ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Scientists gain understanding of self-cleaning gecko foot hair
• Structure of RNAi complex now crystal clear
• Trouble on the horizon for genetically modified crops?
• Chemical analysis of pottery reveals first dairying in Saharan Africa nearly 7,000 years ago
• Melting sea ice threatens emperor penguins
• Preserved frogs hold clues to deadly pathogen
• Nano-pesticides: Solution or threat for a cleaner and greener agriculture?
• Earliest record of mating fossil vertebrates: Nine pairs of fossilized turtles died while mating 47 million years ago
• Health check for European streams
• Solar nanowire array may increase percentage of sun's frequencies available for energy conversion
• Sorghum should be in the biofuel crop mix, experts say
• Why the vibrant city of Palmyra was located in the middle of what is now the Syrian Desert
• Restoring streamside forests helps songbirds survive the winter in California's Central Valley
• Noisy environments make young songbirds shuffle their tunes: Baby songbirds shape their species' playlist
• Mother goats do not forget their kids

Scientists gain understanding of self-cleaning gecko foot hair Posted: 20 Jun 2012 01:24 PM PDT Wall-climbing robots, bioadhesives or other sticky substances can benefit greatly from a recent discovery about the self-cleaning and reuse abilities of a gecko. The sticky yet clean attribute of this discovery is the gecko toe pad and its ability to repeatedly attach and detach to a surface.

Structure of RNAi complex now crystal clear Posted: 20 Jun 2012 11:32 AM PDT Researchers have determined and analyzed the crystal structure of a yeast Argonaute protein bound to RNA, which plays a key role in the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway that silences genes.

Trouble on the horizon for genetically modified crops? Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:33 AM PDT Pests are adapting to genetically modified crops in unexpected ways, including dominant resistance not previously observed in the lab, researchers have discovered. The findings underscore the importance of closely monitoring and countering pest resistance to biotech crops.

Chemical analysis of pottery reveals first dairying in Saharan Africa nearly 7,000 years ago Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:31 AM PDT The first unequivocal evidence that humans in prehistoric Saharan Africa used cattle for their milk nearly 7,000 years ago is described in new research.

Melting sea ice threatens emperor penguins Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:33 AM PDT At nearly four feet tall, the Emperor penguin is Antarctica's largest sea bird -- and thanks to films like "March of the Penguins" and "Happy Feet," it's also one of the continent's most iconic. If global temperatures continue to rise, however, the Emperor penguins in Terre Adélie, in East Antarctica may eventually disappear, according to a new study.

Preserved frogs hold clues to deadly pathogen Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:32 AM PDT A graduate student has developed a novel means for charting the history of a pathogen deadly to amphibians worldwide.

Nano-pesticides: Solution or threat for a cleaner and greener agriculture? Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:32 AM PDT Research is urgently needed to evaluate the risks and benefits of nano-pesticides to human and environmental health. Scientists recently performed an extensive analysis of this emerging field of research. The study presents the current scientific state of art on nano-pesticides and identifies direction priorities for future research.

Earliest record of mating fossil vertebrates: Nine pairs of fossilized turtles died while mating 47 million years ago Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:31 AM PDT The fossil record consists mostly of the fragmentary remains of ancient animals and plants. But some finds can provide spectacular insights into the life and environment of ancient organisms. Scientists have just discovered nine pairs of fossilized turtles that perished in the act of mating.

Health check for European streams Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:31 AM PDT In a unique field experiment, ten research groups from nine different countries have studied the ecological status of 100 streams across Europe. This was the first study to make extensive use of leaf-litter breakdown as an assessment method.

Solar nanowire array may increase percentage of sun's frequencies available for energy conversion Posted: 20 Jun 2012 07:10 AM PDT Using a nanowire substrate to anchor advanced photovoltaic materials, researchers are able to alleviate strains between materials that otherwise would shorten life spans for photovoltaic products.

Sorghum should be in the biofuel crop mix, experts say Posted: 20 Jun 2012 07:09 AM PDT Sweet and biomass sorghum would meet the need for next-generation biofuels to be environmentally sustainable, easily adopted by producers and take advantage of existing agricultural infrastructure.

Why the vibrant city of Palmyra was located in the middle of what is now the Syrian Desert Posted: 20 Jun 2012 05:31 AM PDT Norwegian archaeologists have solved one of the great puzzles of the Roman Empire: Why was the vibrant city of Palmyra located in the middle of the Syrian Desert?

Restoring streamside forests helps songbirds survive the winter in California's Central Valley Posted: 19 Jun 2012 08:02 PM PDT Restoring floodplain forests in the Central Valley of California helps songbirds survive through the winter, a finding previously substantiated only for summer nesting birds.

Noisy environments make young songbirds shuffle their tunes: Baby songbirds shape their species' playlist Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:59 PM PDT iPod owners aren't the only ones who frequently shuffle their favorite tunes. Baby songbirds do it, too, a new study shows.

Mother goats do not forget their kids Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:59 PM PDT Mother goats remember the calls of their kids for up to 11-17 months, scientists have found.

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