ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Cost gap for Western renewables could narrow by 2025
• Report proposes microbiology's grand challenge to help feed the world
• The extraordinary evolution of reticuloendotheliosis viruses
• Harmful particles in Icelandic volcanic ash fell first, says new research
• Submarine canyons a source of marine invertebrate diversity, abundance
• No evidence of residential property value impacts near US wind turbines
• Snapping turtles finding refuge in urban areas while habitats are being polluted
• New 3-D Earth model more accurately pinpoints source of earthquakes, explosions
• Supervolcanic ash can turn to lava miles from eruption
• How quickly can a bacterium grow? E. coli can replicate close to thermodynamic limits of efficiency
• European hunter-gatherers owned pigs as early as 4600 BC
• Genetic treasure hunting in sorghum may benefit crop improvement
• Earthquakes and tectonics: First direct observation of subducting continental crust during the collision of two continents
• How pufferfish meditate magnesium to survive
• Floe by floe, the ice surrenders its secrets
• Alga stressed by the light
• Novel approach to gene regulation can activate multiple genes simultaneously

Cost gap for Western renewables could narrow by 2025 Posted: 27 Aug 2013 05:45 PM PDT A new study indicates that by 2025 wind and solar power electricity generation could become cost-competitive without federal subsidies, if new renewable energy development occurs in the most productive locations.

Report proposes microbiology's grand challenge to help feed the world Posted: 27 Aug 2013 05:45 PM PDT A greater focus on the role of microbiology in agriculture combined with new technologies can help mitigate potential food shortages associated with world population increases according to a new report.

The extraordinary evolution of reticuloendotheliosis viruses Posted: 27 Aug 2013 05:43 PM PDT A new study reveals that reticuloendotheliosis viruses, which originated in mammals, spread to birds as a result of medical intervention.

Harmful particles in Icelandic volcanic ash fell first, says new research Posted: 27 Aug 2013 05:40 PM PDT The type of particles which are most harmful to jet engines were the first to fall out of the Eyjafjallajökull ash plume following the volcano's eruption in 2010, experts say.

Submarine canyons a source of marine invertebrate diversity, abundance Posted: 27 Aug 2013 01:05 PM PDT Submarine canyons play an important role in maintaining high levels of biodiversity of small invertebrates in the seafloor sediments of the main and northwestern Hawaiian Islands, according to new research. What's more, scientists have used this data to draw new connections between the levels of faunal diversity and the heterogeneity of submarine canyon landscapes at various spatial scales.

No evidence of residential property value impacts near US wind turbines Posted: 27 Aug 2013 10:50 AM PDT After analyzing more than 50,000 home sales near 63 wind facilities in 27 counties across nine US states, researchers were unable to uncover any impacts to nearby home property values.

Snapping turtles finding refuge in urban areas while habitats are being polluted Posted: 27 Aug 2013 10:50 AM PDT Snapping turtles are surviving in urban areas as their natural habitats are being polluted or developed for construction projects. One solution is for people to stop using so many chemicals that are eventually dumped into the waterways, a scientist said.

New 3-D Earth model more accurately pinpoints source of earthquakes, explosions Posted: 27 Aug 2013 10:47 AM PDT Scientists have developed a 3-D model of the Earth's mantle and crust called SALSA3D, or Sandia-Los Alamos 3D. The purpose of this model is more accurately locate all types of explosions.

Supervolcanic ash can turn to lava miles from eruption Posted: 27 Aug 2013 09:28 AM PDT Scientists have determined that ash can turn back into lava miles away from a supervolcano eruption due to reheating by a process called "viscous heating."

How quickly can a bacterium grow? E. coli can replicate close to thermodynamic limits of efficiency Posted: 27 Aug 2013 08:30 AM PDT All living things must obey the laws of physics -- including the second law of thermodynamics, which states that the universe's disorder, or entropy, can only grow. Highly ordered cells and organisms appear to contradict this principle, but they actually do conform because they generate heat that increases the universe's overall entropy.

European hunter-gatherers owned pigs as early as 4600 BC Posted: 27 Aug 2013 08:30 AM PDT European hunter-gatherers acquired domesticated pigs from nearby farmers as early as 4600 BC, according to new evidence. The international team of scientists showed there was interaction between the hunter-gatherer and farming communities and a 'sharing' of animals and knowledge. The interaction between the two groups eventually led to the hunter-gatherers incorporating farming and breeding of livestock into their culture, say the scientists.

Genetic treasure hunting in sorghum may benefit crop improvement Posted: 27 Aug 2013 08:30 AM PDT Agricultural researchers have discovered that sorghum, a drought-tolerant African crop, holds vastly more genetic variation than previously reported. This study provides an invaluable resource for the genetic improvement of sorghum and other grass species.

Earthquakes and tectonics: First direct observation of subducting continental crust during the collision of two continents Posted: 27 Aug 2013 08:21 AM PDT Earthquake damage to buildings is mainly due to the existing shear waves which transfer their energy during an earthquake to the houses. These shear waves are significantly influenced by the underground and the topography of the surrounding area. Detailed knowledge of the landform and the near-surface underground structure is, therefore, an important prerequisite for a local seismic hazard assessment and for the evaluation of the ground-effect, which can strongly modify and increase local ground motion.

How pufferfish meditate magnesium to survive Posted: 27 Aug 2013 08:17 AM PDT The gene mechanism responsible for altering magnesium ion secretion in fish has been uncovered.

Floe by floe, the ice surrenders its secrets Posted: 27 Aug 2013 06:16 AM PDT Bowhead and minke whale sightings, extensive ice floe measurements and the successful retrieval of important moored instruments are among the successes of a multinational team of ice engineering researchers and marine biologists.

Alga stressed by the light Posted: 27 Aug 2013 06:16 AM PDT During the summers of 2010 and 2011, biologists analyzed samples of algae populations from five zones and measured the amount of light present in and the temperature of each zone over the summer. The research group observed that the algae that displayed the most signs of stress were from the zones exposed to the most solar radiation.

Novel approach to gene regulation can activate multiple genes simultaneously Posted: 27 Aug 2013 06:13 AM PDT By creating a powerful new gene regulation system called CRISPR-on, researchers now have the ability to increase the expression of multiple genes simultaneously and precisely manipulate each gene's expression level. The system is effective in both mouse and human cells as well as in mouse embryos.

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