ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• New tool for CSI? Geographic software maps distinctive features inside bones
• Species richness and genetic diversity do not go hand in hand in alpine plants
• Urban coyotes never stray: New study finds 100 percent monogamy
• Microfluidic device: Hundreds of biochemical analyses on a single chip
• Agriculture is the direct driver for worldwide deforestation
• Methane from sea bed: Gas outlets off Spitsbergen are no new phenomenon
• Mars-like places on Earth give new insights into Rover data and conditions for life
• New data on the biofuel ecobalance: Most biofuels are not 'green'
• Near-roadway air pollution a major contributor to asthma in Los Angeles County, research finds

New tool for CSI? Geographic software maps distinctive features inside bones Posted: 25 Sep 2012 11:39 AM PDT A common type of geographic mapping software offers a new way to study human remains. In a new study, researchers describe how they used commercially available mapping software to identify features inside a human foot bone -- a new way to study human skeletal variation.

Species richness and genetic diversity do not go hand in hand in alpine plants Posted: 25 Sep 2012 11:32 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that a high level of species diversity in alpine plants does not necessarily go hand in hand with a high level of genetic diversity. This finding suggests that new future strategies are needed to protect biodiversity in the Alpine region.

Urban coyotes never stray: New study finds 100 percent monogamy Posted: 25 Sep 2012 11:25 AM PDT Coyotes living in cities don't ever stray from their mates, according to a new study. The finding sheds light on why the North American cousin of the dog and wolf, which is originally native to deserts and plains, is thriving today in urban areas.

Microfluidic device: Hundreds of biochemical analyses on a single chip Posted: 25 Sep 2012 06:18 AM PDT Thanks to an innovative microfluidic device, 768 biochemical interactions (e.g., between DNA and transcription factors) can be monitored at the same time.

Agriculture is the direct driver for worldwide deforestation Posted: 25 Sep 2012 06:16 AM PDT A new synthesis on drivers of deforestation and forest degradation was published during the Bangkok climate change negotiations. The report stresses the importance of knowing what drives deforestation and forest degradation, in order to be able to design and monitor effective REDD+ policies to halt it.

Methane from sea bed: Gas outlets off Spitsbergen are no new phenomenon Posted: 24 Sep 2012 11:40 AM PDT Marine scientists spent four and a half weeks examining methane emanation from the sea bed off the coast of Spitsbergen. They were surprised to learn that several of the gas outlets had been active for hundreds of years.

Mars-like places on Earth give new insights into Rover data and conditions for life Posted: 24 Sep 2012 11:27 AM PDT Life thrives on Planet Earth. In even the most inhospitable places – the freezing Antarctic permafrost, sun-baked saltpans in Tunisia or the corrosively acidic Rio Tinto in Spain – pockets of life can be found. Some of these locations have much in common with environments found on Mars, as discovered by orbiters and rovers exploring the surface. Researchers have made a series of field trips to the most Mars-like places on Earth.

New data on the biofuel ecobalance: Most biofuels are not 'green' Posted: 24 Sep 2012 08:16 AM PDT First tops, then flops. That is one way of summing up the history of biofuels so far. A new study gives an up-to-date picture of the ecobalance of various biofuels and their production processes. Only a few are overall more environmentally friendly than petrol.

Near-roadway air pollution a major contributor to asthma in Los Angeles County, research finds Posted: 24 Sep 2012 05:09 AM PDT Research indicates that at least 8 percent of the more than 300,000 cases of childhood asthma in Los Angeles County can be attributed to traffic-related pollution at homes within 75 meters (a little less than 250 feet) of a busy roadway.

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