ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Scientists unveil a superbug's secret to antibiotic resistance
• Gut microbes at root of severe malnutrition in kids
• West Nile virus spreading due to mosquitoes in orchards and vineyards, experts warn
• Bonobos predisposed to show sensitivity to others
• Vultures foraging far and wide face a poisonous future
• Tapeworm eggs discovered in 270-million-year-old fossil shark feces
• Chimp see, chimp learn: First evidence for chimps improving tool use techniques by watching others
• Leading by the nose: Star-nosed mole reveals how mammals perceive touch, pain
• U.S. water supply not as threatened as believed, study finds
• Archaic Native Americans built massive Louisiana mound in less than 90 days
• Discovery of sexual mating in Candida albicans could provide insights into infections
• Lake Mead aquatic-science research documents substantial improvements in ecosystem
• How plant communities endure stress
• First artificial enzyme created by evolution in a test tube
• Aging cells lose their grip on DNA rogues
• New research shows complexity of global warming
• Deforestation triggers carbon collapse of tropical peatlands
• Alive? You are a bed bug magnet
• Female deer take control during mating season
• Biologists use diag trees to help solve gypsy moth mystery
• Pathway for membrane building blocks
• Emission trading schemes limit green consumerism
• Snails signal a humid Mediterranean
• Metabolite damage-control: How our cells cope with toxic small molecules
• Prehistoric humans not wiped out by comet, says researchers
• Chemical lets researchers extract significant oil deposits; Leaves positive environmental footprint
• Ecological engineering solves unsafe water problems in Bolivia
• 'Super' enzyme protects against dangers of oxygen

Scientists unveil a superbug's secret to antibiotic resistance Posted: 30 Jan 2013 03:43 PM PST Many strains of the bacterium Staphyloccocus aureus are already resistant to all antibiotics except vancomycin. But as bacteria are becoming resistant to this once powerful antidote, S. aureus has moved one step closer to becoming an unstoppable killer. Now, researchers have not only identified the mechanism by which vancomycin resistance spreads from one bacterium to the next, but have suggested ways to potentially stop the transfer.

Gut microbes at root of severe malnutrition in kids Posted: 30 Jan 2013 03:43 PM PST A study of young twins in Malawi, in sub-Saharan Africa, finds that bacteria living in the intestine are an underlying cause of a form of severe acute childhood malnutrition.

West Nile virus spreading due to mosquitoes in orchards and vineyards, experts warn Posted: 30 Jan 2013 03:43 PM PST Researchers have linked orchards and vineyards with a greater prevalence of West Nile virus in mosquitoes and the insects' ability to spread the virus to birds, horses and people. The finding is the most finely scaled look at the interplay between land use and with the virus's activity in key hosts.

Bonobos predisposed to show sensitivity to others Posted: 30 Jan 2013 03:43 PM PST Comforting a friend or relative in distress may be a more hard-wired behavior than previously thought, according to a new study of bonobos, which are great apes known for their empathy and close relation to humans and chimpanzees. The findings provide evolutionary insights into how critical social skills may develop in human children.

Vultures foraging far and wide face a poisonous future Posted: 30 Jan 2013 03:43 PM PST African vultures face an increasing risk of fatal poisoning, according to new research.

Tapeworm eggs discovered in 270-million-year-old fossil shark feces Posted: 30 Jan 2013 03:42 PM PST A cluster of tapeworm eggs discovered in 270-million-year-old fossilized shark feces suggests that intestinal parasites in vertebrates are much older than previously known.

Chimp see, chimp learn: First evidence for chimps improving tool use techniques by watching others Posted: 30 Jan 2013 03:41 PM PST Chimps can learn more efficient ways to use a tool by watching what others do, according to new research. Their study presents the first experimental evidence that chimps, like humans, can watch and learn a group member's invention of a better technique.

Leading by the nose: Star-nosed mole reveals how mammals perceive touch, pain Posted: 30 Jan 2013 03:41 PM PST The most sensitive patch of mammalian skin known to us isn't human but on the star-shaped tip of the star-nosed mole's snout. Researchers studying this organ have found that the star has a higher proportion of touch-sensitive nerve endings than pain receptors, according to a new study.

U.S. water supply not as threatened as believed, study finds Posted: 30 Jan 2013 03:40 PM PST A research study adds a new twist to previous studies of the nation's water supplies. The study finds that when infrastructure is included in the mix (reservoirs, dams, etc.), water vulnerability is less of a threat than previously believed.

Archaic Native Americans built massive Louisiana mound in less than 90 days Posted: 30 Jan 2013 03:36 PM PST A massive earthen mound constructed about 3,200 years ago by Native Americans in northeastern Louisiana was built in less than 90 days, and perhaps as quickly as 30 days, according to new research. The site was recently nominated for a place on the UNESCO list of Word Heritage sites.

Discovery of sexual mating in Candida albicans could provide insights into infections Posted: 30 Jan 2013 11:36 AM PST Like many fungi and one-celled organisms, Candida albicans, a normally harmless microbe that can turn deadly, has long been thought to reproduce without sexual mating. But a new study shows that C. albicans is capable of sexual reproduction. The finding represents an important breakthrough in understanding how this pathogen has been shaped by evolution.

Lake Mead aquatic-science research documents substantial improvements in ecosystem Posted: 30 Jan 2013 11:36 AM PST Lake Mead National Recreation Area's water quality is good, the sport fish populations are sufficient, and the lakes provide important habitat for an increasing number of birds. This positive trend is documented in a new report that leads to a better understanding of the natural resources of Lake Mead and Lake Mohave, and the issues that may affect natural resource management of Lake Mead NRA.

How plant communities endure stress Posted: 30 Jan 2013 10:24 AM PST The Stress Gradient Hypothesis holds that as stress increases in an ecosystem, mutually supportive interactions become more significant and negative interactions, such as competition, become less so. The idea has been hotly debated but is now backed by a review of hundreds of studies co-authored in Ecology Letters by Mark Bertness, professor of biology at Brown, who first formally proposed the hypothesis in 1994. The time has come, he said, to test its application and predictive value.

First artificial enzyme created by evolution in a test tube Posted: 30 Jan 2013 10:24 AM PST A wobbly new biochemical structure in one scientist's lab may resemble what enzymes looked like billions of years ago, when life on Earth began to evolve -- long before they became ingredients for new and improved products, from detergents to foods and fuels.

Aging cells lose their grip on DNA rogues Posted: 30 Jan 2013 10:24 AM PST Transposable elements are mobile strands of DNA that insert themselves into chromosomes with mostly harmful consequences. Cells try to keep them locked down, but in a new study, researchers report that aging cells lose their ability to maintain this control. The result may be a further decline in the health of senescent cells and of the aging bodies they compose.

New research shows complexity of global warming Posted: 30 Jan 2013 10:24 AM PST Global warming from greenhouse gases affects rainfall patterns in the world differently than that from solar heating, according to a new study.

Deforestation triggers carbon collapse of tropical peatlands Posted: 30 Jan 2013 10:23 AM PST Deforested tropical peatlands are haemorrhaging carbon from deep within their peat soils, with consequences for the release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, according to new research.

Alive? You are a bed bug magnet Posted: 30 Jan 2013 10:23 AM PST Bed bugs are infiltrating the world and cities like Chicago are imposing $1,000 fines. Infection control specialists offer ten tips on identifying bed bugs.

Female deer take control during mating season Posted: 30 Jan 2013 08:19 AM PST A new study provides the first evidence of polyandry – when females choose to mate with more than one male – in female fallow deer.

Biologists use diag trees to help solve gypsy moth mystery Posted: 30 Jan 2013 08:17 AM PST Working beneath towering oaks and maples, researchers have helped explain an observation that had puzzled insect ecologists who study voracious leaf-munching gypsy moth caterpillars.

Pathway for membrane building blocks Posted: 30 Jan 2013 07:19 AM PST Biomembranes consist of a mosaic of individual, densely packed lipid molecules. These molecules are formed inside the cells. But how do these building blocks move to the correct part of the membrane? Researchers have discovered a mechanism to show how this is done.

Emission trading schemes limit green consumerism Posted: 30 Jan 2013 05:28 AM PST Schemes that aim to regulate greenhouse gas emissions can limit consumers' attempts to reduce their carbon footprints.

Snails signal a humid Mediterranean Posted: 30 Jan 2013 05:28 AM PST An international team of researchers has shown that old wives' tales that snails can tell us about the weather should not be dismissed too hastily.

Metabolite damage-control: How our cells cope with toxic small molecules Posted: 30 Jan 2013 05:27 AM PST Scientists have reviewed an important, but so far neglected, part of metabolism, namely metabolite damage-control. Researchers now present a comprehensive overview of the known reactions generating unwanted small molecules in the cell as well as of the corresponding control mechanisms, and discuss the importance of this 'quality control' for cellular and organismal health.

Prehistoric humans not wiped out by comet, says researchers Posted: 30 Jan 2013 05:24 AM PST Comet explosions did not end the prehistoric human culture, known as Clovis, in North America 13,000 years ago, according to new research.

Chemical lets researchers extract significant oil deposits; Leaves positive environmental footprint Posted: 30 Jan 2013 05:22 AM PST Chemicals found in common household items are proving to be the right formula to safely extract up to 70 percent of oil still embedded in high-salt oil reservoirs in the United States. A research team has formulated an environmentally sound compound that increases oil flow in previously pumped reservoirs.

Ecological engineering solves unsafe water problems in Bolivia Posted: 30 Jan 2013 05:22 AM PST Surrounded by mining, the mountainous region of Potosi, Bolivia is plagued by extensive environmental contamination from past and current mining operations. Researchers have discovered a technique to remove pollutants from water that requires minimal labor costs and is powered by nature itself.

'Super' enzyme protects against dangers of oxygen Posted: 29 Jan 2013 02:13 PM PST Just like a comic book super hero, you could say that the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD1) has a secret identity. Since its discovery in 1969, scientists believed SOD1's only role was to protect living cells against damage from free radicals. Now, researchers have discovered that SOD1 protects cells by regulating cell energy and metabolism.

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