ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Bats split on family living
• HIV-like viruses in non-human primates have existed much longer than previously thought
• Jet fuel, plastics exposures cause disease in later generations; Reproductive diseases, obesity
• Extinction rates not as bad as feared ... for now: Scientists challenge common belief
• The storm that never was: Why meteorologists are often wrong
• 'Scarecrow' gene: Key to efficient crops, could lead to staple crops with much higher yields
• Female mice exposed to BPA by mothers show unexpected characteristics
• Dung beetles follow the milky way: Insects found to use stars for orientation
• Climate change beliefs of independent voters shift with the weather
• New dinosaur fossil challenges bird evolution theory

Bats split on family living Posted: 24 Jan 2013 03:36 PM PST For the tiny Daubenton's bat, the attractions of family life seem to vary more with altitude than with the allure of the opposite sex.

HIV-like viruses in non-human primates have existed much longer than previously thought Posted: 24 Jan 2013 03:36 PM PST Viruses similar to those that cause AIDS in humans were present in non-human primates in Africa at least five million years ago and perhaps up to 12 million years ago, according to new study. Until now, researchers have hypothesized that such viruses originated much more recently.

Jet fuel, plastics exposures cause disease in later generations; Reproductive diseases, obesity Posted: 24 Jan 2013 03:36 PM PST Researchers have lengthened their list of environmental toxicants that can negatively affect as many as three generations of an exposed animal's offspring. Among them: BPA and jet fuel. And they see a new outcome: Obesity.

Extinction rates not as bad as feared ... for now: Scientists challenge common belief Posted: 24 Jan 2013 12:08 PM PST Concerns that many animals are becoming extinct, before scientists even have time to identify them, are greatly overstated, according to new research.

The storm that never was: Why meteorologists are often wrong Posted: 24 Jan 2013 11:07 AM PST Have you ever woken up to a sunny forecast only to get soaked on your way to the office? On days like that it's easy to blame the weatherman. But engineering professor Julie Crockett doesn't get mad at meteorologists. She understands something that very few people know: it's not the weatherman's fault he's wrong so often.

'Scarecrow' gene: Key to efficient crops, could lead to staple crops with much higher yields Posted: 24 Jan 2013 10:40 AM PST With projections of 9.5 billion people by 2050, humankind faces the challenge of feeding modern diets to additional mouths while using the same amounts of water, fertilizer and arable land as today. Researchers have taken a leap toward meeting those needs by discovering a gene that could lead to new varieties of staple crops with 50 percent higher yields. The gene, called Scarecrow, is the first discovered to control a special leaf structure, known as Kranz anatomy, which leads to more efficient photosynthesis.

Female mice exposed to BPA by mothers show unexpected characteristics Posted: 24 Jan 2013 10:39 AM PST Female mice exposed to Bisphenol A through their mother's diet during gestation and lactation were found to be hyperactive, exhibit spontaneous activity and had leaner body mass than those not exposed to the chemical, researchers have discovered.

Dung beetles follow the milky way: Insects found to use stars for orientation Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:32 AM PST An insect with a tiny brain and minimal computing power has become the first animal proven to use the Milky Way for orientation. Scientists from South Africa and Sweden have published findings showing the link between dung beetles and the spray of stars which comprises our galaxy.

Climate change beliefs of independent voters shift with the weather Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:29 AM PST There's a well-known saying in New England that if you don't like the weather here, wait a minute. When it comes to independent voters, those weather changes can just as quickly shift beliefs about climate change.

New dinosaur fossil challenges bird evolution theory Posted: 24 Jan 2013 06:15 AM PST The discovery of a new bird-like dinosaur from the Jurassic period challenges widely accepted theories on the origin of flight. A new paper describes a new feathered dinosaur about 30 centimeters in length which pre-dates bird-like dinosaurs that birds were long thought to have evolved from.

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