ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Solar energy that doesn't block the view
• Nuclear magnetic resonance experiments using Earth's magnetic field
• Seafood substitutions can expose consumers to unexpectedly high mercury
• Philippine tarsier: Genetic proof of a new variety
• Asian inventions dominate energy storage systems
• Fruit, vegetable intake still too low; human nutritionist says to focus on lunch
• Exporting US coal to Asia could drop emissions 21 percent
• Study at Deepwater Horizon spill site finds key to tracking pollutants
• Study of African dust transport to South America reveals air quality impacts
• Hope for healthy hearts revealed in naked mole rat studies
• Fish study links brain size to parental duties
• The mystery of cell proliferation: Matching histone to DNA
• Bacteria detected in food may cause risks to unborn children
• Surviving attack of killer microbes
• Sequencing at sea: Performing real-time DNA sequencing in the middle of Pacific Ocean
• Minor variations in ice sheet size can trigger abrupt climate change
• Hospital superbug breakthrough: Antibacterial gel kills Pseudomonas aeruginosa, staphylococci and E.coli using natural proteins
• Most complete Antarctic map for climate research made public
• New 'invisibility cloak': Octopus-inspired camouflage systems automatically read surroundings and mimic them
• Worm virus details come to light
• New mouse model points to therapy for liver disease
• Chikungunya fever: Invasion of Americas by mosquito-borne virus is likely, experts say
• Antibiotics in early life may alter immunity long-term
• Success in intracellular imaging of cesium distribution in plants used for cesium absorption
• Bone chemistry reveals royal lifestyle of Richard III

Solar energy that doesn't block the view Posted: 19 Aug 2014 05:02 PM PDT Researchers have developed a new type of solar concentrator that when placed over a window creates solar energy while allowing people to actually see through the window. It is called a transparent luminescent solar concentrator and can be used on buildings, cell phones and any other device that has a flat, clear surface.

Nuclear magnetic resonance experiments using Earth's magnetic field Posted: 19 Aug 2014 05:02 PM PDT Earth's magnetic field, a familiar directional indicator over long distances, is routinely probed in applications ranging from geology to archaeology. Now it has provided the basis for a technique which might, one day, be used to characterize the chemical composition of fluid mixtures in their native environments. Researchers have carried out nuclear magnetic resonance experiments using an ultra-low magnetic field comparable to Earth's magnetic field.

Seafood substitutions can expose consumers to unexpectedly high mercury Posted: 19 Aug 2014 12:53 PM PDT New measurements from fish purchased at retail seafood counters in 10 different states show the extent to which mislabeling can expose consumers to unexpectedly high levels of mercury, a harmful pollutant. Fishery stock 'substitutions' -- which falsely present a fish of the same species, but from a different geographic origin -- are the most dangerous mislabeling offense, according to new research.

Philippine tarsier: Genetic proof of a new variety Posted: 19 Aug 2014 12:53 PM PDT The tarsier is the 'flagship' iconic species for promoting environmental stewardship and ecotourism in the Philippines, a nation suffering from large-scale destruction of natural habitat.

Asian inventions dominate energy storage systems Posted: 19 Aug 2014 12:53 PM PDT In recent years, the number of patent applications for electrochemical energy storage technologies has soared. According to a study, the largest volume of applications is submitted by developers of lithium batteries. The study offers a first differentiated analysis of which technologies will be viable in the exit from fossil-fuel energy. European and US companies are falling behind economically, as Asian companies apply for a substantially higher number of patents.

Fruit, vegetable intake still too low; human nutritionist says to focus on lunch Posted: 19 Aug 2014 09:59 AM PDT Children between the ages of 2 and 18 are eating more whole fruits and drinking less fruit juice, a new report finds after the implementation of a new program. However, vegetable intake remains the same, they say. One expert says the switch from fruit juice to whole fruit has been a big improvement.

Exporting US coal to Asia could drop emissions 21 percent Posted: 19 Aug 2014 08:30 AM PDT Under the right scenario, exporting US coal to power plants in South Korea could lead to a 21 percent drop in greenhouse gas emissions compared to burning it at less energy-efficient US plants. Other emissions, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter, could also drop. But this success, researchers say, depends on which fuel source the coal replaces in South Korea, and which fuel is used to replace it in the US.

Study at Deepwater Horizon spill site finds key to tracking pollutants Posted: 19 Aug 2014 06:41 AM PDT A new study of the ocean circulation patterns at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill reveals the significant role small-scale ocean currents play in the spread of pollutants. The findings provide new information to help predict the movements of oil and other pollutants in the ocean.

Study of African dust transport to South America reveals air quality impacts Posted: 19 Aug 2014 06:40 AM PDT A new study that analyzed concentrations of African dust transported to South America shows large seasonal peaks in winter and spring. These research findings offer new insight on the overall human health and air quality impacts of African dust, including the climate change-induced human health effects that are expected to occur from increased African dust emissions in the coming decades.

Hope for healthy hearts revealed in naked mole rat studies Posted: 19 Aug 2014 06:40 AM PDT The naked mole rat, the longest lived of rodents, shows superior cardiovascular function to old age in two studies. Cardiovascular disease is the greatest killer of humans the world over, presenting huge financial and quality-of-life issues. It is well known that the heart becomes less efficient with age in all mammals studied to date, even in the absence of overt cardiac disease. However, scientists still don't have a good understanding of how to prevent these functional declines that ultimately may lead to debilitating cardiovascular disease.

Fish study links brain size to parental duties Posted: 19 Aug 2014 05:34 AM PDT Male stickleback fish that protect their young have bigger brains than counterparts that don't care for offspring, finds a new study. "This suggests that regular sticklebacks have bigger brains to handle the brain power needed to care for and protect their young," says the study's lead author. "This is one of the first studies to link parental care with brain size."

The mystery of cell proliferation: Matching histone to DNA Posted: 19 Aug 2014 05:32 AM PDT Before cells divide, they create so much genetic material that it must be wound onto spools before the two new cells can split apart. These spools are actually proteins called histones, and they must multiply at the same moment that the cell doubles its DNA. If the amount of histones does not increase when the DNA doubles, the centimeters of new DNA could never be packed small enough to fit into chromosomes, which are just a few micrometers long. In the early stage of development, the period when DNA doubles and the cell divides is called proliferation, after which an embryo grows from one cell to more than one thousand cells.

Bacteria detected in food may cause risks to unborn children Posted: 19 Aug 2014 05:32 AM PDT At least 10 percent of the fresh cheese, sausages and meats sold in markets and on the street may be contaminated, Mexican research suggests. Human listeriosis is a disease with a high mortality rate (20 to 30 percent) leading to severe diseases such as meningitis, septicemia, and miscarriages. It usually affects immunocompromised individuals, pregnant women, elderly and children. While the infection is spread by fecal-oral route of animal to human and from mother to fetus, the main source of infection is by eating contaminated food because of poor hygiene practices.

Surviving attack of killer microbes Posted: 19 Aug 2014 05:32 AM PDT The ability to find food and avoid predation dictates whether most organisms live to spread their genes to the next generation or die trying. But for some species of microbe, a unique virus changes the rules of the game. This unusual virus turns some individual microbes into killers. That is, when these killer microbes encounter any other microbe that is competing with them for resources, they kill that microbe on the spot.

Sequencing at sea: Performing real-time DNA sequencing in the middle of Pacific Ocean Posted: 19 Aug 2014 05:32 AM PDT Scientists overcame equipment failure, space constraints and shark-infested waters to do real-time DNA sequencing in a remote field location. Despite the setbacks, the researchers successfully collected samples, sequenced DNA, and developed new research questions on the fly. In all, 26 bacterial genomes were sequenced, along with two metagenomes, which take into account all the DNA present in a given region.

Minor variations in ice sheet size can trigger abrupt climate change Posted: 18 Aug 2014 07:48 PM PDT Small fluctuations in the sizes of ice sheets during the last ice age were enough to trigger abrupt climate change, scientists have found. The team compared simulated model data with that retrieved from ice cores and marine sediments in a bid to find out why temperature jumps of up to ten degrees took place in far northern latitudes within just a few decades during the last ice age.

Hospital superbug breakthrough: Antibacterial gel kills Pseudomonas aeruginosa, staphylococci and E.coli using natural proteins Posted: 18 Aug 2014 07:48 PM PDT Scientists have made a breakthrough in the fight against the most resistant hospital superbugs. The team have developed the first innovative antibacterial gel that acts to kill Pseudomonas aeruginosa, staphylococci and E.coli using natural proteins. The gels have the ability to break down the thick jelly-like coating, known as biofilms, which cover bacteria making them highly resistant to current therapies, while leaving healthy cells unaffected.

Most complete Antarctic map for climate research made public Posted: 18 Aug 2014 05:41 PM PDT A new satellite image of Antarctica has been made available to the public, and the imagery will help scientists all over the world gain new insight into the effects of climate change. Using Synthetic Aperture Radar with multiple polarization modes aboard the RADARSAT-2 satellite, the CSA collected more than 3,150 images of the continent in the autumn of 2008, comprising a single pole-to-coast map covering all of Antarctica. This is the first such map of the area since RADARSAT-1 created one in 1997.

New 'invisibility cloak': Octopus-inspired camouflage systems automatically read surroundings and mimic them Posted: 18 Aug 2014 05:41 PM PDT Researchers have developed a technology that allows a material to automatically read its environment and adapt to mimic its surroundings. Cunjiang Yu, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Houston and lead author of the paper, said the system was inspired by the skins of cephalopods, a class of marine animals which can change coloration quickly, both for camouflage and as a form of warning.

Worm virus details come to light Posted: 18 Aug 2014 12:25 PM PDT The structure of the first virus known to naturally infect nematodes has been described by researchers. The research will help scientists study how viruses interact with their nematode hosts. It may also allow them to customize the virus to attack parasitic or pathogenic worms. The research may also lead to new information about how viruses attack other species, including humans, which have thousands of genes that are identical to those found in nematodes.

New mouse model points to therapy for liver disease Posted: 18 Aug 2014 10:49 AM PDT A novel mouse model that closely resembles human NASH has been described by researchers. They use it to demonstrate that interference with a key inflammatory protein inhibits both the development of NASH and its progression to liver cancer.

Chikungunya fever: Invasion of Americas by mosquito-borne virus is likely, experts say Posted: 18 Aug 2014 08:32 AM PDT While media attention has been focused recently on coronavirus cases in the Arabian peninsula and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, experts note that another threat lies in the spread of Chikungunya fever, an illness that is transmitted by mosquitoes and can cause fever, joint and muscle pain, headaches, and rashes. While it does not often cause death, the symptoms can be severe and disabling, with no treatment available.

Antibiotics in early life may alter immunity long-term Posted: 18 Aug 2014 06:59 AM PDT A new study aims to help scientists understand how different antibiotics affect bacteria that play a positive role in promoting a healthy immune system. "This is the first step to understanding which bacteria are absolutely necessary to develop a healthy immune system later in life," says the lead researcher.

Success in intracellular imaging of cesium distribution in plants used for cesium absorption Posted: 18 Aug 2014 06:48 AM PDT Since the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the discharge of radioactive cesium into the environment has become a serious environmental problem. While various decontamination methods are currently being studied, methods involving cesium absorption from soil and water by plants has drawn attention since they can be used to concentrate cesium, produce little waste, are inexpensive, and environmentally benign. The method developed in new research can be used to detect cesium carbonate particles at high resolution (micrometer-level) by using a fluorescent probe called "Cesium Green," which also enables intracellular imaging of cesium distribution.

Bone chemistry reveals royal lifestyle of Richard III Posted: 16 Aug 2014 05:45 PM PDT A recent study has delved into the bone and tooth chemistry of King Richard III and uncovered fascinating new details about the life and diet of Britain's last Plantagenet king. The study indicates a change in diet and location in his early childhood, and in later life, a diet filled with expensive, high status food and drink.

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