ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Thinking 'big' may not be best approach to saving large-river fish
• Pinpointing how nature's benefits link to human well-being
• Scientists develop worm EEG to test the effects of drugs
• Top 10 new species of 2012
• Small, speedy plant-eater extends knowledge of dinosaur ecosystems
• Mosquito behavior may be immune response, not parasite manipulation
• More emphasis needed on recycling and reuse of Li-ion batteries
• Fast new, one-step genetic engineering technology
• Tropical upper atmosphere 'fingerprint' of global warming
• Norway spruce genome sequenced: Largest ever to be mapped
• Carbon capture: Making use of minerals
• Footwear's (carbon) footprint: Bulk of shoes' carbon footprint comes from manufacturing processes
• Vast methane-based ecosystem uncovered
• Eyes on the prey: Researchers analyse the hunting behaviour of fish larvae in virtual reality
• Life scientists present new insights on climate change and species interactions
• Two miniature spider species discovered in Giant Panda Sanctuaries of China
• Bee and wild flower biodiversity loss slows
• New archaeological 'high definition' sourcing sharpens understanding of the past
• Drought makes Borneo's trees flower at the same time
• Volcanoes cause climate gas concentrations to vary
• Mechanism discovered which aids Legionella to camouflage itself in the organism
• The pirate ant: A new species from the Philippines with a bizarre pigmentation pattern
• Changing Arctic: What should be done?

Thinking 'big' may not be best approach to saving large-river fish Posted: 22 May 2013 03:03 PM PDT Large-river specialist fishes -- from giant species like paddlefish and blue catfish, to tiny crystal darters and silver chub -- are in danger, but researchers say there is greater hope to save them if major tributaries become a focus of conservation efforts.

Pinpointing how nature's benefits link to human well-being Posted: 22 May 2013 03:03 PM PDT What people take from nature -- water, food, timber, inspiration, relaxation -- are so abundant, it seems self-evident. Until you try to quantitatively understand how and to what extent they contribute to humans.

Scientists develop worm EEG to test the effects of drugs Posted: 22 May 2013 03:01 PM PDT Scientists have developed a device which records the brain activity of worms to help test the effects of drugs. NeuroChip is a microfluidic electrophysiological device, which can trap the microscopic worm Caenorhadbitis elegans and record the activity of discrete neural circuits in its 'brain' - a worm equivalent of the EEG.

Top 10 new species of 2012 Posted: 22 May 2013 01:39 PM PDT An amazing glow-in-the-dark cockroach, a harp-shaped carnivorous sponge and the smallest vertebrate on Earth are just three of the newly discovered top 10 species selected by a global committee of taxonomists.

Small, speedy plant-eater extends knowledge of dinosaur ecosystems Posted: 22 May 2013 11:20 AM PDT Dinosaurs are often thought of as large, fierce animals, but new research highlights a previously overlooked diversity of small dinosaurs. Paleontologists have now described a new dinosaur, the smallest plant-eating dinosaur species known from Canada.

Mosquito behavior may be immune response, not parasite manipulation Posted: 22 May 2013 11:20 AM PDT Malaria-carrying mosquitoes appear to be manipulated by the parasites they carry, but this manipulation may simply be part of the mosquitoes' immune response, according to entomologists.

More emphasis needed on recycling and reuse of Li-ion batteries Posted: 22 May 2013 11:20 AM PDT The discovery of potential environmental and human health effects from disposal of millions of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries each year has led scientists to recommend stronger government policies to encourage recovery, recycling and reuse of lithium-ion battery materials.

Fast new, one-step genetic engineering technology Posted: 22 May 2013 10:12 AM PDT A new, streamlined approach to genetic engineering drastically reduces the time and effort needed to insert new genes into bacteria, the workhorses of biotechnology, scientists are reporting. The method paves the way for more rapid development of designer microbes for drug development, environmental cleanup and other activities.

Tropical upper atmosphere 'fingerprint' of global warming Posted: 22 May 2013 10:11 AM PDT The winds of the quasibiennial oscillation in the tropical upper atmosphere have greatly weakened at some altitudes over the last six decades, according to a new study. The finding is consistent with computer model projections of how the upper atmosphere responds to global warming induced by increased greenhouse gas concentrations.

Norway spruce genome sequenced: Largest ever to be mapped Posted: 22 May 2013 10:10 AM PDT Scientists have mapped the gene sequence of Norway spruce (the Christmas tree) -- a species with huge economic and ecological importance -- and that is the largest genome to have ever been mapped. The genome is complex and seven times larger than that of humans.

Carbon capture: Making use of minerals Posted: 22 May 2013 10:10 AM PDT Ammonium salts could provide a viable way of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere via carbon mineralization, studies suggest.

Footwear's (carbon) footprint: Bulk of shoes' carbon footprint comes from manufacturing processes Posted: 22 May 2013 09:31 AM PDT A typical pair of running shoes generates 30 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to keeping a 100-watt light bulb on for one week, according to a new lifecycle assessment.

Vast methane-based ecosystem uncovered Posted: 22 May 2013 09:30 AM PDT A marine research expedition has led to the discovery of perhaps the world's largest methane cold seep. The seep lies deep in the western North Atlantic Ocean, far from the life-sustaining energy of the sun. Mussels blanketing the the seep rely on bacteria that use the methane to make energy. The process, known as chemosynthesis, forms the basis for life in the harsh environment and could help scientists better understand how organisms can survive under these types of extreme conditions.

Eyes on the prey: Researchers analyse the hunting behaviour of fish larvae in virtual reality Posted: 22 May 2013 08:20 AM PDT Moving objects attract greater attention -- a fact exploited by video screens in public spaces and animated advertising banners on the Internet. For most animal species, moving objects also play a major role in the processing of sensory impressions in the brain, as they often signal the presence of a welcome prey or an imminent threat. Scientists have now investigated how the brain uses the information from the visual system for the execution of quicker movements.

Life scientists present new insights on climate change and species interactions Posted: 22 May 2013 06:58 AM PDT Life scientists provide important new details on how climate change will affect interactions between species in newly published research. This knowledge, they say, is critical to making accurate predictions and informing policymakers of how species are likely to be impacted by rising temperatures.

Two miniature spider species discovered in Giant Panda Sanctuaries of China Posted: 22 May 2013 06:58 AM PDT Two tiny, bizarre shaped spider species have been discovered in the Sichuan province and Chongqing city of China. The two species belong to the understudied Mysmenidae family, which prove difficult to find due to their small size (under 2 mm in total) and their cryptic lifestyle habits.

Bee and wild flower biodiversity loss slows Posted: 22 May 2013 05:54 AM PDT Declines in the biodiversity of pollinating insects and wild plants have slowed in recent years, according to a new study. Researchers found evidence of dramatic reductions in the diversity of species in Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands between the 1950s and 1980s. But the picture brightened markedly after 1990, with a slowdown in local and national biodiversity losses among bees, hoverflies and wild plants.

New archaeological 'high definition' sourcing sharpens understanding of the past Posted: 22 May 2013 05:54 AM PDT A new method of sourcing the origins of artefacts in high definition is set to improve our understanding of the past.

Drought makes Borneo's trees flower at the same time Posted: 22 May 2013 05:53 AM PDT Tropical plants flower at supra-annual irregular intervals. In addition, mass flowering is typical for the tropical forests in Borneo and elsewhere, where hundreds of different plant timber species from the Dipterocarpaceae family flower synchronously. This phenomenon is all the more puzzling because both temperature and day length are relatively constant all year round due to geographical proximity to the equator.

Volcanoes cause climate gas concentrations to vary Posted: 22 May 2013 05:53 AM PDT Trace gases and aerosols are major factors influencing the climate. With the help of highly complex installations, such as MIPAS on board of the ENVISAT satellite, researchers try to better understand the processes in the upper atmosphere. Now, scientists have completed a comprehensive overview of sulfur dioxide measurements.

Mechanism discovered which aids Legionella to camouflage itself in the organism Posted: 22 May 2013 05:52 AM PDT The feared Legionella pneumophilabacteria is responsible for legionellosis, an infectious disease that can lead to pneumonia. In order to infect us, this pathogen has developed a complex method enabling it to camouflage itself and go unnoticed in our cells, thus avoiding these acting against the infectious bacteria.

The pirate ant: A new species from the Philippines with a bizarre pigmentation pattern Posted: 21 May 2013 10:22 AM PDT Scientists discovered and described a bizarre species of pirate ant. The new Cardiocondyla pirata has its name inspired by its strange pigmentation that consist of two eye-patch like dark stripes across the eyes of the female caste. Although it is supposed that this pattern has a protective function for disorienting the enemy, there are still many questions that will challenge the minds of biologists.

Changing Arctic: What should be done? Posted: 21 May 2013 07:57 AM PDT In two critical reports released at the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Kiruna, Sweden on May 15th, scientists helped inform an international body of senior government officials about changing conditions in the Arctic, and potential responses to those changes.

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