ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Some motor proteins cooperate better than others
• War elephant myths debunked by DNA
• Marine tubeworms need nudge to transition from larvae state
• Ahoy! First ocean vesicles spotted
• Capturing a hard-wired variability: What makes some identical twins noticeably different?
• Loss of large carnivores poses global conservation problem
• New clues to how bacteria evade antibiotics
• Iconic Australasian trees found as fossils in South America
• Acid mine drainage reduces radioactivity in fracking waste
• Genetic testing to produce more offspring
• Rewiring stem cells: New technique may revolutionize understanding of how genes function
• Bed bugs grow faster in groups
• Oceanographer examines pollutants in Antarctic seal milk
• Negative feedback makes cells 'sensitive'
• Color-coded cells reveal patchwork pattern of X chromosome silencing in female brains
• Tiger middlemen arrested in Aceh, Indonesia
• Biomaterials get stem cells to commit to bony future

Some motor proteins cooperate better than others Posted: 09 Jan 2014 03:03 PM PST A study analyzes how teams of molecular motor proteins cooperate as they move cargoes around living cells.

War elephant myths debunked by DNA Posted: 09 Jan 2014 03:03 PM PST Through DNA analysis, researchers have disproved decades of rumors and hearsay surrounding the ancient Battle of Raphia, the only known battle between Asian and African elephants.

Marine tubeworms need nudge to transition from larvae state Posted: 09 Jan 2014 11:38 AM PST Biofouling is the process by which barnacles, muscles, oysters, and tubeworms accumulate on the bottom of boats and other surfaces. Researchers have discovered a biological trigger behind the buildup. Biofouling begins when floating marine larvae come into contact with a biofilm formed by a microbe. Now researchers have isolated the genetic underpinnings of this novel form of bacterium-animal interaction.

Ahoy! First ocean vesicles spotted Posted: 09 Jan 2014 11:38 AM PST Scientists discover extracellular vesicles produced by ocean microbes.

Capturing a hard-wired variability: What makes some identical twins noticeably different? Posted: 09 Jan 2014 11:37 AM PST A new study has uncovered a phenomenon that alters prevailing views of how the genome is expressed to make and sustain the life of mammals. The article helps explain why genetically identical animals are sometimes so different in their biology and appearance, and why some inherited disorders caused by a shared set of aberrant genes can be of such variable severity in different people.

Loss of large carnivores poses global conservation problem Posted: 09 Jan 2014 11:37 AM PST In ecosystems around the world, the decline of large predators such as lions, dingoes, wolves, otters, and bears is changing the face of landscapes from the tropics to the Arctic -- but an analysis of 31 carnivore species shows for the first time how threats such as habitat loss, persecution by humans and loss of prey combine to create global hotspots of carnivore decline.

New clues to how bacteria evade antibiotics Posted: 09 Jan 2014 11:37 AM PST Scientists have made an important advance in understanding how a subset of bacterial cells escape being killed by many antibiotics.

Iconic Australasian trees found as fossils in South America Posted: 09 Jan 2014 10:26 AM PST Today in Australia they call it Kauri, in Asia they call it Dammar, and in South America it does not exist at all unless planted there. But 52 million years ago the giant coniferous evergreen tree known to botanists as Agathis thrived in the Patagonian region of Argentina, according to an international team of paleobotanists, who have found numerous fossilized remains there.

Acid mine drainage reduces radioactivity in fracking waste Posted: 09 Jan 2014 10:26 AM PST Blending fracking wastewater with acid mine drainage causes most of the naturally radioactive metals in the fracking water to precipitate into a solid for disposal. The practice also could help reduce the depletion of local freshwater resources by giving drillers a source of usable recycled water for the hydraulic fracturing process.

Genetic testing to produce more offspring Posted: 09 Jan 2014 10:24 AM PST A small anomaly with massive consequences: Researchers have discovered a genetic defect that makes breeding bulls infertile. To verify the mutation, researchers used the very latest gene sequencing techniques. Tests can now determine whether an animal is suitable for breeding or not.

Rewiring stem cells: New technique may revolutionize understanding of how genes function Posted: 09 Jan 2014 10:23 AM PST A new technique for determining what causes stem cells to convert into other cell types could revolutionize our understanding of how genes function.

Bed bugs grow faster in groups Posted: 08 Jan 2014 09:41 PM PST Researchers found that bed bug nymphs developed 2.2 days faster than solitary nymphs -- a significant 7.3 percent difference. This study is the first ever to document the effects of aggregation on bed bug development.

Oceanographer examines pollutants in Antarctic seal milk Posted: 08 Jan 2014 02:05 PM PST An oceanographer is analyzing the milk from Antarctic fur seals to determine the type and quantity of pollutants the seals are accumulating and passing on to their pups.

Negative feedback makes cells 'sensitive' Posted: 08 Jan 2014 09:37 AM PST New research has shown that negative feedback loops in cell signalling systems can be essential for a cell's ability to perceive the strength of a growth stimulus.

Color-coded cells reveal patchwork pattern of X chromosome silencing in female brains Posted: 08 Jan 2014 09:35 AM PST Producing brightly speckled red and green snapshots of many different tissues, researchers have color-coded cells in female mice to display which of their two X chromosomes has been made inactive, or "silenced."

Tiger middlemen arrested in Aceh, Indonesia Posted: 07 Jan 2014 10:43 AM PST The Wildlife Conservation Society congratulates the Aceh Police for smashing a major network of wildlife traffickers.

Biomaterials get stem cells to commit to bony future Posted: 06 Jan 2014 04:00 PM PST With the help of biomimetic matrices, a research team led by bioengineers has discovered exactly how calcium phosphate can coax stem cells to become bone-building cells.

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