ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Medics speak of time assisting in the typhoon-hit Philippines
• Social or stinky? New study reveals how animal defenses evolve
• Delist gray wolf from threatened and endangered list? Panel issues report on science
• Computer models help decode cells that sense light without seeing
• Bio scaffolds categorized by characteristic cell shapes
• Surprising new clue to the roots of hunger, neurons that drive appetite
• New plant species a microcosm of biodiversity
• Why not measure the quality, quantity of sleep? New device an at-home solution
• Protein found to be associated with canine hereditary ataxia
• GMO soybean pollen threatens Mexican honey sales
• Rett syndrome genetic variants now available for advance testing, diagnosis & research
• Policies to reduce energy consumption in Germany missing targets, research shows
• Zoo offers blueprint for conserving native wildlife
• New investigational drug holds promise for combatting deadly mucormycosis infections
• Histones may hold the key to the generation of totipotent stem cells
• Whole diet approach to lower cardiovascular risk has more evidence than low-fat diets

Medics speak of time assisting in the typhoon-hit Philippines Posted: 08 Feb 2014 05:06 AM PST Medics have spoken about their role treating the injured following the typhoon that hit the Philippines in what they believe was the UK's first joint civilian and military humanitarian response effort. The model, which saw part of the team board HMS Daring, helped treat hundreds of people cut off on remote islands by the typhoon which struck last November.

Social or stinky? New study reveals how animal defenses evolve Posted: 07 Feb 2014 12:13 PM PST Some animals are "eww" while others are "aww." Why do some animals use stinking secretions for defense, while others are social? In a new study, researchers found that noxious spraying was favored by animals that were nocturnal and mostly at risk from other animals, while sociality was favored by animals that were active during the day and potentially vulnerable to birds of prey.

Delist gray wolf from threatened and endangered list? Panel issues report on science Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:30 AM PST As the Endangered Species Act celebrated its 40th anniversary at the end of 2013, its administrative agency, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, was mired in controversy. At issue was a proposal to remove the gray wolf (Canis lupus) from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and add the Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi).

Computer models help decode cells that sense light without seeing Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:30 AM PST Researchers have found that the melanopsin pigment in the retina is potentially more sensitive to light than its more famous counterpart, rhodopsin, the pigment that allows for night vision. Scientists have leveraged supercomputers to study melanopsin, a retina pigment capable of sensing environmental light changes, informing the nervous system and synchronizing it with the day/night rhythm.

Bio scaffolds categorized by characteristic cell shapes Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:30 AM PST Getting in the right shape might be just as important in a biology lab as a gym. Shape is thought to play an important role in the effectiveness of cells grown to repair or replaced damaged tissue in the body. To help design new structures that enable cells to "shape up," researchers have come up with a way to measure, and more importantly, classify, the shapes cells tend to take in different environments.

Surprising new clue to the roots of hunger, neurons that drive appetite Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:29 AM PST A scientific team has made a surprising discovery about the brain's hunger-inducing neurons, a finding with important implications for the treatment of obesity.

New plant species a microcosm of biodiversity Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:41 AM PST Biologists working in the Andes mountains of Ecuador have described a new plant species, a wild relative of black pepper, that is the sole home of an estimated 40-50 insect species, most of which are entirely dependent on this plant species for survival. This discovery is part of a larger project which focuses on the influence of plant-produced chemical compounds on biodiversity.

Why not measure the quality, quantity of sleep? New device an at-home solution Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:23 AM PST A new measuring system is enabling sleep monitoring in your own bed. A sensor is placed under the bed sheets, measuring e.g. heart rate, breathing, sleep quality and sleep length. The sleep data is presented to the user in a mobile app or online. This is the topic of a newly defended PhD dissertation.

Protein found to be associated with canine hereditary ataxia Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:39 AM PST Researchers have found a link between a mutation in a gene called RAB 24 and an inherited neurodegenerative disease in Old English sheepdogs and Gordon setters. The findings may help further understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and identify new treatments for both canine and human sufferers.

GMO soybean pollen threatens Mexican honey sales Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:39 AM PST Researchers have helped rural farmers in Mexico to quantify the genetically modified organism soybean pollen in honey samples rejected for sale in Germany.

Rett syndrome genetic variants now available for advance testing, diagnosis & research Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:39 AM PST Through collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and members of the clinical-laboratory and non-profit–research communities, 35 DNA samples containing many common RS genetic variants have now been characterized and made publicly available, eliminating a major stumbling-block for investigators and opening the possibility of earlier, more accurate diagnosis of Rett syndrome.

Policies to reduce energy consumption in Germany missing targets, research shows Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:38 AM PST New research has shown that policies to reduce energy consumption in homes are missing their targets. Germany's 2002 regulations were intended to create an 80% reduction by 2050 for energy used for home heating. According to the study, at the present rate reductions could achieve less than 25% by 2050.

Zoo offers blueprint for conserving native wildlife Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:37 AM PST Researchers have developed a blueprint to help zoos plan strategies for the conservation of native wildlife in and around their gardens.

New investigational drug holds promise for combatting deadly mucormycosis infections Posted: 06 Feb 2014 10:38 AM PST With very few treatment options available to fight deadly mucormycosis infections, a new study holds hope for adding to the arsenal of therapies physicians have to combat an increasingly common infection afflicting people with weakened immune systems.

Histones may hold the key to the generation of totipotent stem cells Posted: 06 Feb 2014 10:36 AM PST One major challenge in stem cell research has been to reprogram differentiated cells to a totipotent state. Researchers have identified a duo of histone proteins that dramatically enhance the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) and may be the key to generating induced totipotent stem cells.

Whole diet approach to lower cardiovascular risk has more evidence than low-fat diets Posted: 06 Feb 2014 05:23 AM PST A study reveals that a whole diet approach, which focuses on increased intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fish, has more evidence for reducing cardiovascular risk than strategies that focus exclusively on reduced dietary fat. This new study explains that while strictly low-fat diets have the ability to lower cholesterol, they are not as conclusive in reducing cardiac deaths.

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