ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• How the hummingbird achieves its aerobatic feats
• Next-door leopards: First GPS-collar study reveals how leopards live with people
• Natural resistance gene against spruce budworm found
• Polyethylene mulch, glazing create optimal conditions for soil solarization
• Vermicompost leachate improves tomato seedling growth
• Life's extremists may be an untapped source of antibacterial drugs
• Cohesin: Cherry-shaped molecule safeguards cell-division
• Erosion may trigger earthquakes
• Novel regulatory mechanism for cell division found
• Key protein decrypted: Scientists develop 3D model of regulator protein bax
• Tapeworm found living inside a patient's brain: Worm removed and sequenced
• Why some people may be immune to HIV-1: Clues
• Genetic connivances of digits and genitals: Formation of these embryonic structures involves action of very similar group of genes
• Staying ahead of the game: Pre-empting flu evolution may make for better vaccines
• Opinion poll: Canada’s climate change consensus confronts Keystone
• Volcanic ash clouds can cross Atlantic Ocean
• Sun's rotating 'magnet' pulls lightning towards UK
• Wheat in diet: Study on health impact of wheat challenges Stone Age myths and costly diets, providing you go whole grain
• Landslide risks in Pacific Northwest US high: New technology may speed up, build awareness of landslide risks
• Florida harvester ants regularly relocate
• Endangered green turtles may feed, reside at Peru's central, northern coast
• As winter approaches, switching to cleaner heating oils could prevent health problems
• Camera trap images help wildlife managers ID problem tigers in India
• Can eating blueberries really help you see better in the dark?

How the hummingbird achieves its aerobatic feats Posted: 21 Nov 2014 04:21 PM PST Although hummingbirds are much larger and stir up the air more violently as they move, the way that they fly is more closely related to flying insects than it is to other birds. Now, the most detailed, three-dimensional aerodynamic simulation of hummingbird flight conducted to date has definitively demonstrated that the hummingbird achieves its nimble aerobatic abilities through a unique set of aerodynamic forces that are more closely aligned to those found in flying insects than to other birds.

Next-door leopards: First GPS-collar study reveals how leopards live with people Posted: 21 Nov 2014 09:12 AM PST In the first-ever GPS-based study of leopards in India, biologists have delved into the secret lives of these big cats, and recorded their strategies to thrive in human-dominated areas.

Natural resistance gene against spruce budworm found Posted: 21 Nov 2014 07:29 AM PST A natural resistance gene against spruce budworm in the white spruce has been discovered. The breakthrough paves the way to identifying and selecting naturally resistant trees to replant forests devastated by the destructive pest.

Polyethylene mulch, glazing create optimal conditions for soil solarization Posted: 21 Nov 2014 07:29 AM PST Researchers raised soil temperatures in high tunnels in southern Arizona to determine the efficacy of soil solarization using clear mulch on the soil surface and with tunnel glazing or with no glazing. Outcomes showed that producers using high tunnels in the region can complete solarization in less than a week during summer when the soil is fallow using glazing on the high tunnel and polyethylene mulch on the soil surface.

Vermicompost leachate improves tomato seedling growth Posted: 21 Nov 2014 07:28 AM PST A study assessed growth performance of tomato seedlings treated with vermicompost-leachate (VCL), an organic liquid produced from earthworm-digested material. Seedlings were subjected to various temperature and watering regimes. Results showed that VCL can be a suitable soil amendment product to improve overall soil fertility and growth of tomato plants, even under temperature and water stress conditions.

Life's extremists may be an untapped source of antibacterial drugs Posted: 21 Nov 2014 07:25 AM PST Life's extremists, a family of microbes called Archaea, may be an untapped source of new antibacterial drugs. That conclusion arises from the discovery of the first antibacterial gene in this ancient lineage.

Cohesin: Cherry-shaped molecule safeguards cell-division Posted: 21 Nov 2014 05:59 AM PST A cohesin molecule ensures the proper distribution of DNA during cell division. Scientists can now demonstrate the concept of its carabiner-like function by visualizing for the first time the open form of the complex.

Erosion may trigger earthquakes Posted: 21 Nov 2014 05:29 AM PST Researchers have shown that surface processes, i.e. erosion and sedimentation, may trigger shallow earthquakes (less than five kilometers deep) and favor the rupture of large deep earthquakes up to the surface. Although plate tectonics was generally thought to be the only persistent mechanism able to influence fault activity, it appears that surface processes also increase stresses on active faults, such as those in Taiwan, one of the world's most seismic regions.

Novel regulatory mechanism for cell division found Posted: 21 Nov 2014 05:27 AM PST A protein kinase or enzyme known as PKM2 has proven to control cell division, potentially providing a molecular basis for tumor diagnosis and treatment, researchers report. Understanding how cytokinesis goes awry is important since abnormal cell division impacts tumor cell growth and spread, they add.

Key protein decrypted: Scientists develop 3D model of regulator protein bax Posted: 21 Nov 2014 12:32 AM PST A new 3D model of the protein Bax, a key regulator of cell death, has been developed and released by researchers. When active, Bax forms pores in the membranes of mitochondria, causing the release of proteins from the intermembrane space into the cytoplasm. This in turn triggers a series of operations ending in cell death, which are often impaired in cancer cells. Using Double Electron-Electron Resonance spectroscopy, the research group has now shown that active Bax is present on the membrane in the form of dimeric assemblies whose clamp-like structures have a central role in the pore formation process.

Tapeworm found living inside a patient's brain: Worm removed and sequenced Posted: 20 Nov 2014 05:45 PM PST A genome of a rare species of tapeworm found living inside a patient's brain has been sequenced for the first time. The study provides insights into potential drug targets within the genome for future treatments.

Why some people may be immune to HIV-1: Clues Posted: 20 Nov 2014 11:17 AM PST Doctors have long been mystified as to why HIV-1 rapidly sickens some individuals, while in others the virus has difficulties gaining a foothold. Now, a study of genetic variation in HIV-1 and in the cells it infects has uncovered a chink in HIV-1's armor that may, at least in part, explain the puzzling difference -- and potentially open the door to new treatments.

Genetic connivances of digits and genitals: Formation of these embryonic structures involves action of very similar group of genes Posted: 20 Nov 2014 11:17 AM PST During the development of mammals, the growth and organization of digits are orchestrated by Hox genes, which are activated very early in precise regions of the embryo. These 'architect genes' are themselves regulated by a large piece of adjacent DNA. A new study reveals that this same DNA regulatory sequence also controls the architect genes during the development of the external genitals.

Staying ahead of the game: Pre-empting flu evolution may make for better vaccines Posted: 20 Nov 2014 11:16 AM PST An international team of researchers has shown that it may be possible to improve the effectiveness of the seasonal flu vaccine by 'pre-empting' the evolution of the influenza virus.

Opinion poll: Canada’s climate change consensus confronts Keystone Posted: 20 Nov 2014 08:22 AM PST Despite the fact that 81% of Canadians accept that temperature on Earth is increasing, researchers have revealed that Canadians are generally misinformed about the science of climate change and are divided over the construction of new oil pipelines.

Volcanic ash clouds can cross Atlantic Ocean Posted: 19 Nov 2014 05:48 PM PST Scientists have led the discovery of a volcanic ash cloud that traveled from Alaska to Northern Ireland and beyond -- overturning previously held assumptions about how far ash deposits can drift, with major implications for the airline industry.

Sun's rotating 'magnet' pulls lightning towards UK Posted: 19 Nov 2014 05:48 PM PST The sun may be playing a part in the generation of lightning strikes on Earth by temporarily 'bending' the Earth's magnetic field and allowing a shower of energetic particles to enter the upper atmosphere.

Wheat in diet: Study on health impact of wheat challenges Stone Age myths and costly diets, providing you go whole grain Posted: 19 Nov 2014 05:45 PM PST A review of the current evidence on the dietary and health impact of whole grain cereal consumption finds that many of the myths attributed to wheat-free diets are just that – myths, and that whole grains such as wheat are beneficial for the majority of people.

Landslide risks in Pacific Northwest US high: New technology may speed up, build awareness of landslide risks Posted: 19 Nov 2014 12:17 PM PST Engineers have created a new way to use lidar technology to identify and classify landslides on a landscape scale, which may revolutionize the understanding of landslides in the US and reveal them to be far more common and hazardous than often understood. Some areas of the Pacific Northwest may have had 10-100 times more landslides than were previously known of.

Florida harvester ants regularly relocate Posted: 19 Nov 2014 11:22 AM PST Florida harvester ants move and construct a similar subterranean nest about once a year. The Florida harvester ant excavates up to 2 meter deep nests in the sandy soils of the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains. Scientists tracked and mapped nest relocations of over 400 colonies in a north Florida coastal plains pine forest from 2010 to 2013 and monitored the progress of entire relocations of 20 of these nests.

Endangered green turtles may feed, reside at Peru's central, northern coast Posted: 19 Nov 2014 11:22 AM PST Peruvian coastal waters may provide suitable habitat that may help the recovery of endangered South Pacific green turtles.

As winter approaches, switching to cleaner heating oils could prevent health problems Posted: 19 Nov 2014 09:54 AM PST With temperatures dipping, homeowners are firing up their heaters. But systems that require heating oil release fine particles outside that could have harmful health effects. Regulations to curb these emissions in New York City, however, could save hundreds of lives, a new study has found. The report may have ramifications for the entire northeast, the country's largest consumer of heating oil.

Camera trap images help wildlife managers ID problem tigers in India Posted: 19 Nov 2014 09:51 AM PST Researchers are using high-tech solutions to zero in on individual tigers in conflict and relocate them out of harm's way for the benefit of both tigers and people.

Can eating blueberries really help you see better in the dark? Posted: 19 Nov 2014 08:27 AM PST Blueberries are super stars among health food advocates, who tout the fruit for not only promoting heart health, better memory and digestion, but also for improving night vision. Scientists have taken a closer look at this latter claim and have found reason to doubt that the popular berry helps most healthy people see better in the dark.

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