ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Saturday, July 23, 2011 ~ Technology

Sabtu, 23 Juli 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Saturday, July 23, 2011

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ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Saturday, July 23, 2011

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How to combat hospital-acquired infections and life-threatening toxins (July 22, 2011) -- A team of scientists from Singapore has discovered the secret recipe for 'antidotes' that could neutralize the deadly plant toxin Ricin, widely feared for its bioterrorism potential, as well as the Pseudomonas exotoxin responsible for the tens of thousands of hospital-acquired infections in immune-compromised patients all over the world. ... > full story

Collaboration encourages equal sharing in children but not in chimpanzees (July 22, 2011) -- Children as young as three years of age share toy rewards equally with a peer, but only when both collaborated in order to gain them, according to new research. However, in a new study, chimpanzees did not show this connection between sharing resources and collaborative efforts. ... > full story

Quick test to diagnose bacterial or viral infection (July 22, 2011) -- Treating viral infections with antibiotics is ineffective and contributes to the development of antibiotic resistance, allergic reactions, toxicity and greater health care costs, researchers say. Currently tests take 24-48 hours and aren't always accurate enough for a clear-cut diagnosis. A new accurate and time-saving method has just been developed. ... > full story

Fingerprinting fugitive dust: Tracking soil microbes back to their source (July 22, 2011) -- Each community of soil microbes has a unique fingerprint that can potentially be used to track soil back to its source, right down to whether it came from dust from a rural road or from a farm field, according to a soil scientist. ... > full story

Identical virus, host populations can prevail for centuries (July 22, 2011) -- A scientist, analyzing ancient plankton DNA signatures in sediments of the Black Sea, has found for the first time that the same genetic populations of a virus and its algal host can persist and coexist for centuries. The findings have implications for the ecological significance of viruses in shaping algae ecosystems in the ocean, and perhaps fresh water as well. ... > full story

Deepwater Horizon crude less toxic to bird eggs after weathering at sea (July 22, 2011) -- After collecting weathered crude oil from the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, researchers have reported that only 8 to 9 percent coverage on the shells of fertilized mallard duck eggs resulted in a 50 percent mortality rate. ... > full story

Computer simulations aid understanding of bacterial resistance against commonly used antibiotics (July 22, 2011) -- A recent study into the interactions between aminoglycoside antibiotics and their target site in bacteria used computer simulations to elucidate this mechanism and thereby suggest drug modifications. ... > full story

Diamonds pinpoint start of colliding continents (July 22, 2011) -- Jewelers abhor diamond impurities, but they are a bonanza for scientists. Safely encased in the super-hard diamond, impurities are unaltered, ancient minerals that can tell the story of Earth's distant past. Researchers analyzed data from the literature of over 4,000 of these mineral inclusions to find that continents started the cycle of breaking apart, drifting, and colliding about 3 billion years ago. The research pinpoints when this so-called Wilson cycle began. ... > full story

Software helps synthetic biologists customize protein production (July 22, 2011) -- A software program developed by a Penn State synthetic biologist could provide biotechnology companies with genetic plans to help them turn bacteria into molecular factories, capable of producing everything from biofuels to medicine. ... > full story

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