Jul 2014 12:17 PM PDT A new study in mice is the first to show that developmental exposure to DDT increases the risk of females later developing metabolic syndrome -- a cluster of conditions that include increased body fat, blood glucose, and cholesterol.

Vocal variety in African penguins: Four basic vocalizations used for adult communication, two more for the young Posted: 30 Jul 2014 12:17 PM PDT Adult African penguins communicate using four different vocalizations and juveniles and chicks use two begging calls to request food.

New malaria vaccine candidates identified Posted: 30 Jul 2014 12:11 PM PDT Researchers have discovered new vaccine targets that could help in the battle against malaria. Taking a new, large-scale approach to this search, researchers tested a library of proteins from the Plasmodium falciparum parasite with antibodies produced by the immune systems of a group of infected children.

Antarctic ice sheet is result of carbon dioxide decrease, not continental breakup Posted: 30 Jul 2014 11:10 AM PDT Climate modelers have shown that the most likely explanation for the initiation of Antarctic glaciation during a major climate shift 34 million years ago was decreased carbon dioxide levels. The finding counters a 40-year-old theory suggesting massive rearrangements of Earth's continents caused global cooling and the abrupt formation of the Antarctic ice sheet. It will provide scientists insight into the climate change implications of current rising global carbon dioxide levels.

Deep-sea octopus broods eggs for over four years -- longer than any known animal Posted: 30 Jul 2014 11:09 AM PDT Researchers have observed a deep-sea octopus brooding its eggs for four-and-a-half years -- longer than any other known animal. Throughout this time, the female kept the eggs clean and guarded them from predators.

Scientists reproduce evolutionary changes by manipulating embryonic development of mice Posted: 30 Jul 2014 10:32 AM PDT By modifying the embryonic development of mice, scientists have reproduced in the laboratory the changes in teeth shape which, in mammals, took millions of years of evolution to take place.

Barnacles: Marine 'pest' provides advances in maritime anti-fouling and biomedicine Posted: 30 Jul 2014 10:31 AM PDT Biologists performed cutting-edge research on a marine pest that will pave the way for novel anti-fouling paint for ships and boats and also improve bio-adhesives for medical and industrial applications.

Toward a home test for detecting potentially dangerous levels of caffeine Posted: 30 Jul 2014 06:43 AM PDT The shocking news of an Ohio teen who died of a caffeine overdose in May highlighted the potential dangers of the normally well-tolerated and mass-consumed substance. To help prevent serious health problems that can arise from consuming too much caffeine, scientists are reporting progress toward a rapid, at-home test to detect even low levels of the stimulant in most beverages and even breast milk.

All-in-one energy system offers greener power for off–grid homes, farms and businesses Posted: 30 Jul 2014 06:38 AM PDT An innovative 'trigeneration' system fuelled entirely by raw plant oils could have great potential for isolated homes and businesses operating outside grid systems.

Five daily portions of fruit and vegetables may be enough to lower risk of early death Posted: 29 Jul 2014 07:49 PM PDT Eating five daily portions of fruit and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of death from any cause, particularly from cardiovascular disease, but beyond five portions appears to have no further effect, finds a new study.

Eating tree nuts results in 'modest decreases' in blood fats and sugars, survey finds Posted: 29 Jul 2014 07:49 PM PDT Eating tree nuts appears to help reduce two of the five markers for metabolic syndrome, a group of factors that raise the risk for heart disease and other health problems such as diabetes and strokes, a new research paper says.

Malaria vaccine shows continued protection during 18 months of follow-up Posted: 29 Jul 2014 11:20 AM PDT A vaccine previously shown to reduce malaria in young infants and children reduces larger numbers of malaria cases in areas of higher malaria transmission, according to results from an ongoing clinical trial. The effect of vaccination diminished over time, but protection against clinical malaria remained evident 18 months after vaccination.

Algae-eating native freshwater snails: 'Little janitor' merits attention in Florida springs health debate Posted: 29 Jul 2014 08:51 AM PDT For decades, crystal-clear water bubbling from the ground has driven Florida tourism, via scuba divers, canoeists, boaters and swimmers, but today, many of those springs aren't healthy. Although the blame for algae-choked springs is often pinned on excess nitrate, scientists say the absence of algae-eating native freshwater snails known as Elimia may be a key to restoring the springs' health.

Top water saving tips for American households Posted: 29 Jul 2014 07:11 AM PDT Curbing water use in American households could be as easy as making simple changes to your daily routine and installing a few water-efficient appliances, a recent article suggests. Among these actions are reducing shower times and toilet flushes, doing only full loads of laundry, and installing WaterSense and ENERGY STAR labeled products, just to name a few.

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