ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

---

• Not just for the birds: Human-made noise has ripple effects on plants, too
• New method for cleaning up nuclear waste
• Oil from Deepwater Horizon disaster entered food chain in the Gulf of Mexico
• Pesticide additives cause drifting droplets, but can be controlled
• Proteins shine a brighter light on cellular processes: Cyan fluorescent protein will make cellular imaging more sensitive
• Engineers enlist weather model to optimize offshore wind plan
• Bisphenol A (BPA) could affect reproductive capabilities, cause infection of the uterus
• Greenhouse gas can find a home underground
• Neurotoxin resistance in snakes around the world
• Air emissions near fracking sites may pose health risk, study shows; sites contain hydrocarbons including benzene

Not just for the birds: Human-made noise has ripple effects on plants, too Posted: 20 Mar 2012 04:57 PM PDT A growing body of research shows that animals change their behavior in response to human-made noise. But human clamor doesn't just affect animals. Because many animals also pollinate plants or eat or disperse their seeds, human noise can have ripple effects on plants too, finds a new study. In cases where noise has ripple effects on long-lived plants like trees, the consequences could last long after the source of the noise goes away, researchers say.

New method for cleaning up nuclear waste Posted: 20 Mar 2012 12:19 PM PDT A new crystalline compound can be tailored to safely absorb radioactive ions from nuclear waste streams, experts say.

Oil from Deepwater Horizon disaster entered food chain in the Gulf of Mexico Posted: 20 Mar 2012 11:21 AM PDT Since the explosion on the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico in April of 2010, scientists have been working to understand the impact the disaster has had on the environment. For months, crude oil gushed into the water before the well was capped. A new study confirms that oil from the Macondo well made it into the ocean's food chain through the tiniest of organisms, zooplankton.

Pesticide additives cause drifting droplets, but can be controlled Posted: 20 Mar 2012 11:19 AM PDT Chemical additives that help agricultural pesticides adhere to their targets during spraying can lead to formation of smaller "satellite" droplets that cause those pesticides to drift into unwanted areas, researchers have found.

Proteins shine a brighter light on cellular processes: Cyan fluorescent protein will make cellular imaging more sensitive Posted: 20 Mar 2012 11:19 AM PDT Scientists have designed a molecule which, in living cells, emits turquoise light three times brighter than possible until recently. This improves the sensitivity of cellular imaging, a technique where biological processes inside a living organism are imaged at high resolution.

Engineers enlist weather model to optimize offshore wind plan Posted: 20 Mar 2012 08:57 AM PDT Using a sophisticated weather model, environmental engineers have defined optimal placement of a grid of four wind farms off the US East Coast. The model successfully balances production at times of peak demand and significantly reduces costly spikes and zero-power events.

Bisphenol A (BPA) could affect reproductive capabilities, cause infection of the uterus Posted: 20 Mar 2012 08:56 AM PDT Researchers have found evidence that, in addition to affecting the heart, brain and nervous system, bisphenol A (BPA), could affect a mammal's ability to reproduce by altering the structure of the uterus in ways that can progress to a potentially fatal infection.

Greenhouse gas can find a home underground Posted: 19 Mar 2012 01:38 PM PDT A new study shows that there is enough capacity in deep saline aquifers in the United States to store at least a century's worth of carbon dioxide emissions from the nation's coal-fired powerplants. Though questions remain about the economics of systems to capture and store such gases, this study addresses a major issue that has overshadowed such proposals.

Neurotoxin resistance in snakes around the world Posted: 19 Mar 2012 12:11 PM PDT Biologists have found that snakes from different regions of the world have evolved a similar, remarkable resistance to a deadly neurotoxin.

Air emissions near fracking sites may pose health risk, study shows; sites contain hydrocarbons including benzene Posted: 19 Mar 2012 06:50 AM PDT In a new study, researchers have shown that air pollution caused by hydraulic fracturing or fracking may contribute to acute and chronic health problems for those living near natural gas drilling sites.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Environment News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610