ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Historian examines animals' role in westward expansion
• Compounds shown to thwart stubborn pathogen's social propensity
• Sanctuary chimps show high rates of drug-resistant staph
• Multiple factors, including climate change, led to collapse and depopulation of ancient Maya
• Public wave energy test facility begins operation in Oregon
• Climate: Researchers examine clouds (from both sides now) and the structure of the atmosphere
• Footprints of cretaceous dinosaur found at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
• Acai counteracts oxidative stress, lengthens lifespan in fruit flies
• Forest razing by ancient Maya worsened droughts, says study
• New species: No ordinary forget-me-nots
• Flood risk ranking reveals vulnerable cities
• Key component of cell division identified
• Dawn of humanity illuminated – 50 years after the Leakeys
• Marine species at risk unless drastic protection policies put in place
• World's sea life is 'facing major shock', marine scientists warn
• Speeding the search for better carbon capture
• Common antifungal drug decreases tumor growth and shows promise as cancer therapy
• In your future: More healthful foods to nourish the non-human you
• Recovering Baltic cod is lacking food

Historian examines animals' role in westward expansion Posted: 21 Aug 2012 06:25 PM PDT The story of westward expansion in the United States is often told from the perspective of the men and women who crossed the Great Plains in search of a better life in the west. But a historian is now bringing to light the role settlers' animals played in the westward migration of the mid-1800s.

Compounds shown to thwart stubborn pathogen's social propensity Posted: 21 Aug 2012 01:25 PM PDT Certain small molecule chemicals that can disrupt quorum sensing in A. baumanni have been identified, providing a glimmer of hope that the stubborn pathogen can be tamed.

Sanctuary chimps show high rates of drug-resistant staph Posted: 21 Aug 2012 01:25 PM PDT Chimpanzees from African sanctuaries carry drug-resistant, human-associated strains of the bacteria Staphlyococcus aureus, a pathogen the infected chimpanzees could spread to endangered wild ape populations if they were reintroduced to their natural habitat. The study was the first to apply the same modern sequencing technology of bacterial genomes used in hospitals to track the transmission of staph from humans to African wildlife.

Multiple factors, including climate change, led to collapse and depopulation of ancient Maya Posted: 21 Aug 2012 11:41 AM PDT A new analysis of complex interactions between humans and the environment preceding the 9th century collapse and abandonment of the Central Maya Lowlands in the Yucatan Peninsula points to a series of events -- some natural, like climate change; some human-made, including large-scale landscape alterations and shifts in trade routes -- that have lessons for contemporary decision-makers and sustainability scientists.

Public wave energy test facility begins operation in Oregon Posted: 21 Aug 2012 11:36 AM PDT One of the first public wave energy testing systems in the United States began operation this week off the Oregon coast near Newport, and will allow private industry or academic researchers to test new technology that may help advance this promising form of sustainable energy.

Climate: Researchers examine clouds (from both sides now) and the structure of the atmosphere Posted: 21 Aug 2012 11:36 AM PDT At the northernmost point of the North American continent, researchers analyze environmental data to improve climate models and satellite pictures.

Footprints of cretaceous dinosaur found at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Posted: 21 Aug 2012 09:03 AM PDT About 110 million light years away, the bright, barred spiral galaxy NGC 3259 was just forming stars in dark bands of dust and gas. Here on the part of the Earth where NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center would eventually be built, a plant-eating dinosaur sensed predators nearby and quickened its pace, leaving a deep imprint in the Cretaceous mud.

Acai counteracts oxidative stress, lengthens lifespan in fruit flies Posted: 21 Aug 2012 08:50 AM PDT Scientists found that a commercially available acai berry product can lengthen the lives of fruit flies, when the flies' lives are made short through additional oxidative stress. Under certain conditions (a simple sugar diet) acai supplementation could triple flies' lifespans, from eight to 24 days. Acai could also counteract the neurotoxic effects of the herbicide paraquat on the flies.

Forest razing by ancient Maya worsened droughts, says study Posted: 21 Aug 2012 08:50 AM PDT Prolonged drought is thought to have played a role in the collapse of the Classic Maya empire, but a recent study adds a new twist: The Maya may have made the droughts worse by clearing away forests for cities and crops, making a naturally drying climate drier.

New species: No ordinary forget-me-nots Posted: 21 Aug 2012 08:47 AM PDT Two new species of forget-me-nots were discovered in the mountains of New Zealand. One of the species is known from the entrance of a few small caves at the base of limestone bluffs and the other from a single site in the forest. Both species are extremely rare and their conservation status is rated Nationally Critical.

Flood risk ranking reveals vulnerable cities Posted: 21 Aug 2012 08:47 AM PDT A new study of nine coastal cities around the world suggests that Shanghai is most vulnerable to serious flooding. European cities top the leader board for their resilience.

Key component of cell division identified Posted: 21 Aug 2012 08:47 AM PDT A new study highlights the protein Nek9 as a decisive factor in cell division, a fundamental process for both the development of an organism and tissue maintenance. Nek9 is shown to be required for a cell to be able to divide the chromosomes into two identical groups in order to ensure efficient and accurate cell division.

Dawn of humanity illuminated – 50 years after the Leakeys Posted: 21 Aug 2012 08:47 AM PDT The first systematic, multidisciplinary results to come out of research conducted on the edge of the Serengeti at the rich palaeoanthropological site in the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania since that produced by Louis and Mary Leakey's team, have recently been published.

Marine species at risk unless drastic protection policies put in place Posted: 21 Aug 2012 06:44 AM PDT Many marine species will be harmed or won't survive if the levels of carbon dioxide continue to increase. Current protection policies and management practices are unlikely to be enough to save them. Unconventional, non-passive methods to conserve marine ecosystems need to be considered if various marine species are to survive.

World's sea life is 'facing major shock', marine scientists warn Posted: 21 Aug 2012 06:44 AM PDT Life in the world's oceans faces far greater change and risk of large-scale extinctions than at any previous time in human history, a team of the world's leading marine scientists has warned. The researchers have compared events which drove massive extinctions of sea life in the past with what is observed to be taking place in the seas and oceans globally today.

Speeding the search for better carbon capture Posted: 21 Aug 2012 06:44 AM PDT Researchers have develop the first computational model to accurately predict the interactions between flue gases and a special variety of the carbon dioxide-capturing molecular systems known as metal-organic frameworks. This new model should greatly accelerate the search for new low-cost and efficient ways to burn coal without exacerbating global climate change.

Common antifungal drug decreases tumor growth and shows promise as cancer therapy Posted: 21 Aug 2012 06:43 AM PDT An inexpensive antifungal drug, thiabendazole, slows tumor growth and shows promise as a chemotherapy for cancer. Scientists made this discovery by exploiting the evolutionary relatedness of yeast, frogs, mice and humans.

In your future: More healthful foods to nourish the non-human you Posted: 21 Aug 2012 06:38 AM PDT The focus of nutrition for good health is quietly shifting to include consumption of food ingredients specifically designed to nourish the non-human cells that comprise 80 percent of the cells in the typical person, an authority on the topic says.

Recovering Baltic cod is lacking food Posted: 20 Aug 2012 06:36 AM PDT The eastern Baltic cod stock has recently started to recover, after two decades of severe depletion, however with unexpected side-effects. While the numbers of cod are increasing, the biomass of sprat and herring, a major prey for adult cod, is at a historic low in the main distribution area of cod. Consequently, the cod are having a hard time finding enough to eat.

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