ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Gourmet butterflies speed north
• Pivotal role for proteins: From helping turn carbs into energy to causing devastating disease
• Autopsy of a eruption: Linking crystal growth to volcano seismicity
• Brightly colored bird bills indicate good health
• Physicists set new record for graphene solar cell efficiency
• Seismic hazard: Faults discovered near Lake Tahoe could generate earthquakes ranging from 6.3 to 6.9
• Newly modified nanoparticle opens window on future gene editing technologies
• Nuisance seaweed found to produce compounds with biomedical potential
• DNA evidence shows that marine reserves help to sustain fisheries
• Plants could use light even more effectively for food production
• El Niño weather and climate change threaten survival of baby leatherback sea turtles
• Commonly used pesticide turns honey bees into 'Picky eaters'
• Invasive species underwater: Deep sea animals stowaway on submarines and reach new territory
• Tracking endangered elephants with satellite technology
• Oldest art even older: New dates from Geißenklösterle Cave show early arrival of modern humans, art and music
• Tobacco plants advertise their defensive readiness to attacking leafhoppers

Gourmet butterflies speed north Posted: 24 May 2012 06:51 PM PDT A new study has shown how a butterfly has changed its diet, and consequently has sped northwards in response to climate change.

Pivotal role for proteins: From helping turn carbs into energy to causing devastating disease Posted: 24 May 2012 11:35 AM PDT Research into how carbohydrates are converted into energy has led to a surprising discovery with implications for the treatment of a perplexing and potentially fatal neuromuscular disorder and possibly even cancer and heart disease.

Autopsy of a eruption: Linking crystal growth to volcano seismicity Posted: 24 May 2012 11:34 AM PDT A forensic approach that links changes deep below a volcano to signals at the surface could ultimately help to predict future volcanic eruptions with greater accuracy.

Brightly colored bird bills indicate good health Posted: 24 May 2012 10:47 AM PDT Female bill color reflects the health of the bird, a new study shows. Females with more colorful bills have higher antibody levels, indicating greater strength and the ability to fight off invaders.

Physicists set new record for graphene solar cell efficiency Posted: 24 May 2012 10:46 AM PDT Doping may be a no-no for athletes, but researchers say it was key in getting unprecedented power conversion efficiency from a new graphene solar cell created in their lab.

Seismic hazard: Faults discovered near Lake Tahoe could generate earthquakes ranging from 6.3 to 6.9 Posted: 24 May 2012 09:32 AM PDT Results of a new US Geological Survey study conclude that faults west of Lake Tahoe, Calif., referred to as the Tahoe-Sierra frontal fault zone, pose a substantial increase in the seismic hazard assessment for the Lake Tahoe region of California and Nevada, and could potentially generate earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 6.3 to 6.9.

Newly modified nanoparticle opens window on future gene editing technologies Posted: 24 May 2012 09:32 AM PDT Researchers are using nanoparticles to simultaneously deliver proteins and DNA into plant cells. The technology could allow more sophisticated and targeted editing of plant genomes. And that could help researchers develop crops that adapt to changing climates and resist pests.

Nuisance seaweed found to produce compounds with biomedical potential Posted: 24 May 2012 09:32 AM PDT A seaweed considered a threat to the healthy growth of coral reefs in Hawaii may possess the ability to produce substances that could one day treat human diseases, a new study has revealed.

DNA evidence shows that marine reserves help to sustain fisheries Posted: 24 May 2012 09:30 AM PDT Biologists have presented the first evidence that areas closed to all fishing are helping to sustain valuable Australian fisheries. The scientists applied a forensic DNA profiling approach to track the dispersal pathways of fish larvae throughout a network of marine reserves on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Plants could use light even more effectively for food production Posted: 24 May 2012 08:23 AM PDT Scientists have concluded that it is possible to develop plants that produce even more food by reducing the level of pigments which make no contribution to photosynthesis. The conclusion is based on research into the effectiveness of photosynthesis in various light conditions. The scientists discovered that leaf pigments not directly involved in photosynthesis 'dissipate' light by absorption rather than using it effectively.

El Niño weather and climate change threaten survival of baby leatherback sea turtles Posted: 24 May 2012 06:29 AM PDT When critically endangered leatherback turtle hatchlings dig out of their nests, they enter a world filled with threats to survival. Now, Drexel University researchers have found that the climate conditions at the nesting beach affect the early survival of turtle eggs and hatchlings. They predict, based on projections from multiple models, that egg and hatchling survival will drop by half in the next 100 years as a result of global climate change.

Commonly used pesticide turns honey bees into 'Picky eaters' Posted: 24 May 2012 06:29 AM PDT Biologists have discovered that a small dose of a commonly used crop pesticide turns honey bees into "picky eaters" and affects their ability to recruit their nestmates to otherwise good sources of food.

Invasive species underwater: Deep sea animals stowaway on submarines and reach new territory Posted: 24 May 2012 06:28 AM PDT Marine scientists studying life around deep-sea vents have discovered that some hardy species can survive the extreme change in pressure that occurs when a research submersible rises to the surface. Scientists reveal how a species can be inadvertently carried by submersibles to new areas, with potentially damaging effects on marine ecosystems.

Tracking endangered elephants with satellite technology Posted: 24 May 2012 06:27 AM PDT GPS and satellite technology is helping experts develop a long term strategy to protect the endangered Malaysian elephant.

Oldest art even older: New dates from Geißenklösterle Cave show early arrival of modern humans, art and music Posted: 24 May 2012 06:22 AM PDT New dates from Geißenklösterle Cave in Southwest Germany document the early arrival of modern humans and early appearance of art and music. The new dates use improved methods to remove contamination and produced ages between began between 42,000 to 43,000 years ago for start of the Aurignacian, the first culture to produce a wide range of figurative art, music and other key innovations.

Tobacco plants advertise their defensive readiness to attacking leafhoppers Posted: 23 May 2012 08:47 AM PDT Empoasca is not a typical pest of wild tobacco. When this plant grows in its natural habitats in North America, however, it is attacked by tobacco hornworm larvae. This specialist insect is resistant to the toxic nicotine, which the plant produces as a defense against its enemies. When researchers used particular transgenic plants in field experiments, they noticed that these plants were heavily infested with Empoasca leafhoppers. In the particular transgenic plants used in this study, a certain gene had been switched off which is essential for the production of jasmonic acid. Due to their inability to produce jasmonates, the plants could not activate their defenses against herbivores, because their hormonal signalling cascades were interrupted. The result of this deficiency was visible and had been expected: a heavy infestation by tobacco hornworm larvae. The occurrence of leafhoppers, however, was a surprise, because these insects are not a part of the plant's normal herbivore community. The scientists speculated that these insects which are common pests of agricultural crops may have been able to evaluate the defensive potential of their host plants before the plants could activate the production of their defenses.

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