ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

---

• Mouth bacteria can change its diet, supercomputers reveal
• Roadside research from pinelands and coast to coast
• Effect of habitat fragmentation on forest carbon cycle revealed by study
• Loss of eastern hemlock affects peak flows after extreme storm events
• Lead released from African cookware contaminates food
• Is empathy in humans and apes actually different? 'Yawn contagion' effect studied
• The Maldives and the whale shark: World's biggest fish adds value to paradise
• Integrons hold key to antibiotic resistance crisis
• Our ancestor's 'leaky' membrane answers big questions in biology
• Can instant noodles lead to heart disease, diabetes and stroke?
• Stinky gases emanating from landfills could transform into clean energy
• Could hemp nanosheets topple graphene for making the ideal supercapacitor? 

• Antarctic midge's genome is smallest in insects to date: Bare-bones genome is adaptation to deep freeze
• Geckos use toe hairs to turn stickiness on and off
• Climate change, predators, and trickle down effects on ecosystems
• Size matters when convincing your brain to eat healthier foods
• Easier way to manipulate malaria genes
• Highly drug-resistant, virulent strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa arises in Ohio
• Native bacteria block Wolbachia from being passed to mosquito progeny
• Elusive viral 'machine' architecture finally rendered
• Digoxin tied to increased risk of death in patients with atrial fibrillation
• Vaccine alternative protects mice against malaria
• Climate change and drought in ancient times
• Helping farmers adapt to changing growing conditions
• Rare frogs holding their own despite drought conditions
• Links between city design, health shown in study
• Blood cells are new, unexpected source of neurons in crayfish
• Keeping viruses at bay: How our immunosensory system attacks viruses on a molecular level
• Interior of cell from moving protein's point of view
• Sensitive acid sensor controls insulin production
• Agreement boosts urban sustainability
• Sugary, lung-damaging bacteria subvert antibodies

Mouth bacteria can change its diet, supercomputers reveal Posted: 12 Aug 2014 01:38 PM PDT Mouth bacteria can change their metabolism in disease versus health. The Stampede and Lonestar supercomputers compared gene expression of 160,000 genes in healthy and diseased periodontal communities. Research paves way for biomarkers to predict illness from wide-ranging diseases such as periodontitis, diabetes, and Crohn's disease.

Roadside research from pinelands and coast to coast Posted: 12 Aug 2014 01:37 PM PDT Three doctoral students did a cross-country road trip survey of roadside ecology, and now report on a rare plant that thrives in the aftermath of wildfires, pine snakes and the impact of roads on their habitat and newborn pine snakes' map-making ability.

Effect of habitat fragmentation on forest carbon cycle revealed by study Posted: 12 Aug 2014 09:24 AM PDT Drier conditions at the edges of forest patches slow down the decay of dead wood and significantly alter the cycling of carbon and nutrients in woodland ecosystems, according to a new study. It has long been known that so-called 'edge effects' influence temperature and moisture (the 'microclimate') in woodlands, but the influence on the carbon cycle is largely unknown.

Loss of eastern hemlock affects peak flows after extreme storm events Posted: 12 Aug 2014 09:23 AM PDT The loss of eastern hemlock could affect water yield and storm flow from forest watersheds in the southern Appalachians, according to a new study. Because of its dense evergreen foliage, eastern hemlock plays an important role in the water cycle of southern Appalachian forests, regulating stream flow year round. Although eastern hemlock rarely dominates the region's forests, the tree is considered a foundation species in the streamside areas called riparian zones.

Lead released from African cookware contaminates food Posted: 12 Aug 2014 09:23 AM PDT Researchers tested 29 samples of aluminum cookware made in Cameroon and found almost all had considerable lead content. This cookware is common throughout Africa and Asia and is made from recycled scrap metal including auto and computer parts, cans, and other industrial debris. Lead exposure in children is linked to brain damage, mental retardation, lower educational performance, and a range of other health effects. Globally, lead accounts for more than 674,000 deaths per year.

Is empathy in humans and apes actually different? 'Yawn contagion' effect studied Posted: 12 Aug 2014 09:22 AM PDT Whether or not humans are the only empathic beings is still under debate. In a new study, researchers directly compared the 'yawn contagion' effect between humans and bonobos -- our closest evolutionary cousins. By doing so they were able to directly compare the empathic abilities of ourselves with another species, and found that a close relationship between individuals is more important to their empathic response than the fact that individuals might be from the same species.

The Maldives and the whale shark: World's biggest fish adds value to paradise Posted: 12 Aug 2014 09:22 AM PDT They are the largest fish in the world but the impact of this majestic and charismatic animal on the economy of the island nation of the Maldives was largely unknown. A new study reveals that a small group of whale sharks in a single Maldivian Atoll accounts for nearly 3 percent of the global shark ecotourism and nearly half that of the Maldives'.

Integrons hold key to antibiotic resistance crisis Posted: 12 Aug 2014 09:17 AM PDT In Mexico, the sale of antibiotics for human consumption is controlled to prevent misuse, although in the veterinary sector failure in the implementation of the "Guidelines for veterinarian products prescription", has prompted common bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella to become resistant to regular drugs such as streptomycin, trimethoprim, ampicillin, gentamicin, and tetracycline as a result of excess drug use.

Our ancestor's 'leaky' membrane answers big questions in biology Posted: 12 Aug 2014 09:17 AM PDT All life on Earth came from one common ancestor -- a single-celled organism -- but what it looked like, how it lived and how it evolved into today's modern cells is a four billion year old mystery being solved by researchers at using mathematical modelling. Findings suggest for the first time that life's Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) had a 'leaky' membrane, which helps scientists answer two of biology's biggest questions.

Can instant noodles lead to heart disease, diabetes and stroke? Posted: 12 Aug 2014 09:16 AM PDT Significant consumption of instant noodles -- ramen included -- may increase a person's risk for cardiometabolic syndrome, especially in women, research shows. The findings could shed new light on the risks of a worldwide dietary habit. "This research is significant since many people are consuming instant noodles without knowing possible health risks," one researcher said. "My hope is that this study can lay a foundation for future research about the health effects of instant noodle consumption."

Stinky gases emanating from landfills could transform into clean energy Posted: 12 Aug 2014 09:16 AM PDT A new technique transforming stinky, air-polluting landfill gas could produce the sweet smell of success as it leads to development of a fuel cell generating clean electricity for homes, offices and hospitals, researchers say. The advance would convert methane gas into hydrogen, an efficient, clean form of energy.

Could hemp nanosheets topple graphene for making the ideal supercapacitor? Posted: 12 Aug 2014 09:15 AM PDT As hemp makes a comeback in the U.S. after a decades-long ban on its cultivation, scientists are reporting that fibers from the plant can pack as much energy and power as graphene, long-touted as the model material for supercapacitors.

Antarctic midge's genome is smallest in insects to date: Bare-bones genome is adaptation to deep freeze Posted: 12 Aug 2014 09:13 AM PDT Scientists who sequenced the genome of the Antarctic midge suspect the genome's small size -- the smallest in insects described to date -- can probably be explained by the midge's adaptation to its extreme living environment.

Geckos use toe hairs to turn stickiness on and off Posted: 12 Aug 2014 09:13 AM PDT If you've ever watched a gecko, you probably wondered about their uncanny ability to adhere to any surface -- including upside down. It turns out the little lizards can turn the "stickiness" of toe hairs on their feet on and off, which enables them to run at great speeds or cling to ceilings without expending much energy. Researchers describe new work exploring the subtleties of geckos' adhesion system mechanism.

Climate change, predators, and trickle down effects on ecosystems Posted: 11 Aug 2014 03:03 PM PDT Because predator species are animals that survive by preying on other organisms, they send ripples throughout the food web, regulating the effects other animals have on that ecosystem. Ecologists are just beginning to understand how the impacts of climate change are affecting predatory keystone species and their ecosystems.

Size matters when convincing your brain to eat healthier foods Posted: 11 Aug 2014 03:02 PM PDT Playing with the portions of good and not-so-good-for-you foods is better than trying to eliminate bad foods, according to a study. The idea is to not give up entirely foods that provide pleasure but aren't nutritious. Instead, the focus should be on lowering the portion of the "vice" foods and correspondingly raising the portion of a healthy food to replace it, researchers report.

Easier way to manipulate malaria genes Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:02 PM PDT A new approach to knocking out parasite's genes could make it easier to identify drug targets. Biological engineers have now demonstrated that a new genome-editing technique, called CRISPR, can disrupt a single parasite gene with a success rate of up to 100 percent -- in a matter of weeks. This approach could enable much more rapid gene analysis and boost drug-development efforts, they say.

Highly drug-resistant, virulent strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa arises in Ohio Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:02 PM PDT A team of clinician researchers has discovered a highly virulent, multidrug resistant form of the pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in patient samples in Ohio. Their investigation suggests that the particular genetic element involved, which is still rare in the United States, has been spreading heretofore unnoticed, and that surveillance is urgently needed.

Native bacteria block Wolbachia from being passed to mosquito progeny Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:01 PM PDT Native bacteria living inside mosquitoes prevent the insects from passing Wolbachia bacteria -- which can make the mosquitoes resistant to the malaria parasite -- to their offspring, according to a team of researchers. The team found that Asaia, a type of bacteria that occurs naturally in Anopheles mosquitoes, blocks invasion of Wolbachia into the mosquitoes' germlines -- the cells that are passed on through successive generations of an organism -- thus stopping the insects from transmitting Wolbachia to their offspring.

Elusive viral 'machine' architecture finally rendered Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:01 PM PDT Biologists have worked with the Lambda virus as a model system for more than 50 years but they've never had an overarching picture of the molecular machines that allow it to insert or remove DNA from the cells that it infects. Now they can, thanks to an advance that highlights the intriguingly intricate way the virus accomplishes its genetic manipulations.

Digoxin tied to increased risk of death in patients with atrial fibrillation Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:01 PM PDT In 'An Account of the Foxglove and Some of its Medical Uses,' published in 1785, Sir William Withering cautioned readers that extracts from the plant foxglove, also called digitalis, was not a perfect drug. 'Time will fix the real value upon this discovery,' he wrote. Now, more than 200 years later, researchers have validated Withering's warning with the discovery that patients with atrial fibrillation who are treated with the digitalis-derivative digoxin are more likely to die than similar patients who received different treatments.

Vaccine alternative protects mice against malaria Posted: 11 Aug 2014 01:58 PM PDT Injecting a vaccine-like compound into mice was effective in protecting them from malaria, a study suggests. The findings suggest a potential new path toward the elusive goal of malaria immunization. Malaria is one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases, killing as many as 1 million people per year, the majority of them children in Africa.

Climate change and drought in ancient times Posted: 11 Aug 2014 12:15 PM PDT The influence of climate on agriculture is believed to be a key factor in the rise and fall of societies in the Ancient Near East. An investigation into archaeological finds of grain has taken place in order to find out what influence climate had on agriculture in early farming societies. The research team analyzed grains of barley up to 12,000 years old from 33 locations across the Fertile Crescent to ascertain if they had had enough water while growing and ripening.

Helping farmers adapt to changing growing conditions Posted: 11 Aug 2014 10:22 AM PDT Spring rains that delayed planting and a cool summer have farmers concerned about whether their corn will reach maturity before the first frost. Two new online decision-making tools available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Useful to Usable research project will help, according to a state climatologist. Farmers are producing crops under more variable conditions, so these tools can be critical to both food safety and the farmers' economic survival.

Rare frogs holding their own despite drought conditions Posted: 11 Aug 2014 09:51 AM PDT A recent survey of mountain yellow-legged frogs released into the wild by San Diego Zoo Global wildlife conservationists indicates that the populations are showing signs of stress related to drought conditions in California. The juvenile frogs, released into the San Jacinto mountains in two protected sites, are representatives of a species brought to the brink of extinction by the threat of wildfire, habitat destruction and chytrid fungus.

Links between city design, health shown in study Posted: 11 Aug 2014 09:51 AM PDT In a rare study of how street network design affects public health, researchers have discovered that older, more compact cities promote more walking and biking and are generally healthier than many newer cities. "We built these dense, connected street networks for thousands of years but only over the last century or so did we switch to designing sparse, tree-like networks with cars in mind," one researcher noted.

Blood cells are new, unexpected source of neurons in crayfish Posted: 11 Aug 2014 09:47 AM PDT Researchers have strived to determine how neurons are produced and integrated into the brain throughout adult life. In an intriguing twist, scientists provide evidence that adult-born neurons are derived from a special type of circulating blood cell produced by the immune system. The findings -- which were made in crayfish -- suggest that the immune system may contribute to the development of the unknown role of certain brain diseases in the development of brain and other tissues.

Keeping viruses at bay: How our immunosensory system attacks viruses on a molecular level Posted: 11 Aug 2014 09:46 AM PDT Our immunosensory system detects virus such as influenza via specific characteristics of viral ribonucleic acid. Previously, it was unclear how the immune system prevents viruses from simply donning molecular camouflage in order to escape detection. An international team of researchers has now discovered that our immunosensory system attacks viruses on a molecular level. In this way, a healthy organism can keep rotaviruses, a common cause of diarrheal epidemics, at bay.

Interior of cell from moving protein's point of view Posted: 11 Aug 2014 09:45 AM PDT Scientists have developed new methods to measure intracellular protein movement. By developing a new fluorescence microscopy-based technique, the researchers were able to measure how long it takes proteins to move over distances ranging from 0.2 to 3 micrometres in living cells.

Sensitive acid sensor controls insulin production Posted: 11 Aug 2014 09:45 AM PDT Many human metabolic functions only run smoothly if the acid level in the body remains neutral and stable. For humans, normal blood pH values lie between 7.35 and 7.45. By way of comparison, an empty stomach is extremely acidic, with a pH value of 1.5. A team of bioengineers has now developed a new implantable molecular device composed of two modules: a sensor that constantly measures blood pH and a gene feedback mechanism that produces the necessary amount of insulin.

Agreement boosts urban sustainability Posted: 11 Aug 2014 09:45 AM PDT A new five-year agreement between the United Nations Global Compact and an Australian university, will strengthen efforts to tackle the world's urban challenges. Under the new agreement, the Cities Programme will aim to expand into the Asia-Pacific and double the number of signatory cities: the 86 currently participating cities range from large metropolitan capitals (Barcelona, Melbourne, Berlin, Quito) to states (Sao Paulo and Parana in Brazil, Queretaro in Mexico) and municipalities (Besiktas in Turkey, San Isidro in Argentina).

Sugary, lung-damaging bacteria subvert antibodies Posted: 11 Aug 2014 09:43 AM PDT Researchers reveal how a lung-damaging bacterium turns the body's antibody response in its favor. Pathogenic bacteria are normally destroyed by antibodies, immune proteins that coat the outer surface of the bug, laying a foundation for the deposition of pore-forming "complement" proteins that poke lethal holes in the bacterial membrane. But despite having plenty of antibodies and complement proteins in their bloodstream, some people can't fight off infections with the respiratory bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

You are subscribed to email updates from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610