ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Discerning males remain faithful ... if you are a spider
• Do urban 'heat islands' hint at trees of future?
• NASA tests GPS monitoring system for big U.S. quakes
• Fireball over California/Nevada: How big was it?
• In protein folding, internal friction may play a more significant role than previously thought
• Following life's chemistry to the earliest branches on the tree of life
• New California population projection shows massive slowdown
• Precise molecular surgery in the plant genome
• Mysterious 'monster' discovered by amateur paleontologist
• Locked down, RNA editing yields odd fly behavior
• Wild birds respond differently to the first long days of a year
• Did exploding stars help life on Earth thrive?
• Discovery improves understanding of how body maintains water balance
• Palms reveal the significance of climate change for tropical biodiversity
• The fat stopper: Protein that regulates the creation of fat cells identified
• How ancient viruses became genomic 'superspreaders'
• Fluorescent biosensor reveals mechanism critical to immune system amplification
• Neurological changes can happen due to social status, crayfish study shows

Discerning males remain faithful ... if you are a spider Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:27 PM PDT Discerning males remain faithful...if you are a spider. Sex for male orb web spiders is a two shot affair since the act of mating destroys their genitalia. If they survive being eaten during their first encounter with a female, they have two choices – to mate again with the same female (monogynous) or try to find a new partner (bigynous). New research shows that choice of mating behavior for A. bruennichi depends on the size and age of the first female they mate with.

Do urban 'heat islands' hint at trees of future? Posted: 24 Apr 2012 12:43 PM PDT A new study shows that common native red oak seedlings grow as much as eight times faster in New York's Central Park than in more rural, cooler settings in the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains. Red oaks and their close relatives dominate areas ranging from northern Virginia to southern New England, so the study may have implications for changing climate and forest composition over a wide region.

NASA tests GPS monitoring system for big U.S. quakes Posted: 24 Apr 2012 11:47 AM PDT The space-based technology that lets GPS-equipped motorists constantly update their precise location will undergo a major test of its ability to rapidly pinpoint the location and magnitude of strong earthquakes across the western United States. Results from the new Real-time Earthquake Analysis for Disaster (READI) Mitigation Network soon could be used to assist prompt disaster response and more accurate tsunami warnings.

Fireball over California/Nevada: How big was it? Posted: 24 Apr 2012 11:44 AM PDT A bright ball of light traveling east to west was seen over the skies of central/northern California Sunday morning, April 22. The former space rock-turned-flaming-meteor entered Earth's atmosphere around 8 a.m. PDT. Reports of the fireball have come in from as far north as Sacramento, Calif. and as far east as North Las Vegas, Nev.

In protein folding, internal friction may play a more significant role than previously thought Posted: 24 Apr 2012 11:23 AM PDT Researchers have reported a new understanding of a little-known process that happens in virtually every cell of our bodies.

Following life's chemistry to the earliest branches on the tree of life Posted: 24 Apr 2012 11:21 AM PDT Scientists have traced the development of life-sustaining chemistry to the earliest forms of life on Earth.

New California population projection shows massive slowdown Posted: 24 Apr 2012 11:21 AM PDT A massive slowdown in California's population growth means the state likely won't reach 50 million residents until the year 2046, a new analysis shows.

Precise molecular surgery in the plant genome Posted: 24 Apr 2012 09:17 AM PDT Crop plants have always been adapted to the needs of man by breeding for them to carry more fruit, survive droughts, or resist pests. Green biotechnology now adds new tools to the classical breeding methods for a more rapid and efficient improvement of plant properties. The new biotechnological technique can more precisely and reliably install or modify genetic information in the plant genome.

Mysterious 'monster' discovered by amateur paleontologist Posted: 24 Apr 2012 09:17 AM PDT For 70 years, academic paleontologists in Cincinnati have been assisted by a dedicated corps of amateurs. One such amateur recently found a very large and very mysterious fossil that has paleontologists amazed.

Locked down, RNA editing yields odd fly behavior Posted: 24 Apr 2012 09:07 AM PDT At the level of proteins, organisms can adapt by editing their RNA -- an and editor can even edit itself. Scientists working with fruit flies found that "locking down" the self-editing process at two extremes created some strange behaviors. They also found that the process is significantly affected by temperature.

Wild birds respond differently to the first long days of a year Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:58 AM PDT The lengthening of days in late winter is an important signal that stimulates the reproductive activity of many animals. Animals living in the milder climatic conditions of southern Europe usually begin breeding earlier in spring compared to animals living in colder habitats further north. Scientists have now discovered that day length affects gene activity differentially in the brain of great tit populations from central and North Europe. This is particularly important because climate change has resulted in warmer temperatures in spring, and therefore day length has become a less reliable signal for the coming of spring. Since warmer spring temperatures also cause the insects that the birds need to feed their young to be available sooner, birds will have to change their breeding schedules accordingly.

Did exploding stars help life on Earth thrive? Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:56 AM PDT Research by a Danish physicist suggests that the explosion of massive stars -- supernovae -- near the Solar System has strongly influenced the development of life.

Discovery improves understanding of how body maintains water balance Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:56 AM PDT Scientists have identified a new mechanism responsible for regulating the flow of water into and out of cells. This discovery will improve understanding of how the body maintains its water balance in health and disease.

Palms reveal the significance of climate change for tropical biodiversity Posted: 23 Apr 2012 01:24 PM PDT Palm assemblages we find in the tropics today are to a large extent formed by climatic changes of the past, taking place over millions of years.

The fat stopper: Protein that regulates the creation of fat cells identified Posted: 23 Apr 2012 01:23 PM PDT A student may have found the key to keep fat cells from forming. He believes he has identified the trigger that turns a stem cell into a fat cell. Located on the surface of cells, the trigger, a protein called endoglin, regulates what type of cell an existing stem cell will become.

How ancient viruses became genomic 'superspreaders' Posted: 23 Apr 2012 12:31 PM PDT Scientists have uncovered clues as to how our genomes became riddled with viruses. The study reveals important information about the so–called 'dark matter' of our genome.

Fluorescent biosensor reveals mechanism critical to immune system amplification Posted: 23 Apr 2012 10:20 AM PDT Using a new fluorescent biosensor they developed, researchers have discovered how a key set of immune cells exchange information during their coordinated assault on invading pathogens. The immune cells, called dendritic cells, are harnessed by cancer vaccines and other therapeutics used to amplify the immune system. The finding marks the first time that scientists have visualized how antigens are transferred in the immune system between dendritic cells.

Neurological changes can happen due to social status, crayfish study shows Posted: 19 Apr 2012 12:39 PM PDT Researchers have discovered that in one species of freshwater crustaceans, social status can affect the configuration of neural circuitry. They found that dominant and subordinate crayfish differ in their behavioral responses when touched unexpectedly, and that those differences correlate with differences in neural circuits that mediate those responses.

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