ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Mosquitoes exposed to DEET once are less repelled by it a few hours later
• Organic tomatoes accumulate more vitamin C, sugars than conventionally grown fruit
• Migratory behavior of oceanic whitetip sharks revealed
• Low-pitched song indicates fairy-wren size
• Turning pine sap into 'ever-green' plastics
• Molecules assemble in water, hint at origins of life
• Little did we know about beetle diversity: Astonishing 138 new species in a single genus
• New analysis of Genesis reveals 'death sandwich' literary theme
• First signals from brain nerve cells with ultrathin nanowires
• Where does our head come from? Brainless sea anemone sheds new light on the evolutionary origin of the head
• Climate change effect on plant communities is buffered by large herbivores, new research suggests

Mosquitoes exposed to DEET once are less repelled by it a few hours later Posted: 20 Feb 2013 03:49 PM PST Mosquitoes are able to ignore the smell of the insect repellent DEET within a few hours of being exposed to it, according to new research.

Organic tomatoes accumulate more vitamin C, sugars than conventionally grown fruit Posted: 20 Feb 2013 03:49 PM PST Tomatoes grown on organic farms accumulate higher concentrations of sugars, vitamin C and compounds associated with oxidative stress compared to those grown on conventional farms, according to new research.

Migratory behavior of oceanic whitetip sharks revealed Posted: 20 Feb 2013 03:47 PM PST As the nations of the world prepare to vote on measures to restrict international trade in endangered sharks in early March, a team of researchers has found that one of these species -- the oceanic whitetip shark -- regularly crosses international boundaries. Efforts by individual nations to protect this declining apex predator within their own maritime borders may therefore need to be nested within broader international conservation measures.

Low-pitched song indicates fairy-wren size Posted: 20 Feb 2013 02:07 PM PST A male fairy-wren's low pitch song indicates body size, a new study has shown.

Turning pine sap into 'ever-green' plastics Posted: 20 Feb 2013 02:06 PM PST Scientists are developing new plastics that are "green" from the cradle to the grave. Given that the new polymers they are working on often come from pine trees, firs and other conifers, they are giving the word "evergreen" added resonance.

Molecules assemble in water, hint at origins of life Posted: 20 Feb 2013 09:33 AM PST Researchers are exploring an alternate theory for the origin of RNA: they think the RNA bases may have evolved from a pair of molecules distinct from the bases we have today. This theory looks increasingly attractive, as researchers were able to achieve efficient, highly ordered self-assembly in water with small molecules that are similar to the bases of RNA.

Little did we know about beetle diversity: Astonishing 138 new species in a single genus Posted: 20 Feb 2013 08:40 AM PST Researchers have described in a single article 138 new species in a genus of tropical beetles. This six-fold increase in known diversity indicates the extent to which remarkable biodiversity can remain undetected.

New analysis of Genesis reveals 'death sandwich' literary theme Posted: 20 Feb 2013 05:47 AM PST An online tool has, for the first time, revealed a common literary technique in the Book of Genesis that has remained hidden in the text for millennia.

First signals from brain nerve cells with ultrathin nanowires Posted: 20 Feb 2013 05:44 AM PST Electrodes implanted in the brain are currently in use for research and also to treat diseases such as Parkinson's. However, their use has been limited by their size. Researchers have now, for the first time, succeeded in implanting an ultrathin nanowire-based electrode and capturing signals from the nerve cells in the brain of a laboratory animal.

Where does our head come from? Brainless sea anemone sheds new light on the evolutionary origin of the head Posted: 20 Feb 2013 05:44 AM PST A research group has shed new light on the evolutionary origin of the head. Scientists show that in a simple, brainless sea anemone, the same genes that control head development in higher animals regulate the development of the front end of the swimming larvae.

Climate change effect on plant communities is buffered by large herbivores, new research suggests Posted: 19 Feb 2013 05:16 PM PST Can existing ecological communities persist intact as temperatures rise? A news study suggests that the answer to this question may have as much to do with the biological interactions that shape communities as with the effects of climate change itself.

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