ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• WHO issues roadmap to scale up international response to the Ebola outbreak in west Africa
• Plug 'n' play protein crystals
• Danish museum discovers unique gift from Charles Darwin
• Snails tell of the rise and fall of the Tibetan Plateau
• Flapping baby birds give clues to origin of flight
• Second-hand e-cig smoke compared to regular cigarette smoke
• How the zebrafish gets its stripes: Uncovering how beautiful color patterns can develop in animals
• Prehistoric migrations: DNA study unravels the settlement history of the New World Arctic
• Home is where the microbes are
• New research reveals how wild rabbits were genetically transformed into tame rabbits
• Genomic sequencing reveals mutations, insights into 2014 Ebola outbreak
• From bite site to brain: How rabies virus hijacks and speeds up transport in nerve cells
• Mystery solved: 'Sailing stones' of Death Valley seen in action for the first time
• Small molecule acts as on-off switch for nature's antibiotic factory: Tells Streptomyces to either veg out or get busy
• Marine protected areas inadequate for protecting fish and ocean ecology, study finds
• Up to 3,000 times the bacterial growth on hollow-head toothbrushes
• Global warming pioneer calls for carbon dioxide to be taken from atmosphere and stored underground
• Ancient metal workers were not slaves but highly regarded craftsmen
• Synthesis produces new fungus-derived antibiotic
• Indoor mold poses health risk to asthma sufferers
• Study shows where on the planet new roads should and should not go
• Paleontology: Oldest representative of a weird arthropod group
• From water to land and back, the mosquitofish is on a roll
• Marijuana compound may offer treatment for Alzheimer's disease, study suggests
• Photosynthesis: Researchers observe protein quake

WHO issues roadmap to scale up international response to the Ebola outbreak in west Africa Posted: 29 Aug 2014 08:54 AM PDT The World Health Organization has issued a roadmap to guide and coordinate the international response to the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in west Africa. The aim is to stop ongoing Ebola transmission worldwide within 6-9 months, while rapidly managing the consequences of any further international spread.

Plug 'n' play protein crystals Posted: 29 Aug 2014 05:39 AM PDT Almost a hundred years ago in 1929 Linus Pauling presented the famous Pauling's Rules to describe the principles governing the structure of complex ionic crystals. These rules essentially describe how the arrangement of atoms in a crystal is critically dependent on the size of the atoms, their charge and type of bonding. According to scientists today, similar rules can be applied to prepare ionic colloidal crystals consisting of oppositely charged proteins and virus particles.

Danish museum discovers unique gift from Charles Darwin Posted: 29 Aug 2014 05:39 AM PDT The Natural History Museum of Denmark recently discovered a unique gift from one of the greatest-ever scientists. In 1854, Charles Darwin – father of the theory of evolution – sent a gift to his Danish colleague Japetus Steenstrup, director of the Royal Museum of Natural History. Until very recently, no one at the museum knew that it possessed a piece of scientific history of this caliber. Just a few weeks ago, the head of exhibitions was studying the correspondence between Steenstrup and Darwin as part of her search for objects to include in an upcoming exhibition. She started to suspect a treasure lay hidden somewhere, and soon a hunt was launched among the museum's 14 million objects.

Snails tell of the rise and fall of the Tibetan Plateau Posted: 29 Aug 2014 05:38 AM PDT The rise of the Tibetan plateau -- the largest topographic anomaly above sea level on Earth -- is important for both its profound effect on climate and its reflection of continental dynamics. Scientists have now employed a cutting-edge geochemical tool -- "clumped" isotope thermometry -- using modern and fossil snail shells to investigate the uplift history of the Zhada basin in southwestern Tibet.

Flapping baby birds give clues to origin of flight Posted: 28 Aug 2014 02:00 PM PDT The origin of flight is a contentious issue: some argue that tree-climbing dinosaurs learned to fly in order to avoid hard falls. Others favor the story that theropod dinosaurs ran along the ground and pumped their forelimbs to gain lift, eventually talking off. New evidence showing the early development of aerial righting in birds favors the tree-dweller hypothesis.

Second-hand e-cig smoke compared to regular cigarette smoke Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:28 AM PDT Second-hand e-cig smoke has 10 times less particulate matter than regular cigarette smoke; but higher levels of certain toxic metals, a new study finds.

How the zebrafish gets its stripes: Uncovering how beautiful color patterns can develop in animals Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:27 AM PDT The zebrafish, a small fresh water fish, owes its name to a striking pattern of blue stripes alternating with golden stripes. Three major pigment cell types, black cells, reflective silvery cells, and yellow cells emerge during growth in the skin of the tiny juvenile fish and arrange as a multi-layered mosaic to compose the characteristic color pattern. While it was known that all three cell types have to interact to form proper stripes, the embryonic origin of the pigment cells that develop the stripes of the adult fish has remained a mystery up to now. Scientists have now discovered how these cells arise and behave to form the 'zebra' pattern.

Prehistoric migrations: DNA study unravels the settlement history of the New World Arctic Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:27 AM PDT A new DNA study unravels the settlement history of the New World Arctic. We know people have lived in the New World Arctic for about 5,000 years. Archaeological evidence clearly shows that a variety of cultures survived the harsh climate in Alaska, Canada and Greenland for thousands of years. Despite this, there are several unanswered questions about these people.

Home is where the microbes are Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:27 AM PDT A person's home is their castle, and they populate it with their own subjects: millions and millions of bacteria. Scientists have detailed the microbes that live in houses and apartments. The results shed light on the complicated interaction between humans and the microbes that live on and around us. Mounting evidence suggests that these microscopic, teeming communities play a role in human health and disease treatment and transmission.

New research reveals how wild rabbits were genetically transformed into tame rabbits Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:27 AM PDT The genetic changes that transformed wild animals into domesticated forms have long been a mystery. An international team of scientists has now made a breakthrough by showing that many genes controlling the development of the brain and the nervous system were particularly important for rabbit domestication. The study gives answers to many genetic questions.

Genomic sequencing reveals mutations, insights into 2014 Ebola outbreak Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:27 AM PDT In response to an ongoing, unprecedented outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa, a team of researchers has rapidly sequenced and analyzed more than 99 Ebola virus genomes. Their findings could have important implications for rapid field diagnostic tests.

From bite site to brain: How rabies virus hijacks and speeds up transport in nerve cells Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:27 AM PDT Rabies is usually transmitted through the bite of an infected animal into muscle tissue of the new host. From there, the virus travels all the way to the brain where it multiplies and causes the usually fatal disease. A new article sheds light on how the virus hijacks the transport system in nerve cells to reach the brain with maximal speed and efficiency.

Mystery solved: 'Sailing stones' of Death Valley seen in action for the first time Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:19 AM PDT Racetrack Playa is home to an enduring Death Valley mystery. Littered across the surface of this dry lake, also called a "playa," are hundreds of rocks -- some weighing as much as 320 kilograms (700 pounds) -- that seem to have been dragged across the ground, leaving synchronized trails that can stretch for hundreds of meters.

Small molecule acts as on-off switch for nature's antibiotic factory: Tells Streptomyces to either veg out or get busy Posted: 28 Aug 2014 10:58 AM PDT Biochemists have identified the developmental on-off switch for Streptomyces, a group of soil microbes that produce more than two-thirds of the world's naturally derived antibiotic medicines. Their hope now would be to see whether it is possible to manipulate this switch to make nature's antibiotic factory more efficient.

Marine protected areas inadequate for protecting fish and ocean ecology, study finds Posted: 28 Aug 2014 10:58 AM PDT A new study reports that an expansion of marine protected areas is needed to protect fish species that perform key ecological functions. According to investigators, previous efforts at protecting fish have focused on saving the largest numbers of species, often at the expense of those species that provide key and difficult-to-replace ecological functions.

Up to 3,000 times the bacterial growth on hollow-head toothbrushes Posted: 28 Aug 2014 08:52 AM PDT Solid-head power toothbrushes retain less bacteria compared to hollow-head toothbrushes, according to new research.

Global warming pioneer calls for carbon dioxide to be taken from atmosphere and stored underground Posted: 28 Aug 2014 08:09 AM PDT Wally Broeker, the first person to alert the world to global warming, has called for atmospheric carbon dioxide to be captured and stored underground.

Ancient metal workers were not slaves but highly regarded craftsmen Posted: 28 Aug 2014 08:09 AM PDT In the course of ongoing excavations at Timna Valley, archaeologists analyzed remnants of food eaten by copper smelters 3,000 years ago. This analysis indicates that the laborers operating the furnaces were in fact skilled craftsmen who enjoyed high social status and adulation. They believe their discovery may have ramifications for similar sites across the region.

Synthesis produces new fungus-derived antibiotic Posted: 28 Aug 2014 08:09 AM PDT A fortuitous collaboration has led to the total synthesis of a recently discovered natural antibiotic. The laboratory recreation of a fungus-derived antibiotic, viridicatumtoxin B, may someday help bolster the fight against bacteria that evolve resistance to treatments in hospitals and clinics around the world.

Indoor mold poses health risk to asthma sufferers Posted: 28 Aug 2014 08:09 AM PDT By critically reviewing the findings from 17 studies in eight different countries, the research has found that the presence of several types of mould can lead to breathing problems in asthma sufferers, as well as increasing the likelihood of developing the condition.

Study shows where on the planet new roads should and should not go Posted: 28 Aug 2014 08:06 AM PDT Researchers have created a 'large-scale zoning plan' that aims to limit the environmental costs of road expansion while maximizing its benefits for human development.

Paleontology: Oldest representative of a weird arthropod group Posted: 28 Aug 2014 06:14 AM PDT Biologists have assigned a number of 435-million-year-old fossils to a new genus of predatory arthropods. These animals lived in shallow marine habitats and were far less eye-catching than related forms found in Jurassic strata.

From water to land and back, the mosquitofish is on a roll Posted: 27 Aug 2014 05:35 PM PDT Some fish will leap out of water to escape a predator, but biologists have observed that the mosquitofish chooses the most energy-efficient method for returning -- a finding that has evolutionary implications.

Marijuana compound may offer treatment for Alzheimer's disease, study suggests Posted: 27 Aug 2014 10:18 AM PDT Extremely low levels of the compound in marijuana known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, may slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease, a recent study from neuroscientists suggests.

Photosynthesis: Researchers observe protein quake Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:19 AM PDT One of nature's mysteries is how plants survive impact by the huge amounts of energy contained in the sun's rays, while using this energy for photosynthesis. The hypothesis is that the light-absorbing proteins in the plant's blades quickly dissipate the energy throughout the entire protein molecule through so-called protein quakes. Researchers have now managed to successfully 'film' this process.

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