ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Surfactants, such as soaps and detergents, do not harm the environment, study suggests
• Stochastic variations of migration speed between cells in clonal populations
• Viral infection may trigger childhood diabetes in utero
• New discovery in the microbiology of serious human disease
• Making oxygen before life: Oxygen can form directly from carbon dioxide in upper atmosphere
• Global database: Cattle genome cracked in detail
• New method for detecting water on Mars
• Hunting viruses that play hide and seek
• Batteries included: A solar cell that stores its own power
• Toxicity test technology hits the market
• Blackflies may be responsible for spreading nodding syndrome
• HIV pandemic's origins located
• Study of mountain lion energetics shows the power of the pounce
• Insect diversification: Metamorphosing insects biggest contributors to insect evolution
• Key to identifying spiders in international cargo

Surfactants, such as soaps and detergents, do not harm the environment, study suggests Posted: 03 Oct 2014 10:57 AM PDT What happens to soap and detergent surfactants when they run down the drain? Do they seep into the groundwater, lakes and streams, where they could pose a risk to fish and frogs? Not likely. This is shown in a new and very comprehensive report of the potential impact on the environment of the enormous amounts of common surfactants used day in and day out by consumers all over the world.

Stochastic variations of migration speed between cells in clonal populations Posted: 03 Oct 2014 10:54 AM PDT Microfluidic tools for precision measurements of cell migration speed reveal that migratory speed of individual cells changes stochastically from parent cells to their descendants, while the average speed of the cell population remains constant through successive generations. This finding is important in the context of cancer treatment, where treatments are sought to slow down the invasion of cancer cells.

Viral infection may trigger childhood diabetes in utero Posted: 03 Oct 2014 10:54 AM PDT A likely trigger for juvenile diabetes before birth has been identified by researchers who have put forth evidence that the autoimmune disease is initiated in utero. Women who contract a viral infection during pregnancy transmit viruses to their genetically susceptible fetuses, sparking the development of type 1 diabetes, they propose.

New discovery in the microbiology of serious human disease Posted: 03 Oct 2014 10:53 AM PDT Previously undiscovered secrets of how human cells interact with a bacterium which causes a serious human disease have been revealed in new research by microbiologists.

Making oxygen before life: Oxygen can form directly from carbon dioxide in upper atmosphere Posted: 03 Oct 2014 06:22 AM PDT About one-fifth of the Earth's atmosphere is oxygen, pumped out by green plants as a result of photosynthesis and used by most living things on the planet to keep our metabolisms running. Scientists have now shown that oxygen can be formed directly from carbon dioxide in the upper atmosphere, changing models of how the atmosphere evolved early in Earth's history.

Global database: Cattle genome cracked in detail Posted: 03 Oct 2014 06:22 AM PDT An international consortium of scientists has increased the detailed knowledge of the variation in the cattle genome by several orders of magnitude by creating a global database. The first generation of the new data resource, which will be open access, forms an essential tool for scientists working with cattle genetics and livestock history.

New method for detecting water on Mars Posted: 03 Oct 2014 03:45 AM PDT An undergraduate student has helped develop a new method for detecting water on Mars. Water is a key indicator for the potential of microbial life on the red planet. While reseachers didn't see evidence of it from two sites they studied, their method could look for water elsewhere.

Hunting viruses that play hide and seek Posted: 03 Oct 2014 03:44 AM PDT Every year, two million children die of acute respiratory infections. Among the culprits are several different viruses, one of which your child almost certainly has had without you or the doctors ever knowing it. The good news is that researchers believe you are most likely immune after having had this virus just once.

Batteries included: A solar cell that stores its own power Posted: 03 Oct 2014 03:43 AM PDT Is it a solar cell? Or a rechargeable battery? Actually, the patent-pending device is both: the world's first solar battery. Scientists have succeeding in combining a battery and a solar cell into one hybrid device.

Toxicity test technology hits the market Posted: 02 Oct 2014 07:11 PM PDT A technique for high throughput screening of substances that could cause DNA damage has been developed by scientists. The technology allows for testing of drugs and cosmetics that could pose a risk to human health, and assesses damage done to DNA, while reducing reliance on animal testing, researchers say.

Blackflies may be responsible for spreading nodding syndrome Posted: 02 Oct 2014 01:27 PM PDT Despite decades of research, scientists have yet to pinpoint the exact cause of nodding syndrome (NS), a disabling disease affecting African children. A new report suggests that blackflies infected with the parasite Onchocerca volvulus may be capable of passing on a secondary pathogen that is to blame for the spread of the disease. When present, the first indication of the disease is an involuntary nodding of the head, followed by epileptic seizures. The condition can cause cognitive deterioration, stunted growth, and in some cases, death.

HIV pandemic's origins located Posted: 02 Oct 2014 11:17 AM PDT The present HIV pandemic almost certainly originated in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to a new study. An international team of scientists reconstructed the genetic history of the HIV-1 group M pandemic, which saw HIV spread across Africa and around the world. Their analysis suggests that the common ancestor of group M is likely to have emerged in Kinshasa around 1920.

Study of mountain lion energetics shows the power of the pounce Posted: 02 Oct 2014 11:17 AM PDT High-tech collars enabled scientists to record the energetics of mountain lion hunting behavior, showing why cats use "stalk and pounce" and how they overpower large prey.

Insect diversification: Metamorphosing insects biggest contributors to insect evolution Posted: 02 Oct 2014 11:17 AM PDT Two new datasets on insect evolution have compiled by biologists, revealing that metamorphosing insects diversify more quickly than other insects and are therefore the biggest contributors to the evolution of insect diversity.

Key to identifying spiders in international cargo Posted: 01 Oct 2014 03:59 PM PDT Spiders found in international cargo brought into North America are sometimes misidentified, which can lead to costly and unwarranted eradication measures. A new study provides a key to identifying spiders commonly found in international cargo.

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