ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Asian ozone pollution in Hawaii is tied to climate variability
• New, unusually large virus kills anthrax agent
• Natural plant compound prevents Alzheimer's disease in mice
• Plague or Black Death could re-emerge: Cause of one of the most devastating pandemics in human history revealed
• Crowdsourced RNA designs outperform computer algorithms
• New method rescues DNA from contaminated Neandertal bones
• Bluebirds struggle to find happiness on island paradise
• Scientists find genetic mechanism linking aging to specific diets
• Successful regeneration of human skeletal muscle in mice
• Study helps researchers better estimate citrus crop yields
• Put a plastic bag in your tank: Converting polyethylene waste into liquid fuel
• Common crop pesticides kill honeybee larvae in the hive
• Researchers tune in to protein pairs
• Developing new methods to assess resistance to disease in young oilseed rape plants
• Unique specimen identifiers link 10 new species of ant directly to AntWeb
• How did we get four limbs? Because we have a belly
• Shallow lagoons recover water quality of the Albufera of Valencia
• Olympic mascot calls attention to snow leopards' plight
• Electrical generator uses bacterial spores to harness power of evaporating water
• 300,000-year-old hearth found: Microscopic evidence shows repeated fire use in one spot over time
• Electrical current sensors harvest wasted electromagnetic energy
• Immune system drives pregnancy complications after fetal surgery in mice
• Is there an ocean beneath our feet? Ocean water may reach upper mantle through deep sea faults
• Cannabis during pregnancy endangers fetal brain development
• Protein measurements in the cell
• New biomedical diagnostics using personalized 3D imaging
• One step closer to low cost solar cells
• New method increases supply of embryonic stem cells
• Shortening guide RNA markedly improves specificity of CRISPR-Cas nucleases
• Long-lived breast stem cells could retain cancer legacy

Asian ozone pollution in Hawaii is tied to climate variability Posted: 27 Jan 2014 04:38 PM PST Asian ozone pollution levels measured in Hawaii fluctuate with decade-long climate variations, according to a new study.

New, unusually large virus kills anthrax agent Posted: 27 Jan 2014 04:38 PM PST From a zebra carcass on the plains of Namibia in Southern Africa, an international team of researchers has discovered a new, unusually large virus (or bacteriophage) that infects the bacterium that causes anthrax. The novel bacteriophage could eventually open up new ways to detect, treat or decontaminate the anthrax bacillus and its relatives that cause food poisoning.

Natural plant compound prevents Alzheimer's disease in mice Posted: 27 Jan 2014 04:37 PM PST A chemical that's found in fruits and vegetables from strawberries to cucumbers appears to stop memory loss that accompanies Alzheimer's disease in mice, scientists have discovered. In experiments on mice that normally develop Alzheimer's symptoms less than a year after birth, a daily dose of the compound -- a flavonol called fisetin -- prevented the progressive memory and learning impairments. The drug, however, did not alter the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain, accumulations of proteins which are commonly blamed for Alzheimer's disease.

Plague or Black Death could re-emerge: Cause of one of the most devastating pandemics in human history revealed Posted: 27 Jan 2014 04:37 PM PST Scientists have discovered that two of the world's most devastating plagues -- the plague of Justinian and the Black Death, each responsible for killing as many as half the people in Europe -- were caused by distinct strains of the same pathogen, one that faded out on its own, the other leading to worldwide spread and re-emergence in the late 1800s. These findings suggest a new strain of plague could emerge again in humans in the future.

Crowdsourced RNA designs outperform computer algorithms Posted: 27 Jan 2014 01:48 PM PST An enthusiastic group of non-experts, working through an online interface and receiving feedback from lab experiments, has produced designs for RNA molecules that are consistently more successful than those generated by the best computerized design algorithms, researchers report.

New method rescues DNA from contaminated Neandertal bones Posted: 27 Jan 2014 01:47 PM PST Retrieval of ancient DNA molecules is usually performed with special precautions to prevent DNA from researchers or the environment to get mixed in with the DNA from the fossil. However, many ancient fossils have been lying in museum collection for decades, and are contaminated with present-day human DNA before they enter the DNA-laboratory. A new method provides a solution to this problem.

Bluebirds struggle to find happiness on island paradise Posted: 27 Jan 2014 11:19 AM PST A recent study shows that Eastern bluebirds in Ohio differ in a variety of ways from their relatives in Bermuda.

Scientists find genetic mechanism linking aging to specific diets Posted: 27 Jan 2014 11:18 AM PST In new research published, scientists identify a collection of genes that allow an organism to adapt to different diets and show that without them, even minor tweaks to diet can cause premature aging and death.

Successful regeneration of human skeletal muscle in mice Posted: 27 Jan 2014 11:18 AM PST Researchers recently announced study findings showing the successful development of a humanized preclinical model for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, providing scientists with a much needed tool to accelerate novel therapeutic research and development.

Study helps researchers better estimate citrus crop yields Posted: 27 Jan 2014 11:15 AM PST An algorithm could help scientists assist citrus growers predict when to plant and harvest their crop further in advance.

Put a plastic bag in your tank: Converting polyethylene waste into liquid fuel Posted: 27 Jan 2014 09:28 AM PST Researchers in India have developed a relatively low-temperature process to convert certain kinds of plastic waste into liquid fuel as a way to reuse discarded plastic bags and other products.

Common crop pesticides kill honeybee larvae in the hive Posted: 27 Jan 2014 09:28 AM PST Four pesticides commonly used on crops to kill insects and fungi also kill honeybee larvae within their hives, according to new research. Scientists also found that N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone -- an inert, or inactive, chemical commonly used as a pesticide additive -- is highly toxic to honeybee larvae.

Researchers tune in to protein pairs Posted: 27 Jan 2014 09:28 AM PST Scientists have created a way to interpret interactions among pairs of task-oriented proteins that relay signals. The goal is to learn how the proteins avoid crosstalk and whether they can be tuned for better performance.

Developing new methods to assess resistance to disease in young oilseed rape plants Posted: 27 Jan 2014 09:23 AM PST Being able to measure resistance to disease in young oilseed rape plants is vital in the battle to breed new disease resistant varieties of the crop, and is the focus of a study by a team of researchers.

Unique specimen identifiers link 10 new species of ant directly to AntWeb Posted: 27 Jan 2014 08:27 AM PST Scientists describe ten new species of the ant genus Temnothorax, doubling the number of known species of this group in California. What makes this discovery even more special is that each specimen record is linked to the AntWeb database by a unique identifier. This makes it easier to harvest the data by other on-line resources and repositories.

How did we get four limbs? Because we have a belly Posted: 27 Jan 2014 08:27 AM PST All of us backboned animals have four fins or limbs, one pair in front and one pair behind. How did our earliest ancestors settle into such a consistent arrangement of two pairs of appendages? Researchers in the Theoretical Biology Department at the University of Vienna and the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research have presented a new model for approaching this question in the current issue of the journal Evolution & Development.

Shallow lagoons recover water quality of the Albufera of Valencia Posted: 27 Jan 2014 08:26 AM PST The shallow lagoons of 'Tancat de la Pipa' of the Natural Park l'Albufera de Valencia favor the reduction of nutrients and suspended solids, reducing the degree of eutrophication -- pollution by microalgae increasing derived of excess nutrients -- and increasing water clarity.

Olympic mascot calls attention to snow leopards' plight Posted: 27 Jan 2014 08:23 AM PST The Winter Olympics in Sochi are focusing attention on the appealing, but endangered, snow leopard.

Electrical generator uses bacterial spores to harness power of evaporating water Posted: 27 Jan 2014 07:12 AM PST A new type of electrical generator uses bacterial spores to harness the untapped power of evaporating water, according to new research. Its developers foresee electrical generators driven by changes in humidity from sun-warmed ponds and harbors.

300,000-year-old hearth found: Microscopic evidence shows repeated fire use in one spot over time Posted: 27 Jan 2014 07:12 AM PST When did humans really begin to control fire and use it for their daily needs? Scientists discovered in the Qesem Cave, an archaeological site near present-day Rosh Ha'ayin, the earliest evidence -- dating to around 300,000 years ago -- of unequivocal repeated fire building over a continuous period. These findings help answer the question and hint that those prehistoric humans already had a highly advanced social structure and intellectual capacity.

Electrical current sensors harvest wasted electromagnetic energy Posted: 27 Jan 2014 07:07 AM PST Electricity is the lifeblood of modern cities. It flows at every moment and everywhere to power up everything from home appliances which improve our comfort and convenience, to services like transportation, building, communication and manufacturing that are essential to our daily life. To ensure a reliable operation of power grids and a proper delivery of electricity to where it needs to be, it is crucial to have a loyal guard to keep watch on the activities of electricity transport. As technology advances, the safety, reliability and availability of electrical engineering assets and public utilities can now be guarded by one tiny chip of electrical current sensors.

Immune system drives pregnancy complications after fetal surgery in mice Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:32 AM PST Researchers have shown that, in mice at least, pregnancy complications after fetal surgery are triggered by activation of the mother's T cells.

Is there an ocean beneath our feet? Ocean water may reach upper mantle through deep sea faults Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:32 AM PST Scientists have shown that deep sea fault zones could transport much larger amounts of water from Earth's oceans to the upper mantle than previously thought.

Cannabis during pregnancy endangers fetal brain development Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:31 AM PST A current study by an international consortium of researchers shows that the consumption of Cannabis during pregnancy can impair the development of the fetus' brain with long-lasting effects after birth. Cannabis is particularly powerful to derail how nerve cells form connections, potentially limiting the amount of information the affected brain can process.

Protein measurements in the cell Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:30 AM PST A network of chemists has developed an innovative method to study protein structures by means of magnetic labels. The ingenious thing about it is that the magnetic labels are directly incorporated inside the cell when the protein is naturally biosynthesized. The research results might have an impact on many areas of structural biology.

New biomedical diagnostics using personalized 3D imaging Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:29 AM PST A new innovation enables 3D images of living organisms to be obtained with greater speed and precision. In broad terms, helical optical projection tomography consists in rotating a sample while moving it vertically in order to then obtain a three-dimensional image of it, explain its creators.

One step closer to low cost solar cells Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:29 AM PST The dwindling resources for conventional energy sources make renewable energy an exciting and increasingly important avenue of research. However, even seemingly new and green forms of energy production, like silicon-based solar cells, are not as cost effective as they could be. Scientists are now investigating solar cells based on organic materials that have electrodes both flexible and transparent, enabling the fabrication of these solar cells at a low cost.

New method increases supply of embryonic stem cells Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:29 AM PST A new method allows for large-scale generation of human embryonic stem cells of high clinical quality. It also allows for production of such cells without destroying any human embryos. The discovery is a big step forward for stem cell research and for the high hopes for replacing damaged cells and thereby curing serious illnesses such as diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

Shortening guide RNA markedly improves specificity of CRISPR-Cas nucleases Posted: 26 Jan 2014 10:46 AM PST A simple adjustment to a powerful gene-editing tool may be able to improve its specificity. Investigators have found that adjusting the length of the the guide RNA component of the synthetic enzymes called CRISPR-Cas RNA-guided nucleases can substantially reduce the occurrence of off-target DNA mutations.

Long-lived breast stem cells could retain cancer legacy Posted: 26 Jan 2014 10:46 AM PST Researchers have discovered that breast stem cells and their "daughters" have a much longer lifespan than previously thought, and are active in puberty and throughout life.

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