ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Large dead zone forming in the Gulf
• Scientists discover thriving colonies of microbes in ocean 'plastisphere'
• Researchers reformulate the model of mitochondrial function
• Key step in protein synthesis revealed
• Algae shows promise as pollution-fighter, fuel-maker
• Potential boost for world's food supply: Resistance gene found against Ug99 wheat stem rust pathogen
• Global warming may affect soil microbe survival, with unknown consequences on soil fertility and erosion
• Mapping out how to save species
• Sea lampreys turning up the heat
• Social networks shape monkey 'culture' too
• Researchers Discover Species-Recognition System in Fruit Flies
• Researchers unearth data in animal habitat selection that counters current convention
• Illegal marijuana grows threaten fishers in the southern Sierra Nevada
• River deep, mountain high: New study reveals clues to lifecycle of world's iconic mountains
• Humans play role in Australia's 'angry' hot summer
• Sterilizing Mars spacecraft is largely a waste of money, two experts argue
• Stabilizing sloping land: 'Blowing' a slope into place
• São Miguel scops owl was wiped out after arrival of humans in the Azores
• Big environmental footprints: 21 percent of homes account for 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions

Large dead zone forming in the Gulf Posted: 27 Jun 2013 01:13 PM PDT Ocean experts had predicted a large "dead zone" area in the Gulf of Mexico this year, and according to the results from a researcher just back from studying the region, those predictions appear to be right on target.

Scientists discover thriving colonies of microbes in ocean 'plastisphere' Posted: 27 Jun 2013 11:25 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a diverse multitude of microbes colonizing and thriving on flecks of plastic that have polluted the oceans -- a vast new human-made flotilla of microbial communities that they have dubbed the "plastisphere."

Researchers reformulate the model of mitochondrial function Posted: 27 Jun 2013 11:24 AM PDT New findings will mean rewriting the biochemistry textbooks. The study redefines the functioning of mitochondria and explains how cells generate energy from nutrients.

Key step in protein synthesis revealed Posted: 27 Jun 2013 11:24 AM PDT Scientists have trapped the ribosome, a protein-building molecular machine essential to all life, in a key transitional state that has long eluded researchers. Now, for the first time, scientists can see how the ribosome performs the precise mechanical movements needed to translate genetic code into proteins without making mistakes.

Algae shows promise as pollution-fighter, fuel-maker Posted: 27 Jun 2013 11:17 AM PDT A hardy algae species is showing promise in both reducing power plant pollution and making biofuel, based on new research.

Potential boost for world's food supply: Resistance gene found against Ug99 wheat stem rust pathogen Posted: 27 Jun 2013 11:17 AM PDT The world's food supply got a little more plentiful thanks to a scientific breakthrough. Scientists have identified a gene that gives wheat plants resistance to one of the most deadly races of the wheat stem rust pathogen, called Ug99.

Global warming may affect soil microbe survival, with unknown consequences on soil fertility and erosion Posted: 27 Jun 2013 11:17 AM PDT Researchers have discovered for the first time that temperature determines where key soil microbes can thrive -- microbes that are critical to forming topsoil crusts in arid lands. And of concern, the scientists predict that in as little as 50 years, global warming may push some of these microbes out of their present stronghold with unknown consequences to soil fertility and erosion.

Mapping out how to save species Posted: 27 Jun 2013 10:09 AM PDT Using colorful world maps, a new study maps out priority areas for protection to save species and preserve biodiversity. The scale is 100 times finer than previous assessments.

Sea lampreys turning up the heat Posted: 27 Jun 2013 09:53 AM PDT Scientists found that male sea lampreys have a secondary sex characteristic that creates heat when they get near a female lamprey, something the females find hard to say no to.

Social networks shape monkey 'culture' too Posted: 27 Jun 2013 09:51 AM PDT Of course Twitter and Facebook are all the rage, but the power of social networks didn't start just in the digital age. A new study on squirrel monkeys finds that monkeys with the strongest social networks catch on fastest to the latest in foraging crazes. They are monkey trendsters.

Researchers Discover Species-Recognition System in Fruit Flies Posted: 27 Jun 2013 09:45 AM PDT A team of researchers has discovered a sensory system in the foreleg of the fruit fly that tells male flies whether a potential mate is from a different species. The work addresses a central problem in evolution that is poorly understood: how animals of one species know not to mate with animals of other species.

Researchers unearth data in animal habitat selection that counters current convention Posted: 27 Jun 2013 07:28 AM PDT Scientists have long presumed that animals settle on breeding territories according to the ideal free model. But settlement data often show that, in fact, animals do not select high quality habitat. Indeed, here we report that young common loons have a striking tendency to settle on breeding lakes that resemble their natal lake in terms of both size and pH.

Illegal marijuana grows threaten fishers in the southern Sierra Nevada Posted: 27 Jun 2013 07:28 AM PDT Rat poison used on illegal marijuana grows is killing fishers in the southern Sierra Nevada, according to a recent study conducted by a team of scientists.

River deep, mountain high: New study reveals clues to lifecycle of world's iconic mountains Posted: 27 Jun 2013 07:26 AM PDT Scientists have discovered the reasons behind the lifespan of some of the world's iconic mountain ranges. The study has revealed that interactions between landslides and erosion, caused by rivers, explains why some mountain ranges exceed their expected lifespan.

Humans play role in Australia's 'angry' hot summer Posted: 27 Jun 2013 07:26 AM PDT Human influences through global warming are likely to have played a role in Australia's recent "angry" hot summer, the hottest in Australia's observational record, new research has found.

Sterilizing Mars spacecraft is largely a waste of money, two experts argue Posted: 27 Jun 2013 07:26 AM PDT Two university researchers say environmental restrictions have become unnecessarily restrictive and expensive -- on Mars.

Stabilizing sloping land: 'Blowing' a slope into place Posted: 27 Jun 2013 05:31 AM PDT Research scientists have developed a new method for stabilizing areas with difficult soil mechanics. The concept is based on blowing expanded clay (Leca) spheres into enormous "sausage skins" made from geotextiles.

São Miguel scops owl was wiped out after arrival of humans in the Azores Posted: 27 Jun 2013 05:30 AM PDT On São Miguel Island in the Azores, there used to exist a small, nocturnal bird of prey, related to the European scops owl, named Otus frutuosoi, which was very probably driven to extinction with the arrival of the first settlers in the 15th century.

Big environmental footprints: 21 percent of homes account for 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions Posted: 26 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT Energy conservation in a small number of households could go a long way to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, scientists are reporting. Their study measured differences in energy demands at the household level.

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