Τρίτη 25 Ιουνίου 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News


Two mutations triggered an evolutionary leap 500 million years ago

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 12:26 PM PDT

Scientists have discovered two key mutations that sparked a hormonal revolution 500 million years ago. In a feat of "molecular time travel," the researchers resurrected and analyzed the functions of the ancestors of genes that play key roles in modern human reproduction, development, immunity and cancer.

Resilience in the wake of Superstorm Sandy

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 12:26 PM PDT

Researchers have released results of a major survey exploring resilience of people and neighborhoods directly affected by Superstorm Sandy. The study reveals the importance of social factors such as neighborhood bonds and social supports in coping with the storm and its aftermath.

Rotation-resistant rootworms owe their success to gut microbes

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 12:26 PM PDT

Researchers say they now know what allows some Western corn rootworms to survive crop rotation, a farming practice that once effectively managed the rootworm pests. The answer to the decades-long mystery of rotation-resistant rootworms lies -- in large part -- in the rootworm gut, the team reports.

Helping RNA escape from cells' recycling process could make it easier to shut off disease-causing genes

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 11:48 AM PDT

Helping RNA escape from cells' recycling process could make it easier to shut off disease-causing genes, says a new study.

Migrating animals add new depth to how the ocean 'breathes'

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 11:48 AM PDT

Animals ranging from plankton to small fish consume vast amounts of what little oxygen is available in the deep ocean, and may reveal a crucial and unappreciated role that animals have in ocean chemistry on a global scale.

Turtles have fingerprints? New genetic technique reveals paternity and more

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 11:39 AM PDT

For 220 million years they have roamed the seas, denizens of the bustling coral reef and the vast open ocean. Each year, some emerge from the pounding surf onto moonlit beaches to lay their eggs. Throughout human history, we have revered them, used them, and worked to protect them, but we have only begun to understand these ancient, iconic creatures. Now, with all five of the sea turtle species in the U.S. threatened or endangered, knowledge is more crucial than ever.

Vegetation on Earth: Stunning satellite imagery depicting vegetation around the world

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 11:18 AM PDT

Although 75 percent of the planet is an ocean of blue, the remaining 25 percent of Earth's surface is a dynamic green. Data from the Visible-Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument on board the NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP satellite is able to detect these subtle differences in greenness, and is sending extraordinary images back to Earth giving us a clearer picture of vegetation around the world.

Reading DNA, backward and forward: Biologists reveal how cells control the direction in which the genome is read

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 11:14 AM PDT

Biologists have discovered a mechanism that allows cells to read their own DNA in the correct direction and prevents them from copying most of the so-called "junk DNA" that makes up long stretches of our genome.

Ailanthus tree's status as invasive species offers lesson in human interaction

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 10:31 AM PDT

An exotic tree species that changed from prized possession to forest management nightmare serves as a lesson in the unpredictability of non-native species mixing with human interactions, according to researchers.

How fish swim: Researchers examine mechanical bases for the emergence of undulatory swimmers

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 10:31 AM PDT

How do fish swim? It is a simple question, but there is no simple answer. Researchers have now gleaned insight into the mechanical properties that allow them to perform their seemingly complex movements.

Uncertainty over the benefits of feeding birds in winter

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 08:10 AM PDT

Scientists have found that feeding wild blue tits in winter resulted in less successful breeding during the following spring.

Excited, but cold: Scientists unveil the secret of a reaction for prebiotic synthesis of organic matter

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 07:42 AM PDT

How is it that a complex organism evolves from a pile of dead matter? How can lifeless materials become organic molecules that are the bricks of animals and plants? Scientists have been trying to answer these questions for ages. Researchers have now disclosed the secret of a reaction that has to do with the synthesis of complex organic matter before the origin of life.

Tick-caused bobcat fever can be deadly to domestic cats

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 07:38 AM PDT

Veterinarians are warning pet owners to watch out for ticks carrying a disease that could kill cats.

Biological arithmetic: Plants do sums to get through the night

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 06:35 AM PDT

Using fundamental processes instead of brain cells, plants measure the time until dawn and divide that by their stored starch levels. Researchers say that this ability in plants represents the first concrete example in a fundamental biological process of such a sophisticated arithmetic calculation.

Surprise species at risk from climate change

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 04:58 AM PDT

Most species at greatest risk from climate change are not currently conservation priorities, according to a new study that has introduced a pioneering method to assess the vulnerability of species to climate change.

A bit of good luck: A new species of burying beetle from the Solomon Islands Archipelago

Posted: 21 Jun 2013 07:44 AM PDT

Scientists discovered a new species of burying beetle from the Solomon Islands Archipelago. Nicrophorus efferens was discovered when one of the authors, Tonya Mousseau, decided to look through the local museum collections during a holiday in Hawaii. The lucky find is a type of burying beetle, a group of beetles famous among naturalists for their peculiar reproductive habits.

Are Dogs 'Kids?' Owner-dog relationships share striking similarities to parent-child relationships

Posted: 21 Jun 2013 06:55 AM PDT

People have an innate need to establish close relationships with other people. But this natural bonding behavior is not confined to humans: many animals also seem to need relationships with others of their kind. For domesticated animals the situation is even more complex and pets may enter deep relationships not only with conspecifics but also with their owners. Scientists have investigated the bond between dogs and their owners and have found striking similarities to the parent-child relationship in humans.

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