ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• More to biofuel production than yield
• Discovery of new Tiktaalik roseae fossils reveals key link in evolution of hind limbs
• Key proteins identified responsible for electrical communication in heart
• Enforcement and anti-poaching measures set to fail
• New discovery could stimulate plant growth and increase crop yields, researchers say
• Scientists identify factors that trigger ALT-ernative cancer cell growth
• Walden Pond trees leafing out far earlier than in Thoreau's time
• Building 'belt' offers cheap, quick repair of earthquake damage
• Safe havens revealed for biodiversity in a changed climate
• Freshwater turtles from wetlands can transmit Salmonella to humans
• Study discovers chromosome therapy to correct severe chromosome defect
• High levels of molecular chlorine found in arctic atmosphere
• Express yourself: Novel approach to study how genetic differences affect gene expression

More to biofuel production than yield Posted: 13 Jan 2014 12:42 PM PST When it comes to biofuels, corn leads the all-important category of biomass yield. However, focusing solely on yield comes at a high price. Researchers now show that looking at the big picture allows other biofuel crops, such as native perennial grasses, to score higher as viable alternatives.

Discovery of new Tiktaalik roseae fossils reveals key link in evolution of hind limbs Posted: 13 Jan 2014 12:42 PM PST The discovery of well-preserved pelves and a partial pelvic fin from Tiktaalik roseae, a 375 million-year-old transitional species between fish and the first legged animals, reveals that the evolution of hind legs actually began as enhanced hind fins. This challenges existing theory that large, mobile hind appendages were developed only after vertebrates transitioned to land.

Key proteins identified responsible for electrical communication in heart Posted: 13 Jan 2014 11:33 AM PST Researchers have found that six proteins – five more than previously thought – are responsible for cell-to-cell communication that regulates the heart and plays a role in limiting the size of heart attacks and strokes. The smallest of these proteins directs the largest in performing its role of coordinating billions of heart cells during each heartbeat. Together, the proteins synchronize the beating heart, the researchers determined.

Enforcement and anti-poaching measures set to fail Posted: 13 Jan 2014 09:51 AM PST Enforcement and anti-poaching measures will fail because they don't address the real drivers of poaching and illegal trade, such as increasing demand, resulting in rising prices of illegal goods, including ivory, experts say.

New discovery could stimulate plant growth and increase crop yields, researchers say Posted: 13 Jan 2014 09:51 AM PST Scientists have discovered a natural mechanism in plants that could stimulate their growth even under stress and potentially lead to better crop yields.

Scientists identify factors that trigger ALT-ernative cancer cell growth Posted: 13 Jan 2014 09:50 AM PST Highly diverse cancers share one trait: the capacity for endless cell division. Unregulated growth is due in large part to the fact that tumor cells can rebuild protective ends of their chromosomes, which are made of repeated DNA sequences and proteins. Normally, cell division halts once these structures, called telomeres, wear down. But cancer cells keep on going by deploying one of two strategies to reconstruct telomeres.

Walden Pond trees leafing out far earlier than in Thoreau's time Posted: 13 Jan 2014 08:47 AM PST Climate-change studies show leaf-out times of trees and shrubs at Walden Pond are an average of 18 days earlier than when Henry David Thoreau made his observations there in the 1850s.

Building 'belt' offers cheap, quick repair of earthquake damage Posted: 13 Jan 2014 07:48 AM PST Four years after the January 2010 earthquake, 145,000 people still remain homeless in Haiti. A cheap and simple technology to repair earthquake damaged buildings could help to reduce these delays by quickly making buildings safe and habitable.

Safe havens revealed for biodiversity in a changed climate Posted: 13 Jan 2014 07:06 AM PST Researchers have found a way to project future habitat locations under climate change, identifying potential safe havens for threatened biodiversity.

Freshwater turtles from wetlands can transmit Salmonella to humans Posted: 13 Jan 2014 07:05 AM PST Professors have studied 200 specimens of freshwater turtles from eleven Valencian wetland areas, to determine the prevalence of Salmonella and Campylobacter in these animals, because of their potential risk of transmitting gastrointestinal diseases to humans, especially children. According to the results, 11% of the analyzed specimens of freshwater turtles were found positive for Salmonella. However, Campylobacter was not detected in any of them. This is the first study to rule out terrapins as transmitters of campylobacteriosis to humans.

Study discovers chromosome therapy to correct severe chromosome defect Posted: 13 Jan 2014 07:02 AM PST A study used stem cells to correct a defective "ring chromosome" with a normal chromosome. Such therapy has the promise to correct chromosome abnormalities that give rise to birth defects and disabilities.

High levels of molecular chlorine found in arctic atmosphere Posted: 13 Jan 2014 06:51 AM PST Scientists studying the atmosphere above Barrow, Alaska, have discovered unprecedented levels of molecular chlorine in the air, a new study reports.

Express yourself: Novel approach to study how genetic differences affect gene expression Posted: 09 Jan 2014 07:17 AM PST Researchers have developed a novel approach to study how the differences between individuals affect how strongly genes are expressed, or translated into the proteins that do the actual work in cells.

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