ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• The weaker sex: Male honey bees more susceptible than females to widespread intestinal parasite
• Scientists identify 'molecular fossil' in fungi
• Feast or fancy? Black widows shake for love
• Poison-breathing bacteria may be boon to industry, environment
• Single class of queen pheromones stops worker reproduction in ants, bees, wasps
• Receptors discovered that help plants manage environmental change, pests, wounds
• Soil production breaks geologic speed record
• Life cycle of a jellyfish (and a way to control it)
• Soil microbes alter DNA in response to warming
• Important discovery for diagnosis of genetic diseases
• Space station MAXI-mizing our understanding of the universe

The weaker sex: Male honey bees more susceptible than females to widespread intestinal parasite Posted: 18 Jan 2014 09:25 AM PST A research team has found that male European honey bees, or drones, are much more susceptible than female European honey bees, known as workers, to a fungal intestinal parasite called Nosema ceranae. Originally from Asia, Nosema ceranae has rapidly spread throughout the world, and may contribute to the high number of colony deaths now observed in many regions of the northern hemisphere. These findings demonstrate the delicate nature of male honey bees, which are important to honey bee colony reproduction, to a well-distributed parasite.

Scientists identify 'molecular fossil' in fungi Posted: 17 Jan 2014 04:13 PM PST All but a few eukaryotes die without oxygen, and they respond dynamically to changes in the level of oxygen available to them. Scientists used genetic analysis to pinpoint an evolutionary switch in regulating response to low oxygen levels in fungi.

Feast or fancy? Black widows shake for love Posted: 17 Jan 2014 12:37 PM PST Biologists have found that courting male black widow spiders shake their abdomens to produce carefully pitched vibrations and avoid potential attacks by females -- who otherwise may misinterpret the advances as the vibrations of prey.

Poison-breathing bacteria may be boon to industry, environment Posted: 17 Jan 2014 12:37 PM PST Buried deep in the mud along the banks of a remote salt lake near Yosemite National Park are colonies of bacteria with an unusual property: they breathe a toxic metal to survive. Researchers discovered the bacteria on a recent field expedition to Mono Lake in California, and their experiments with this unusual organism show that it may one day become a useful tool for industry and environmental protection.

Single class of queen pheromones stops worker reproduction in ants, bees, wasps Posted: 16 Jan 2014 12:08 PM PST A new study has found that the chemical structure of queen pheromones in wasps, ants and some bees is strikingly similar, even though these insects are separated by millions of years of evolution and each evolved eusociality independently of the other. The results suggest that queen pheromones used by divergent groups of social insects evolved from conserved signals of a common solitary ancestor.

Receptors discovered that help plants manage environmental change, pests, wounds Posted: 16 Jan 2014 12:08 PM PST Researchers have found adenosine triphosphate receptor in plants and believe it to be a vital component in the way plants respond to dangers, including pests, environmental changes and plant wounds. This discovery could lead to herbicides, fertilizers and insect repellants that naturally work with plants to make them stronger.

Soil production breaks geologic speed record Posted: 16 Jan 2014 12:08 PM PST New measurements from mountains in New Zealand show that rock can transform into soil more than twice as fast as previously believed possible.

Life cycle of a jellyfish (and a way to control it) Posted: 16 Jan 2014 10:06 AM PST Those free-swimming jellyfish in the sea don't start out in that familiar medusa form, but rather start as sessile and asexual polyps. Now, researchers have discovered what triggers that transformation in the moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita). The key is a novel metamorphosis hormone that accumulates during the cold winter to induce a synchronized emergence of jellyfish in the spring.

Soil microbes alter DNA in response to warming Posted: 16 Jan 2014 10:04 AM PST Scientists studying grasslands in Oklahoma have discovered that an increase of 2 degrees Celsius in the air temperature above the soil creates significant changes to the microbial ecosystem underground. Compared to a control group with no warming, plants in the warmer plots grew faster and higher, which put more carbon into the soil as the plants senesce. The microbial ecosystem responded by altering its DNA to enhance the ability to handle the excess carbon.

Important discovery for diagnosis of genetic diseases Posted: 16 Jan 2014 08:35 AM PST A new study shows the importance of the chromatin architecture in controlling the activity of genes, especially those required for proper embryonic development. This discovery could have a significant impact on the diagnosis of genetic diseases.

Space station MAXI-mizing our understanding of the universe Posted: 16 Jan 2014 08:33 AM PST The Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) collects data that help researchers discover, study and understand the physics behind the lifecycle of our universe. MAXI was key in two recent publications sharing results that make strides in advancing astrophysics.

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