ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• It slices, it dices, and it protects the body from harm: 3D structure discovered of enzyme that helps defend against bacteria
• How Earth might have looked: How a failed Saharan Atlantic Ocean rift zone sculped Africa's margin
• Great freeze over Great Lakes, as seen from satellite
• 3-D imaging sheds light on Apert syndrome development
• Worm-Like Mite Species Discovered: A species from this 'extremophile' family hasn't been described for 40 years
• The nature of color: New formula to calculate hue improves accuracy of color analysis
• Burmese pythons pose little risk to people in Everglades, study suggests
• Unusual genetic mutation found linked to adolescent liver cancer
• Emergency alert in the cell: newly discovered regulatory mechanisms of cellular stress
• A molecular ballet under the X-ray laser: taking images of free molecules
• Less snowpack will harm ecosystem, study shows
• Nobelist proposes unconventional view of type 2 diabetes causation
• Novel therapeutic targets for Huntington's disease discovered
• Color of passion: Orange underbellies of female lizards signal fertility
• Bison Ready for New Pastures? Protocol Used to Demonstrate Brucellosis-Free Bison from Infected Herds
• Will your grandmother's diet increase your risk of colon cancer?

It slices, it dices, and it protects the body from harm: 3D structure discovered of enzyme that helps defend against bacteria Posted: 28 Feb 2014 06:06 PM PST An essential weapon in the body's fight against infection has come into sharper view. Researchers have discovered the 3-D structure of an enzyme that cuts to ribbons the genetic material of viruses and helps defend against bacteria. The discovery of the structure of this enzyme, a first-responder in the body's "innate immune system," could enable new strategies for fighting infectious agents and possibly prostate cancer and obesity. "This work illustrates the wonderful usefulness of doing both crystallography and careful kinetic and enzymatic studies at the same time," said one scientist.

How Earth might have looked: How a failed Saharan Atlantic Ocean rift zone sculped Africa's margin Posted: 28 Feb 2014 06:05 PM PST Break-up of the supercontinent Gondwana about 130 Million years ago could have led to a completely different shape of the African and South American continent with an ocean south of today's Sahara desert, as geoscientists have shown through the use of sophisticated plate tectonic and three-dimensional numerical modelling.

Great freeze over Great Lakes, as seen from satellite Posted: 28 Feb 2014 01:06 PM PST The true-color image above, from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA's Aqua satellite, shows the mostly frozen state of the Great Lakes on Feb. 19. On that date, ice spanned 80.3 percent of the lakes. The ice reached an even greater extent on Feb. 13, when it covered about 88 percent of the Great Lakes -- coverage not achieved since 1994, when ice spanned over 90 percent. In addition to this year, ice has covered more than 80 percent of the lakes in only five other years since 1973.

3-D imaging sheds light on Apert syndrome development Posted: 28 Feb 2014 01:06 PM PST Three-dimensional imaging of two different mouse models of Apert Syndrome shows that cranial deformation begins before birth and continues, worsening with time, according to a team of researchers who studied mice to better understand and treat the disorder in humans.

Worm-Like Mite Species Discovered: A species from this 'extremophile' family hasn't been described for 40 years Posted: 28 Feb 2014 12:58 PM PST It looks like a worm and moves like a worm – sort of. But it is a previously unidentified microscopic species of mite that was discovered by a graduate student on The Ohio State University campus.

The nature of color: New formula to calculate hue improves accuracy of color analysis Posted: 28 Feb 2014 11:01 AM PST Color is crucial in ecological studies, playing an important role in studies of flower and fruit development, responses to heat/drought stress, and plant–pollinator communication. But, measuring color variation is difficult, and available formulas sometimes give misleading results. An improved formula to calculate hue (one of three variables characterizing color) has now been developed.

Burmese pythons pose little risk to people in Everglades, study suggests Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:13 AM PST The estimated tens of thousands of Burmese pythons now populating the Everglades present a low risk to people in the park, according to a new study. The human risk assessment looked at five incidents that involved humans and Burmese pythons over a 10-year period in Everglades National Park. All five incidents involved pythons striking at biologists who were conducting research in flooded wetlands.

Unusual genetic mutation found linked to adolescent liver cancer Posted: 28 Feb 2014 07:35 AM PST In the race for better treatments and possible cures, rare diseases are often left behind. Through a collaboration of researchers, an unusual mutation has been found that is strongly linked to one such disease: a rare liver cancer that affects teens and young adults. The research suggests that the mutation plays a key role in the development of the disease, called fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, and may also underlie more common cancers as well.

Emergency alert in the cell: newly discovered regulatory mechanisms of cellular stress Posted: 28 Feb 2014 07:34 AM PST After a natural disaster like a fire, countless helpers work together to get rid of debris or to provide food for people in need. When cells are exposed to dangerous environmental conditions such as toxic substances, a similar process is initiated: the cellular stress response (heat shock response). Scientists now report that they have uncovered a network of cellular helpers and thus identified new regulatory mechanisms of this stress response.

A molecular ballet under the X-ray laser: taking images of free molecules Posted: 28 Feb 2014 07:34 AM PST An international team of researchers has used the world's most powerful X-ray laser to take snapshots of free molecules. The research team choreographed a kind of molecular ballet in the X-ray beam. The conventional way to determine the atomic structure of molecules is to "freeze" them in a crystal and illuminate them with bright X-rays. However, many molecules are extremely difficult to crystallize. In particular, this is a problem with many biomolecules. There are existing techniques to image single molecules, but none of these is fast enough to catch the ultra-fast motion of molecules. With their new work, the researchers have cleared important hurdles on the way to X-ray images of individual molecules.

Less snowpack will harm ecosystem, study shows Posted: 28 Feb 2014 06:31 AM PST A new study shows that the consequences of milder winters – a smaller snowpack leaving the ground to freeze harder and longer – can have a negative impact on trees and water quality of nearby aquatic ecosystems far into the warmer growing season. The research shows that soil freezing due to diminishing snowpack damages the roots of sugar maple trees and limits their ability to absorb essential nitrogen and other nutrients in the spring. This leads to greater run off of nitrogen into ground water and nearby streams, which could deteriorate water quality and trigger widespread harmful consequences to humans and the environment.

Nobelist proposes unconventional view of type 2 diabetes causation Posted: 27 Feb 2014 06:34 PM PST At 85, Nobel laureate James D. Watson, the co-discoverer of the double-helix structure of DNA, continues to advance intriguing scientific ideas. His latest, a hypothesis on the causation of type 2 diabetes, suggests that diabetes, dementias, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers are linked to a failure to generate sufficient biological oxidants, called reactive oxygen species (ROS). Watson also argues the case for a better understanding of the role of exercise in helping to remedy this deficiency.

Novel therapeutic targets for Huntington's disease discovered Posted: 27 Feb 2014 04:12 PM PST The impact that genes may have on Huntington's disease have been illuminated by a new, novel study. The study identified specific small segments of RNA (called micro RNA or miRNA) encoded in DNA in the human genome that are highly expressed in Huntington's disease. Micro RNAs are important because they regulate the expression of genes. The researchers showed that these miRNAs are present in higher quantities in patients with HD and may act as a mitigating factor in the neurologic decline associated with the disease, making them a possible therapeutic target.

Color of passion: Orange underbellies of female lizards signal fertility Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:45 PM PST Australian lizards are attracted to females with the brightest orange patches -- but preferably not too large -- on their underbelly, according to research. Lake Eyre dragon lizards are found exclusively in salt deserts in southern Australia, where they feed on dead insects. When females become fertile they develop bright orange patches on their normally pale underbelly and change their behavior towards males: instead of "waving them away" with their forelegs or fleeing, they let the males court them with showy behavior like push-ups and head bobs. Males were most attracted to females with small, bright orange patches and tended to avoid those with larger, paler ones. It is thought that bright color is attractive as it indicates peak female fertility. Pregnant females retain their coloration until laying and very large orange spots suggest the female is swollen with eggs and no longer interested in mating.

Bison Ready for New Pastures? Protocol Used to Demonstrate Brucellosis-Free Bison from Infected Herds Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:40 PM PST A new study demonstrates that it is possible to qualify bison coming from an infected herd as free of brucellosis using quarantine procedures. These bison can then be used to seed conservation herds in other landscapes without the threat of spreading the disease. The Bison Project Coordinator said, "This study represents an important milestone in bison conservation and these research findings enable us to practice genetic rescue from brucellosis infected bison herds. The Yellowstone animals passing through this system of testing are critical to conserving the diversity of the bison genome over the long term. We've also learned a great deal about brucellosis blood testing and how to better interpret results when screening animals for this disease. It is our hope that several satellite herds of Yellowstone bison can be assembled from the animals that graduate through this quarantine process."

Will your grandmother's diet increase your risk of colon cancer? Posted: 27 Feb 2014 10:47 AM PST Will a multi-generational exposure to a western type diet increase offspring's chance of developing colon cancer? Will cancer-fighting agents, like green tea, help combat that increased risk? Those are the two questions driving new research. Researchers have developed a diet that mimics typical U.S. nutrition for studies of human cancer using animal models. In this case, rodents with cancer will be studied, which will allow them to look at the effects of the diet on multiple generations in a short period of time. The researchers predicts that green tea will have a greater benefit to those mice that are exposed to the western diet than those on a healthy diet.

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