ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Friday, July 22, 2011 ~ Technology

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Friday, July 22, 2011

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Juvenile diarrhea virus analyzed down to the atomic level (July 22, 2011) -- Scientists have used X-ray crystallography to define the structure -- down to the atomic level -- of a common virus that causes juvenile diarrhea. The new research could help direct efforts to develop medications that block the virus before it becomes infectious. ... > full story

Targeting toxin trafficking in plants and bacteria (July 22, 2011) -- Toxins produced by plants and bacteria pose a significant threat to humans, as emphasized by the recent effects of cucumber-borne Shiga toxin in Germany. Now, new research provides a clearer view of the combination of similar and divergent strategies that different toxins use to invade a human host cell. ... > full story

Butterfly study sheds light on convergent evolution: Single gene controls mimicry across different species (July 22, 2011) -- For 150 years scientists have been trying to explain convergent evolution. One of the best-known examples of this is how poisonous butterflies from different species evolve to mimic each other's color patterns -- in effect joining forces to warn predators, "Don't eat us," while spreading the cost of this lesson. New research has solved part of the mystery by identifying a single gene called optix responsible for red wing color patterns in a wide variety of passion vine butterfly species. ... > full story

New mechanism in the regulation of human genes (July 22, 2011) -- In order to create proteins, a protein-coding gene must be transcribed into RNA and in the splicing process shortened to the correct template. Scientists in Germany have now discovered how the U2AF protein enables this process. ... > full story

Parasites help reveal new ecological rules: Animal species large and small follow same rule for how common they are in ecosystems (July 21, 2011) -- Scientists say new research is expected to profoundly affect the field of ecology and can assist the management of ecosystems, including forests, lakes, and oceans. And it's all because of parasites. ... > full story

Proteins enable essential enzyme to maintain its grip on DNA (July 21, 2011) -- Scientists have identified a family of proteins that close a critical gap in an enzyme that is essential to all life, allowing the enzyme to maintain its grip on DNA and start the activation of genes. The enzyme, called RNA polymerase, is responsible for setting gene expression in motion in all cells. RNA polymerase wraps itself around the double helix of DNA, using one strand to match nucleotides and make a copy of genetic material. ... > full story

'Freaky mouse' defeats common poison: House mice found unexpected ways to evolve resistance, study shows (July 21, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered common house mice found two distinct ways to evolve resistance to warfarin-based rodent poisons. ... > full story

Nanotechnology for water filter (July 21, 2011) -- Nanotechnology has developed tremendously in the past decade and was able to create many new materials with a vast range of potential applications. Carbon nanotubes possess exceptional electronic, mechanical and chemical properties, for example they can be used to clean polluted water. ... > full story

Researchers identify seventh and eighth bases of DNA (July 21, 2011) -- For decades, scientists have known that DNA consists of four basic units -- adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine. Those four bases have been taught in science textbooks and have formed the basis of the growing knowledge regarding how genes code for life. Yet in recent history, scientists have expanded that list from four to six. Now, researchers have discovered the seventh and eighth bases of DNA. ... > full story

Paternity testing helps fill in family tree for Puget Sound's killer whales: Inbreeding could reduce whales' genetic diversity (July 21, 2011) -- Scientists using DNA testing to fill in a missing link in the lives of killer whales that seasonally visit Washington's Puget Sound, have discovered that some of the progeny they studied were the result of matings within the same social subgroups, or pods, that are part of the overall population. ... > full story

Unlisted ingredients in teas and herbal brews revealed in DNA tests by high school students (July 21, 2011) -- Take a second look at your iced or steaming tea. Guided by scientific experts, three New York City high school students using tabletop DNA technologies found several herbal brews and a few brands of tea contain ingredients unlisted on the manufacturers' package. The teen sleuths also demonstrated new-to-science genetic variation between broad-leaf teas from exported from India versus small-leaf teas exported from China. ... > full story

Controlling movements with light (July 21, 2011) -- Researchers have succeeded in controlling the activity of certain nerve cells using light, thus influencing the movements of mice. By changing special receptors in nerve cells of the cerebellum such that they can be activated and deactivated by light, the researchers have shown that the signaling pathways, which are activated by the receptors play a crucial role in controlling movement. ... > full story

Seaweed as a rich new source of heart-healthy food ingredients (July 21, 2011) -- In an article that may bring smiles to the faces of vegetarians who consume no dairy products and vegans, who consume no animal-based foods, scientists have identified seaweed as a rich new potential source of heart-healthy food ingredients. Seaweed and other "macroalgae" could rival milk products as sources of these so-called "bioactive peptides." ... > full story

Full moon indicates impending danger from lion attack, study shows (July 21, 2011) -- A new study led by Craig Packer, an international lion expert based at the University of Minnesota's College of Biological Sciences, shows that while moonlight limits lions' success at hunting their four-legged prey, the last day of a full moon signals the beginning of a foraging opportunity for bipeds. ... > full story

Mother knows best for urban fox families (July 21, 2011) -- In urban fox families, mothers determine which cubs get to stay and which must leave while fathers have little say in the matter, new research by biologists in the UK has found. ... > full story

Evolution provides clue to blood clotting (July 21, 2011) -- A simple cut to the skin unleashes a complex cascade of chemistry to stem the flow of blood. Now, scientists at have used evolutionary clues to reveal how a key clotting protein self-assembles. The finding sheds new light on common bleeding disorders. ... > full story

Prehistoric crocodile Terminonaris was Texas native, fossil suggests (July 21, 2011) -- A prehistoric crocodile thought to have originated in Europe now appears to have been a Texas native, new research shows. The switch for the genus Terminonaris is based on the identification of a well-preserved fossil snout that was discovered near the waters edge of a Dallas-area lake. The 96-million-year-old fossil is the oldest of its kind worldwide, indicating Terminonaris likely originated in Texas and dispersed northward. ... > full story

CARE positions disaster relief with promising discipline of humanitarian logistics (July 21, 2011) -- Operations research models developed by a team at the Georgia Institute of Technology helped CARE International pick three locations worldwide to supply relief quickly to victims of earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters, according to a new paper. ... > full story

Texas experts bring science and policy to hydraulic fracturing debate (July 21, 2011) -- Innovative and interdisciplinary research by faculty at the University of Texas at Austin is helping to improve the safety and efficiency of hydraulic fracturing, identify issues that need to be corrected and untangle the knowns and unknowns of a process that is expected to constitute perhaps half of the nation's total natural gas supplies in coming years. ... > full story

With secondhand gene, house mice resist poison (July 21, 2011) -- Since the 1950s, people have tried to limit the numbers of mice and rats using a poison known as warfarin. But, over the course of evolution, those pesky rodents have found a way to make a comeback, resisting that chemical via changes to a gene involved in vitamin K recycling and blood clotting. Now, researchers show that European mice have in some cases acquired that resistance gene in a rather unorthodox way: they got it secondhand from an Algerian mouse. ... > full story

Bold new approach to wind 'farm' design may provide efficiency gains (July 20, 2011) -- Conventional wisdom suggests that because we're approaching the theoretical limit on individual wind turbine efficiency, wind energy is now a mature technology. But researchers have recently revisited some of the fundamental assumptions that guided the wind industry for the past 30 years, and now believe that a new approach to wind farm design -- one that places wind turbines close together instead of far apart -- may provide significant efficiency gains. ... > full story

EHEC 2011 outbreak: Scientists publish prospective genomic characterization (July 20, 2011) -- Scientists have released a draft genome sequence of a German enterohemorrhagic E. coli 2011 outbreak strain, and now report on an in-depth genomic characterization of this outbreak. ... > full story

Technology to throw new light on ancient artifacts (July 20, 2011) -- New technology which makes it possible to study the finer details of some of the world’s greatest historical artifacts has been developed by computer scientists and archaeologists. ... > full story

Gene required to maintain male sex throughout life discovered: Loss of gene Dmrt1 leads to male cells becoming female (July 20, 2011) -- Researchers have made a key discovery showing that male sex must be maintained throughout life. Removing an important male development gene, called Dmrt1, causes male cells in mouse testis to become female cells. ... > full story

How the honey bee tolerates some synthetic pesticides (July 20, 2011) -- A new study reveals how enzymes in the honey bee gut detoxify pesticides commonly used to kill mites in the honey bee hive. This is the first study to tease out the precise molecular mechanisms that allow a pollinating insect to tolerate exposure to these potentially deadly compounds. ... > full story

First artificial neural network created out of DNA: Molecular soup exhibits brainlike behavior (July 20, 2011) -- Researchers have now taken a major step toward creating artificial intelligence -- not in a robot or a silicon chip, but in a test tube. The researchers are the first to have made an artificial neural network out of DNA, creating a circuit of interacting molecules that can recall memories based on incomplete patterns, just as a brain can. ... > full story

Newly designed molecule blocks chlamydia bacteria (July 20, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a way to block the damaging actions of Chlamydia, the bacteria responsible for the largest number of sexually transmitted infections in the United States. ... > full story

The tallest tree in all the land (July 20, 2011) -- Knowing how tall trees can grow in any given region can give ecologists a wealth of information, from the potential density of a forest and size of its tree canopy to the amount of carbon stored in woodlands and the overall health of an ecosystem. Now scientists have come up with a simple model to predict the maximum tree height in different environments across the United States. ... > full story

Ancient footprints show human-like walking began nearly 4 million years ago (July 20, 2011) -- Scientists have found that ancient footprints in Laetoli, Tanzania, show that human-like features of the feet and gait existed almost two million years earlier than previously thought. ... > full story

Environmental pollutants lurk long after they 'disappear' (July 20, 2011) -- Scientists say that current environmental tests look for specific drugs -- but these drugs break down into other chemicals through sun exposure or oxidation. In their new and equally lethal forms, they don't show up in tests, so they pose a hidden threat. ... > full story

New 'electronic tongue' system assesses the antioxidant power of juices and fruit (July 20, 2011) -- Researchers in Spain have developed a new electronic tongue system that can be applied to the analysis of the antioxidant power and other quality parameters of juices, fruit and fruit purées. ... > full story

Hummingbirds catch flying bugs with the help of fast-closing beaks (July 20, 2011) -- The shape of a hummingbird's beak allows for a "controlled elastic snap" that allows it to snatch up flying insects in a mere fraction of a second -- with greater speed and power than could be achieved by jaw muscles alone, says a new study. ... > full story

Engineering excitable cells for studies of bioelectricity and cell therapy (July 20, 2011) -- By altering the genetic makeup of normally "unexcitable" cells, bioengineers have turned them into cells capable of generating and passing electrical current. ... > full story

Vegetarian diet may protect against common bowel disorder (July 20, 2011) -- Vegetarians are a third less likely to get a common bowel disorder (diverticular disease) than their meat eating counterparts, finds a new study. ... > full story

Rapid venom evolution in pit vipers may be defensive; Marsupials that prey on venomous snakes also evolve rapidly (July 20, 2011) -- Research delivers new insight about rapid toxin evolution in venomous snakes. New molecular research on snake-eating opossums suggests that predators factor into the rapid evolution of snake venom. ... > full story

Gene therapy delivered once to blood vessel wall protects against atherosclerosis in rabbit studies (July 20, 2011) -- A one-dose method for delivering gene therapy into an arterial wall effectively protects the artery from developing atherosclerosis despite ongoing high blood cholesterol, according to new research in rabbits. ... > full story

Decoding slowness: How sloths perfected energy saving (July 20, 2011) -- Zoologists have discovered how sloths move and how their locomotive system adapted to their unhurried lifestyle in the course of evolution. ... > full story

Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia yield 18 new species of rare ferns and flowering plants (July 20, 2011) -- Recent botanical exploration efforts in the rugged Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia) have increased the known flora of the archipelago by an impressive 20 percent. Field research projects have yielded 62 new species of ferns and flowering plants bringing the total native species to 360. ... > full story

World's forests' role in carbon storage immense, research reveals (July 20, 2011) -- Until recently, scientists were uncertain about how much and where in the world terrestrial carbon is being stored. Now scientists report that, between 1990 and 2007, the world's forests stored about 2.4 gigatons of carbon per year. ... > full story

Landsat satellites track continued Missouri River flooding (July 20, 2011) -- Flooding along the Missouri River continues as shown in recent Landsat satellite images of the Nebraska and Iowa border. Heavy rains and snowmelt have caused the river to remain above flood stage for an extended period. ... > full story

Chemical make-up of Gulf of Mexico plume determined (July 20, 2011) -- Taking another major step in sleuthing the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, scientists have determined what chemicals were contained in a deep, hydrocarbon-containing plume. ... > full story

Avian 'Axe effect' attracts attention of females and males (July 19, 2011) -- In a case of life imitating art, avian scents given off by male songbirds have the females (and males) flocking in. A researcher has revealed the process of how males draw attention to themselves through chemical communication in a new study. Scents are used in all organisms for many purposes, such as finding, attracting and evaluating mates. But this is the first study of its kind that demonstrates that it is happening among songbirds. ... > full story

Stated calories on menus of certain restaurants appear to be accurate overall (July 19, 2011) -- An examination of the calorie content of food from about 40 fast-food and sit-down restaurants in 3 states finds that overall the stated calories of items on the menus of the restaurants are accurate, although there was substantial inaccuracy for some individual foods, with understated calorie figures for those items with lower calorie contents, according to a new study. ... > full story

Making blood sucking deadly for mosquitoes (July 19, 2011) -- Inhibiting a molecular process cells use to direct proteins to their proper destinations causes more than 90 percent of affected mosquitoes to die within 48 hours of blood feeding, a team of biochemists discovered. The approach could be used as an additional strategy in the worldwide effort to curb mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue fever, yellow fever and malaria. ... > full story

Soil samples reveal urban mercury footprints (July 19, 2011) -- A new study has investigated mercury deposits in industrialized city soil near coal-fired power plants. While wind patterns vary by cities, the process in various urban areas is similar with mercury emitted from coal-fired power plants contaminating soil that is then transported downstream. Since cities have a high percentage of impervious surfaces like roads and parking lots, the mercury enters waterways rapidly. ... > full story

Solar panels keep buildings cool (July 19, 2011) -- Those solar panels on top of your roof aren't just providing clean power; they are cooling your house, or your workplace, too, according to a team of environmental engineering researchers. ... > full story

How dairy farms contribute to greenhouse gas emissions (July 19, 2011) -- Scientists have produced the first detailed data on how large-scale dairy facilities contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases. ... > full story

The face of a frog: Time-lapse video reveals never-before-seen bioelectric pattern (July 19, 2011) -- For the first time, biologists have reported that bioelectrical signals are necessary for normal head and facial formation in an organism and have captured that process in a time-lapse video that reveals never-before-seen patterns of visible bioelectrical signals outlining where eyes, nose, mouth, and other features will appear in an embryonic tadpole. ... > full story