Τετάρτη 29 Φεβρουαρίου 2012

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News


Elephant behavior and conservation issues

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 04:09 PM PST

Researchers are using fieldwork and genetics research to uncover insights into elephant population genetics and social behavior as well as how human activities alter elephants' social and genetic structures.

New 'magnetic yeast' marks step toward harnessing Nature's magnetic capabilities

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 04:09 PM PST

Researchers have developed a method for inducing magnetic sensitivity in an organism that is not naturally magnetic -- yeast. Their technology could potentially be used to magnetize a variety of different cell types in medical, industrial and research applications.

Mutated plants may be better for biofuels

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 12:21 PM PST

A new study says genetic mutations in plants could make it easier to break down plant cellulose to the sugars that are fermented into biofuels.

Lake Chad: Inhabitants adapt to lower water levels

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 11:05 AM PST

Lake Chad used to be one of the biggest lakes in the world, but its volume has been reduced to a tenth of what it was in the 1960s. The way this lake has dried up has become a symbol of climate change in action. It's true that the lake's water level has always changed, but this hasn't diminished the major changes to the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the lake's shoreline.

Nowhere to hide: Tigers threatened by human destruction of groundcover

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 11:05 AM PST

A new study is the first of its kind to systematically investigate the use of different land cover types for tiger habitat.

Developing sustainable power

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 09:39 AM PST

Scientists suggest that renewable energy is a viable option for electrical power in developing and emerging nations. Researchers point out that in most of these nations, the demand for energy far exceeds the generating capacity.

Overfishing threatens the survival of seabirds

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 09:38 AM PST

From gannets to seagulls, puffins to penguins, all seabirds suffer the same drop in birth rates when the supply of fish drops to less than a third of maximum capacity. Below the critical level of one third of the fish biomass, the birds — and the stability of the entire ecosystem —- come under threat.

The Brazilian rainforest : Caught between biodiversity and business

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 09:38 AM PST

Brazil is exporting more and more agricultural produce: soya beans and beef in particular, but also corn, rice and sugar. Taken together, these exports represent half of Brazil's total today. The increase in the export of commodities brings both a higher degree of economic dependency and a threat to the Amazon rainforest.

Initial genetic analysis reveals Iceman Ötzi predisposed to cardiovascular disease

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 09:38 AM PST

The famous Iceman mummy known as Ötzi was genetically predisposed to cardiovascular diseases, according to recent studies. Not only was this genetic predisposition demonstrable in the 5,000-year-old ice mummy, there was also already a symptom in the form of arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.

Tomb exploration reveals first archaeological evidence of Christianity from the time of Jesus

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 07:21 AM PST

An examination via robotic camera of an Herodian era tomb near Jerusalem has yielded ossuary engravings that strongly imply Christian culture, including an icon that seems to invoke the Jonah story, the most popular icon in third century CE Roman tomb -- previously the earliest Christian images. The tomb is in close proximity to the controversial "Jesus Tomb," which contained an ossuary engraved "Jesus son of Joseph."

How cells make the most of limited resources

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 07:20 AM PST

The bacterium that causes atypical pneumonia is helping scientists uncover how cells make the most of limited resources. By measuring all the proteins this bacterium produces, scientists have found that the secret is fine-tuning.

Ice Age coyotes were supersized compared to coyotes today, fossil study reveals

Posted: 27 Feb 2012 12:27 PM PST

Coyotes today are pint-sized compared to their Ice Age counterparts, finds a new fossil study. Between 11,500 and 10,000 years ago -- a mere blink of an eye in geologic terms -- coyotes shrunk to their present size. The sudden shrinkage was most likely a response to dwindling food supply and changing interactions with competitors, rather than warming climate, researchers say.

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