ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• New study takes the shine off magpie folklore
• Do gut bacteria rule our minds? In an ecosystem within us, microbes evolved to sway food choices
• Woodrats' genes help them to win arms race against food
• The beetle's white album: Beetle shells could inspire brighter, whiter coatings and materials
• Capturing false hormones
• Key upgrade to genomics software will underpin global data sharing
• Politicians need to address transport taboos, not just new technology, to meet carbon targets, say researchers
• Lemongrass fiber as lost circulation material in drilling fluid
• Carbon nanotubes and near-infrared lasers promise a cost effective solution for cell membrane manipulation
• Make your mobile device live up to its true potential: As a data collection tool
• 9/11 dust cloud may have caused widespread pregnancy issues
• Human contribution to glacier mass loss increasing
• Reduced testosterone tied to endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure
• Giant Aldabra tortoises debut at Bronx Zoo
• Harnessing the power of bacteria's sophisticated immune system
• Blood-sucking parasitic eyeworm a culprit to 2010 quail decline, researchers believe
• New analysis links tree height to climate
• Antibodies together with viral 'inducers' found to control HIV in mice
• 'Fingerprinting' used to determine source of water sediment
• Hoopoes' eggs show their true colors
• Hydraulic fracturing: Helping businesses predict national fracking policy
• Could urbanization, biodiversity be compatible?
• Inside the cell, an ocean of buffeting waves, contrary to conventional understanding

New study takes the shine off magpie folklore Posted: 15 Aug 2014 04:59 PM PDT Magpies are not attracted to shiny objects and don't routinely steal small trinkets such as jewelry, according to a new study. In European culture, it is widely accepted that magpies (Pica pica) are the pilferers of the bird kingdom, unconditionally attracted to sparkly things and prone to pinching them for their nests, almost as a compulsion.

Do gut bacteria rule our minds? In an ecosystem within us, microbes evolved to sway food choices Posted: 15 Aug 2014 04:22 PM PDT It sounds like science fiction, but it seems that bacteria within us — which outnumber our own cells about 100-fold — may very well be affecting both our cravings and moods to get us to eat what they want, and often are driving us toward obesity.

Woodrats' genes help them to win arms race against food Posted: 15 Aug 2014 07:23 AM PDT A handful of genes arm the woodrat against the toxic chemicals in its foodstuff, the creosote plant, according to research. It's long been a mystery exactly how the woodrat developed the ability to handle the chemicals in the creosote plant, which are toxic to other rodents. The new study identifies the genes switched on in two species of woodrat with resistance to the plant poisons, showing that the genes that they are born with play a central role in whether they feel the effects of its toxic chemicals.

The beetle's white album: Beetle shells could inspire brighter, whiter coatings and materials Posted: 15 Aug 2014 07:22 AM PDT The physical properties of the ultra-white scales on certain species of beetle could be used to make whiter paper, plastics and paints, while using far less material than is used in current manufacturing methods.

Capturing false hormones Posted: 15 Aug 2014 07:21 AM PDT They damage our ability to reproduce, and they pollute the natural environment. Yet chemicals known as hormone mimics can be found in consumer goods. These unwanted chemicals make our lives easier, and more comfortable, but they have consequences. Eventually they end up in our water. But we now have a way of capturing them, researchers say, after having created minute particles with some very desirable properties.

Key upgrade to genomics software will underpin global data sharing Posted: 15 Aug 2014 07:21 AM PDT The rapidly rising volume of genomic data means that genomic scientists need fast and efficient methods to share, analyse and store sequence information. A major upgrade of Samtools, one of the most popular next-generation sequence analysis tools, now supports the highly efficient CRAM format, enabling researcher to easily compress and share their data, reducing costs and facilitating worldwide collaboration.

Politicians need to address transport taboos, not just new technology, to meet carbon targets, say researchers Posted: 14 Aug 2014 06:25 PM PDT Transport accounts for 30% of CO2 emissions in the EU, with emissions rising 36% between 1990 and 2007. New research has found a need to dissect the widely-held view that new technologies, such as biofuel and improved aircraft design, will result in carbon reduction targets being met.

Lemongrass fiber as lost circulation material in drilling fluid Posted: 14 Aug 2014 06:24 PM PDT The properties of lemongrass fibers are being studied as a potential help in preventing fluid circulation problems while drilling for oil and gas. In the oil and gas industry, drilling mud is used to (1) to suspend cuttings to prevent it sagging at the drill bit during shutdown, (2) to transport it to the surface, (3) to cool and lubricate the drill bit, (4) to provide enough hydrostatics pressure to prevent fluids from formation enter to the well bore and (5) to form a thin filter cake to seal the damage formation.

Carbon nanotubes and near-infrared lasers promise a cost effective solution for cell membrane manipulation Posted: 14 Aug 2014 06:24 PM PDT Researchers have developed a new, targeted method for perforating cell membranes in order to deliver drugs to, or manipulate the genes of, individual cells.

Make your mobile device live up to its true potential: As a data collection tool Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:24 PM PDT Easy Leaf Area is a new, free program that calculates leaf surface area from digital images. Leaf measurements are often critical in plant physiological and ecological studies, but traditional methods have been time consuming and sometimes destructive to plant samples. Easy Leaf Area allows users to accurately measure leaf area from digital images in seconds.

9/11 dust cloud may have caused widespread pregnancy issues Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:23 PM PDT Pregnant women living near the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks experienced negative birth outcomes, according to a new paper. These mothers were more likely to give birth prematurely and deliver babies with low birth weights. Their babies -- especially baby boys -- were also more likely to be admitted to neonatal intensive care units after birth.

Human contribution to glacier mass loss increasing Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:18 PM PDT By combining climate and glacier models, scientists have found unambiguous evidence for anthropogenic glacier mass loss in recent decades. The researchers report that about one quarter of the global glacier mass loss during the period of 1851 to 2010 is attributable to anthropogenic causes. The fraction of human contribution increased steadily and accelerated to almost two thirds between 1991 and 2010.

Reduced testosterone tied to endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:15 PM PDT Men, women and children exposed to high levels of phthalates -- endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in plastics and some personal care products -– tended to have reduced levels of testosterone in their blood compared to those with lower chemical exposure, according to a new study.

Giant Aldabra tortoises debut at Bronx Zoo Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:15 PM PDT Two giant Aldabra tortoises (Geochelone gigantean) are now grazing outside Zoo Center at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo. Both tortoises are males; one weighs approximately 400 pounds and the other tips the scales at around 600 pounds. Their exhibit is located at the iconic Zoo Center and resembles their natural habitat with a sandy substrate, lush vegetation, and a freshwater pool.

Harnessing the power of bacteria's sophisticated immune system Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:13 PM PDT Bacteria's ability to destroy viruses has long puzzled scientists, but researchers say they now have a clear picture of the bacterial immune system and say its unique shape is likely why bacteria can so quickly recognize and destroy their assailants. The findings provide clues about the spread of antibiotic resistance, which occurs when bacteria adapt to the point where antibiotics no longer work in people who need them to treat infections.

Blood-sucking parasitic eyeworm a culprit to 2010 quail decline, researchers believe Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:13 PM PDT In the summer of 2010, the Rolling Plains of West Texas expected a bumper crop of quail. By October, they nearly had vanished. The find out why, researchers necropsied hundreds of birds throughout a 19-million-acre area of land and discovered large numbers of parasitic eyeworms in many of the birds they sampled.

New analysis links tree height to climate Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:13 PM PDT What limits the height of trees? Is it the fraction of their photosynthetic energy they devote to productive new leaves? Or is it their ability to hoist water hundreds of feet into the air, supplying the green, solar-powered sugar factories in those leaves? A new paper attempts to resolve a debate as to which factors actually set maximum tree height, and how their relative importance varies in different parts of the world.

Antibodies together with viral 'inducers' found to control HIV in mice Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:12 PM PDT Although HIV can now be effectively suppressed using anti-retroviral drugs, it still comes surging back the moment the flow of drugs is stopped. Latent reservoirs of HIV-infected cells, invisible to the body's immune system and unreachable by pharmaceuticals, ensure that the infection will rebound after therapy is terminated.

'Fingerprinting' used to determine source of water sediment Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:39 AM PDT Forensic geoscience is being used to determine the source of sediment in watercourses. Delivery of sediment to watercourses can have environmental and economic impacts. Elevated suspended sediment in rivers, as a result of enterprises such as agriculture and forestry, can result in decreased light penetration in rivers, affecting aquatic flora and fauna. Excessive sediment in a river bed can smother aquatic habitats for species such as the Freshwater Pearl Mussel and Atlantic salmon.

Hoopoes' eggs show their true colors Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:39 AM PDT Preen gland secretion causes hoopoes' eggs to change color, possibly giving signals about the robustness of the mother bird, researchers have found. Hoopoe females use cosmetics on their eggs - and the eggs gradually change color when they are incubated, from bluish-grey to a more saturated greenish-brown. This happens because secretion from the uropygial or preen gland – a substance birds use to preen and protect their feathers – is transfered from the female hoopoe's gland to her eggs directly with the bill and by means of belly feathers.

Hydraulic fracturing: Helping businesses predict national fracking policy Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:38 AM PDT Hydraulic fracturing is emerging as one of the primary methods of drilling for natural gas, yet is equally controversial in its potential to induce harm to humans and the environment. The uncertainties of the health risks associated with horizontal drilling using fluid pressure to break down shale formations for natural gas extraction has pushed countries worldwide to proactively regulate the use of this technology. A new study can help companies in their decisions about whether or not to drill in a given country.

Could urbanization, biodiversity be compatible? Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:38 AM PDT More than 900 species of wild bees are found in France, but many of them - such as bumblebees - are in decline. Researchers have carried out the first exhaustive study in Europe to evaluate the impact of urbanization on the wild bee community.

Inside the cell, an ocean of buffeting waves, contrary to conventional understanding Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:38 AM PDT Conventional wisdom holds that the cytoplasm of mammalian cells is a viscous fluid, with organelles and proteins suspended within it, jiggling against one another and drifting at random. However, a new biophysical study challenges this model and reveals that those drifting objects are subject to a very different type of environment. The cytoplasm is actually an elastic gel, it turns out, so it puts up some resistance to simple diffusion, researchers report.

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