ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Animal therapy reduces need for pain medication after joint-replacement surgery
• Structure of molecular machine that targets viral DNA for destruction determined
• Gut microbes browse along gene buffet
• Water 'microhabitats' in oil show potential for extraterrestrial life, oil cleanup: Extremophilic ecosystems writ small
• All ivory markets must close, study suggests
• Fundamental plant chemicals trace back to bacteria
• Cell mechanics may hold key to how cancer spreads, recurs
• Climate warming may have unexpected impact on invasive species, study finds
• Dramatic growth of grafted stem cells in rat spinal cord
• Eating at fast food, full service restaurants linked to more calories, poorer nutrition
• Single-cell analysis holds promise for stem cell and cancer research
• The rise of the urban marmot
• Acute psychological stress promotes skin healing in mice
• Excavation of ancient well yields insight into Etruscan, Roman and medieval times

Animal therapy reduces need for pain medication after joint-replacement surgery Posted: 07 Aug 2014 03:03 PM PDT Patients recovering from total joint replacement surgery who receive animal-assisted therapy (AAT) require less pain medication than those who do not experience this type of therapy. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has been used in a variety of health-care settings to improve quality of life and physical, social, emotional and/or cognitive health for patients.

Structure of molecular machine that targets viral DNA for destruction determined Posted: 07 Aug 2014 12:41 PM PDT Scientists have described the molecular blueprint of a surveillance 'machine' that protects bacteria from viral infections.

Gut microbes browse along gene buffet Posted: 07 Aug 2014 11:57 AM PDT A detailed examination of gene expression in the guts of mice raised under three different microbial conditions shows that the host organism controls which genes are made available to gut microbes at various portions of the intestine. Usage of particular genes is regulated by the microbes, but access to the genes is determined by the host.

Water 'microhabitats' in oil show potential for extraterrestrial life, oil cleanup: Extremophilic ecosystems writ small Posted: 07 Aug 2014 11:57 AM PDT An international team of researchers has found extremely small habitats that increase the potential for life on other planets while offering a way to clean up oil spills on our own. Looking at samples from the world's largest natural asphalt lake, they found active microbes in droplets as small as a microliter, which is about 1/50th of a drop of water.

All ivory markets must close, study suggests Posted: 07 Aug 2014 11:54 AM PDT The message is simple: to save elephants, all ivory markets must close and all ivory stockpiles must be destroyed, according to a new article.

Fundamental plant chemicals trace back to bacteria Posted: 07 Aug 2014 09:18 AM PDT A fundamental chemical pathway that all plants use to create an essential amino acid needed by all animals to make proteins has now been traced to two groups of ancient bacteria. Researchers describe in a new article how they traced the phenylalanine pathway to two groups of bacteria. "Our question was how plants can produce so many different kinds and amounts of these aromatics, particularly the phenylalanine-derived compounds," they explain.

Cell mechanics may hold key to how cancer spreads, recurs Posted: 07 Aug 2014 09:18 AM PDT Cancer cells that break away from tumors to go looking for a new home may prefer to settle into a soft bed, according to new findings. Some particularly enterprising cancer cells can cause a cancer to spread to other organs or evade treatment to resurface after a patient is thought to be in remission. The researchers found that these tumor-repopulating cells may lurk quietly in stiffer cellular environments, but thrive in a softer space.

Climate warming may have unexpected impact on invasive species, study finds Posted: 07 Aug 2014 09:18 AM PDT Rising temperatures may be seen as universally beneficial for non-native species expanding northward, but a study suggests a warmer world may help some invaders but hurt others depending on how they and native enemies and competitors respond. Climate change and invasive species rank among the largest predicted threats to global ecosystems over the next century, authors say.

Dramatic growth of grafted stem cells in rat spinal cord Posted: 07 Aug 2014 09:17 AM PDT Scientists have reported that neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells and grafted into rats after a spinal cord injury produced cells with 10s of thousands of axons extending virtually the entire length of the animals' central nervous system.

Eating at fast food, full service restaurants linked to more calories, poorer nutrition Posted: 07 Aug 2014 07:52 AM PDT Eating at both fast-food and full-service restaurants is associated with significant increases in the intake of calories, sugar, saturated fat, and sodium, according to a new study. The researchers say the larger adverse effect they measured on energy intake for some lower socio-economic and minority populations has policy implications. They say efforts to improve diet and reduce energy intake from restaurant sources could actually help to reduce racial and socio-economic disparities in Americans' diets.

Single-cell analysis holds promise for stem cell and cancer research Posted: 07 Aug 2014 07:46 AM PDT Researchers have identified cells' unique features within the developing human brain, using the latest technologies for analyzing gene activity in individual cells, and have demonstrated that large-scale cell surveys can be done much more efficiently and cheaply than was previously thought possible.

The rise of the urban marmot Posted: 07 Aug 2014 07:43 AM PDT Scientists are spending this summer researching why the local population of yellow-bellied marmots -- those gregarious, burrowing rodents ubiquitous near the Spokane River -- are not only surviving but thriving in the urban areas of Spokane. Most research exploring patterns of species survival has focused on birds; little is known about the physiological mechanisms that allow mammals to survive in urban environments.

Acute psychological stress promotes skin healing in mice Posted: 07 Aug 2014 07:43 AM PDT Brief, acute psychological stress promoted healing in mouse models of three different types of skin irritations, in a new study. Scientists found that healing was brought about by the anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids -- steroid hormones -- produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress.

Excavation of ancient well yields insight into Etruscan, Roman and medieval times Posted: 07 Aug 2014 07:36 AM PDT During a four-year excavation of an Etruscan well at the ancient Italian settlement of Cetamura del Chianti, a team led by a archaeologist and art historian unearthed artifacts spanning more than 15 centuries of Etruscan, Roman and medieval civilization in Tuscany.

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