ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Benzene in California groundwater occurs infrequently and is mainly from natural sources, study finds
• Mississippi River flows backwards due to Isaac
• Scientist creates test, treatment for malaria-like sickness in horses
• NASA sees Hurricane Isaac make double landfall in Louisiana
• Rare find: Feathered dinosaur feasted on flying food
• California heatwaves to move toward coastal areas: Researchers reassess heatwaves against the backdrop of rising temperatures
• Hope of greater global food output, less environmental impact of agriculture
• Eyeless Australian fish have closest relatives in Madagascar
• Warning on deterioration of famous Swedish warship, Vasa
• Hot spots pinpointed as earthquake trigger points: Small droplets of friction-generated melts can lead to 'megaquakes'
• Large methane reservoirs beneath Antarctic ice sheet, study suggests
• Single gene has major impact on gaits in horses and in mice
• Climate change stories from the abyss: Ancient climate mirrored and influenced by geochemical processes deep within ocean
• New approach needed to restore New England river herring
• Decline in breeding chinstrap penguins in Antarctic Peninsula confirmed
• 'Anternet' discovered: Behavior of harvester ants as they forage for food mirrors protocols that control Internet traffic
• Climate change could increase levels of avian influenza in wild birds
• Biologists create first predictive computational model of gene networks that control development of sea-urchin embryos

Benzene in California groundwater occurs infrequently and is mainly from natural sources, study finds Posted: 29 Aug 2012 04:28 PM PDT Benzene occurs infrequently in California public supply wells and comes predominantly from naturally occurring petroleum deposits deep in the ground, according to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey. Spills associated with underground fuel storage and above ground distribution systems have long been considered the main source of benzene in groundwater. This unique study finds that contamination most often occurs in older, brackish, groundwater located near naturally occurring deep underground oil and gas deposits.

Mississippi River flows backwards due to Isaac Posted: 29 Aug 2012 04:24 PM PDT Strong winds and storm surge from Hurricane Isaac's landfall forced the Mississippi River to flow backwards for nearly 24 hours on Tuesday, Aug. 28. The USGS streamgage at Belle Chasse, Louisiana, showed the Mississippi River flowing upstream at 182,000 cubic feet per second, surging to 10 feet above than its previous height. Average flow for the Mississippi River at Belle Chase is about 125,000 cfs towards the Gulf of Mexico.

Scientist creates test, treatment for malaria-like sickness in horses Posted: 29 Aug 2012 02:21 PM PDT A therapy used in an outbreak of equine piroplasmosis at the storied King Ranch in Texas is now being evaluated as a standard US treatment protocol.

NASA sees Hurricane Isaac make double landfall in Louisiana Posted: 29 Aug 2012 02:21 PM PDT Hurricane Isaac made two landfalls in southeastern Louisiana. Isaac's first landfall occurred in southeastern Louisiana on Aug. 28 at 7:45 pm EDT, second landfall on Aug. 29 at 6 am EDT. NASA's TRMM satellite observed heavy rainfall in this slow moving storm, which leads to higher rainfall totals and flooding.

Rare find: Feathered dinosaur feasted on flying food Posted: 29 Aug 2012 02:19 PM PDT Researchers found evidence that a feathered, but flightless dinosaur was able to snag and consume small flying dinosaurs.

California heatwaves to move toward coastal areas: Researchers reassess heatwaves against the backdrop of rising temperatures Posted: 29 Aug 2012 12:12 PM PDT A new study suggests that the nature of California heatwaves is changing due to global warming. Climate researchers have detected a trend toward more humid heatwaves that are expressed very strongly in elevated nighttime temperatures, a trend consistent with climate change projections. Moreover, relative to local warming, the mid-summer heatwaves are getting stronger in generally cooler coastal areas.

Hope of greater global food output, less environmental impact of agriculture Posted: 29 Aug 2012 12:12 PM PDT Can we have enough to eat and a healthy environment, too? Yes -- if we're smart about it, suggests a new study.

Eyeless Australian fish have closest relatives in Madagascar Posted: 29 Aug 2012 12:12 PM PDT Researchers have discovered that two groups of blind cave fishes on opposite sides of the Indian Ocean are each other's closest relatives. Through comprehensive DNA analysis, the researchers determined that these eyeless fishes, one group from Madagascar and the other from similar subterranean habitats in Australia, descended from a common ancestor before being separated by continental drift nearly 100 million years ago.

Warning on deterioration of famous Swedish warship, Vasa Posted: 29 Aug 2012 10:16 AM PDT The famous warship, Vasa, displayed in a museum that gets 1.2 million visitors every year and ranks as one of Sweden's most popular tourist attractions, is deteriorating despite ongoing preservation efforts, scientists are reporting.

Hot spots pinpointed as earthquake trigger points: Small droplets of friction-generated melts can lead to 'megaquakes' Posted: 29 Aug 2012 10:16 AM PDT Scientists have come a step closer to deciphering some of the basic mysteries and mechanisms behind earthquakes and how average-sized earthquakes may evolve into massive earthquakes. Scientists describe new information gleaned from laboratory experiments mimicking earthquake processes. The researchers discovered how fault zones weaken in select locations shortly after a fault reaches an earthquake tipping point.

Large methane reservoirs beneath Antarctic ice sheet, study suggests Posted: 29 Aug 2012 10:16 AM PDT The Antarctic Ice Sheet could be an overlooked but important source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, according to a new report.

Single gene has major impact on gaits in horses and in mice Posted: 29 Aug 2012 10:15 AM PDT A mutation in a single gene in horses that is critical for the ability to perform ambling gaits, for pacing and that has a major effect on performance in harness racing, new research shows. Experiments on this gene in mice have led to fundamental new knowledge about the neural circuits that control leg movements. The study is a breakthrough for our understanding of spinal cord neuronal circuitry and its control of locomotion in vertebrates.

Climate change stories from the abyss: Ancient climate mirrored and influenced by geochemical processes deep within ocean Posted: 29 Aug 2012 10:15 AM PDT Scientists have shed new light on the world's history of climate change. The Pacific Ocean has remained the largest of all oceans on the planet for many million years. Scientists have now recovered 6.3 kilometers of sediment cores from water depths between 4.3 and 5.1 km and drilled 6.3 km of sediment cores at eight locations. The cores offered an excellent archive of Earth's history and showed how global climate development during the past 55 million years is mirrored and influenced by geochemical processes deep within the ocean.

New approach needed to restore New England river herring Posted: 29 Aug 2012 10:15 AM PDT Despite recent evidence that populations of river herring are dangerously low, ecologists say removing dams and adding fishways can still revive alewife and blueback herring numbers in New England and help to restore a long-neglected natural link between marine and freshwater ecosystems.

Decline in breeding chinstrap penguins in Antarctic Peninsula confirmed Posted: 29 Aug 2012 07:34 AM PDT Significant declines were found in breeding chinstrap penguins in the vastly warming Antarctic Peninsula, where it's warming faster than, or as fast as, any other place on Earth.

'Anternet' discovered: Behavior of harvester ants as they forage for food mirrors protocols that control Internet traffic Posted: 29 Aug 2012 06:42 AM PDT An ant biologist and a computer scientist has revealed that the behavior of harvester ants as they forage for food mirrors the protocols that control traffic on the Internet.

Climate change could increase levels of avian influenza in wild birds Posted: 29 Aug 2012 06:38 AM PDT Rising sea levels, melting glaciers, more intense rainstorms and more frequent heat waves are among the planetary woes that may come to mind when climate change is mentioned. Now, researchers say an increased risk of avian influenza transmission in wild birds can be added to the list.

Biologists create first predictive computational model of gene networks that control development of sea-urchin embryos Posted: 29 Aug 2012 06:21 AM PDT As an animal develops from an embryo, its cells take diverse paths, eventually forming different body parts -- muscles, bones, heart. In order for each cell to know what to do during development, it follows a genetic blueprint, which consists of complex webs of interacting genes called gene regulatory networks. Biologists have spent the last decade or so detailing how these gene networks control development in sea-urchin embryos. Now, for the first time, they have built a computational model of one of these networks.

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