ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Proteins that control energy use necessary to form stem cells
• Wind farms can provide society a surplus of reliable clean energy
• Important and complex systems, from the global financial market to groups of friends, may be highly controllable
• Braking system for immune responses
• What singing fruit flies can tell us about quick decisions
• Plankton make scents for seabirds and a cooler planet
• Passive acoustic monitoring reveals clues to minke whale calling behavior and movements
• Inhibition of CDK4 might promote lymphoma development, progression
• Scientists find mechanism to reset body clock
• Ocean's carbon budget balanced: Supply of food to midwater organisms balanced with demands for food
• Size, personality matter in how Kalahari social spiders perform tasks
• Animals losing migratory routes? Devasting consequences of scarcity of 'knowledgeable elders'
• Oldest fossil evidence of modern African venomous snakes found in Tanzania
• First evidence of plants evolving weaponry to compete in the struggle for selection
• Amphibians and dinosaurs were the new large predators after the mass extinction
• Algae may be a potential source of biofuels and biochemicals even in cool climate
• Ants plant tomorrow's rainforest
• Loblolly pine genome is largest ever sequenced: Seven times bigger than the human genome
• Tracking endangered leatherback sea turtles by satellite, key habitats identified
• Nearly complete 'chicken from hell,' from mysterious dinosaur group
• Bighorn sheep went extinct on desert island in Gulf of California
• Fossils of earliest stick insect to mimic plants discovered: Ancient stick insect species mimicked plant leaves
• Past HIV vaccine trials reveal new path to success
• Dry future climate could reduce orchid bee habitat
• Antibodies that may cut risk of HIV infection better understood
• Texans are turning to a different kind of spirit -- vodka -- and saltier is better
• True value of cover crops to farmers, environment
• Gear up for flood risk this spring
• People with leukemia are more prone to infection -- but not from one particular herpes virus
• Small step towards growing tissue in the lab

Proteins that control energy use necessary to form stem cells Posted: 20 Mar 2014 11:08 AM PDT Two proteins that control how cells metabolize glucose play a key role in the formation of human stem cells. Studies suggest these proteins which also play a role in the process that transforms normal cells into cancer stem cells, might also be targets for new cancer therapies.

Wind farms can provide society a surplus of reliable clean energy Posted: 20 Mar 2014 11:08 AM PDT Researchers have found that the wind industry can easily afford the energetic cost of building batteries and other grid-scale storage technologies. However, for the solar industry, scientists found that more work is needed to make grid-scale storage energetically sustainable.

Important and complex systems, from the global financial market to groups of friends, may be highly controllable Posted: 20 Mar 2014 11:07 AM PDT Scientists have discovered that all complex systems, whether they are found in the body, in international finance, or in social situations, actually fall into just three basic categories, in terms of how they can be controlled.

Braking system for immune responses Posted: 20 Mar 2014 10:14 AM PDT The surface of immune system cells is home to a number of receptors which are able to detect pathogens. As soon as these receptors are activated, inflammation occurs and the body's defense mechanisms kick in. A receptor on human cells that specifically recognizes crystals has been identified by researchers for the first time. It is found on immune cells and binds uric acid crystals, which trigger gout but also control immune responses.

What singing fruit flies can tell us about quick decisions Posted: 20 Mar 2014 10:14 AM PDT The pitch and tempo of the male fruit fly's mating song is based on environmental cues rather than a stereotyped pattern, researchers have discovered. These findings could be substantial for understanding rapid decision-making in more advanced beings such as humans.

Plankton make scents for seabirds and a cooler planet Posted: 20 Mar 2014 09:55 AM PDT The top predators of the Southern Ocean, far-ranging seabirds, are tied both to the health of the ocean ecosystem and to global climate regulation through a mutual relationship with phytoplankton, according to newly published work from the University of California, Davis.

Passive acoustic monitoring reveals clues to minke whale calling behavior and movements Posted: 20 Mar 2014 09:20 AM PDT Scientists using passive acoustic monitoring to track minke whales in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean have found clues in the individual calling behaviors and movements of this species. These findings provide insight into one of the least studied baleen whales.

Inhibition of CDK4 might promote lymphoma development, progression Posted: 20 Mar 2014 09:19 AM PDT Anticancer agents that inhibit tumor growth by targeting a cell-cycle regulatory protein called CDK4 might actually promote the development and progression of certain B-cell lymphomas. The research suggests that CDK4 inhibitors, which are now in clinical testing, should be used cautiously, particularly in patients with B-cell lymphomas. The findings raise the possibility that these inhibitors work through off-target effects and require further investigation.

Scientists find mechanism to reset body clock Posted: 20 Mar 2014 09:19 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a new mechanism that governs how body clocks react to changes in the environment. The discovery could provide a solution for alleviating the detrimental effects of chronic shift work and jet-lag.

Ocean's carbon budget balanced: Supply of food to midwater organisms balanced with demands for food Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:58 AM PDT Ocean scientists have, for the first time successfully balanced the supply of food to midwater organisms with their demands for this food. The depth at which they consume this sinking material regulates our climate by determining how much carbon is stored by the ocean and how much remains in the atmosphere. The study in the North Atlantic focuses on 'marine snow' -- bacteria, microscopic animals and sinking organic matter.

Size, personality matter in how Kalahari social spiders perform tasks Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:57 AM PDT At first glance, colonies of thousands of social spiders all look the same and are busy with the same tasks. Not so, says researchers after carefully studying various gatherings of social spiders of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa. The size and condition of a particular spider's body indicates which task it generally performs within a colony. In addition, neighboring colonies can have different "personalities" too.

Animals losing migratory routes? Devasting consequences of scarcity of 'knowledgeable elders' Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:19 AM PDT Small changes in a population may lead to dramatic consequences, like the disappearance of the migratory route of a species. Scientists have created a model of the behavior of a group of individuals on the move (like a school of fish, a herd of sheep or a flock of birds, etc.) which, by changing a few simple parameters, reproduces the collective behavior patterns observed in the wild.

Oldest fossil evidence of modern African venomous snakes found in Tanzania Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:15 AM PDT Scientists have found the oldest definitive fossil evidence of modern, venomous snakes in Africa. The newly discovered fossils demonstrate that elapid snakes -- such as cobras, kraits and sea snakes -- were present in Africa as early as 25 million years ago. Elapids belong to a larger group of snakes known as colubroids, active foragers that use a variety of methods, including venom, to capture and kill prey.

First evidence of plants evolving weaponry to compete in the struggle for selection Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:13 AM PDT Rutting stags and clawing bears are but two examples of male animals fighting over a mate, but new research has uncovered the first evidence of similar male struggles leading to the evolution of weaponry in plants.

Amphibians and dinosaurs were the new large predators after the mass extinction Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:08 AM PDT Some 252 million years ago, the largest extinction event occurred at the end of the Permian age. It wiped out almost 90 percent of all life in water. So far researchers had assumed that the ecosystems gradually recovered from this catastrophe over a long stretch of eight to nine million years and that large predators at the uppermost end of the food chain were the last to reappear. Palaeontologists now show that the food nets during the Early Triassic did not recover in stages. Large predators like, for instance, crocodile-like amphibians and later the precursors of the known plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs went in search of prey in the oceans soon after the end of the mass extinction.

Algae may be a potential source of biofuels and biochemicals even in cool climate Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:08 AM PDT Algae are organisms useful in many ways in the transition towards a bio-economy. Even in a cool climate as in Finland, algae might be used to produce biochemicals and biofuels, besides use in capture of industrial carbon dioxide emissions. Algae are not yet profitably cultivated for energy production purposes. The cultivation is challenging especially in cool climate where there is little daylight in winter.

Ants plant tomorrow's rainforest Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:08 AM PDT Tropical montane rain forests are highly threatened and their remnants are often surrounded by deforested landscapes. For the regeneration of these degraded areas, seed dispersal of forest trees plays a crucial role but is still poorly understood. Most tree species are dispersed by birds and mammals, but also by ants. This new research demonstrates the importance of this hitherto neglected ecosystem function for the restoration of montane rain forests. Ants promote the regeneration of these forests by dispersing seeds to safe sites for tree establishment.

Loblolly pine genome is largest ever sequenced: Seven times bigger than the human genome Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:05 AM PDT The massive genome of the loblolly pine -- around seven times bigger than the human genome -- is the largest genome sequenced to date and the most complete conifer genome sequence ever published. This achievement marks the first big test of a new analysis method that can speed up genome assembly by compressing the raw sequence data 100-fold.

Tracking endangered leatherback sea turtles by satellite, key habitats identified Posted: 19 Mar 2014 04:58 PM PDT Most satellite tagging studies of leatherbacks have focused on adult females on their tropical nesting beaches, so little is known worldwide about males and subadults, the researcher point out. But now, tagging and satellite tracking in locations where leatherbacks forage has allowed the scientists to get a much richer picture of the leatherback's behavior and dispersal patterns on the open ocean.

Nearly complete 'chicken from hell,' from mysterious dinosaur group Posted: 19 Mar 2014 04:58 PM PDT Scientists have discovered a bizarre, bird-like dinosaur, named Anzu wyliei, that provides paleontologists with their first good look at a dinosaur group that has been shrouded in mystery for almost a century. Anzu was described from three specimens that collectively preserve almost the entire skeleton, giving scientists a remarkable opportunity to study the anatomy and evolutionary relationships of Caenagnathidae -- the long-mysterious group of theropod dinosaurs to which Anzu belongs.

Bighorn sheep went extinct on desert island in Gulf of California Posted: 19 Mar 2014 04:58 PM PDT Using ancient DNA analysis and other techniques, a research team led by conservation biologists has determined that bighorn sheep, so named for their massive spiral horns, became extinct on Tiburon Island, a large and mostly uninhabited island just off Sonora, Mexico, in the Gulf of California, sometime in the last millennium -- specifically between the 6th and 19th centuries.

Fossils of earliest stick insect to mimic plants discovered: Ancient stick insect species mimicked plant leaves Posted: 19 Mar 2014 04:58 PM PDT An ancient stick insect species may have mimicked plant leaves for defense, according to a new article. Many insects have developed defense mechanisms, including the ability to mimic the surrounding environment. Stick and leaf insects mimic plants from their environment, but scientists know little about the original of this interaction due to little or no previous stick insect fossil records showing this adaptation. The scientists discovered three specimens, one female and two males, belonging to a new fossil stick insect referred to as Cretophasmomima melanogramma, in Inner Mongolia at the Jehol locality, a site from the Cretaceous period (approximately 126 million years ago).

Past HIV vaccine trials reveal new path to success Posted: 19 Mar 2014 04:57 PM PDT A subclass of antibodies associated with an effective immune response to an HIV vaccine has been discovered by a multi-national research team. The finding helps explain why a combination of two vaccines was able to show some effect, when one vaccine alone did not. The study also provides key insights that could aid development of new vaccines.

Dry future climate could reduce orchid bee habitat Posted: 19 Mar 2014 04:57 PM PDT During Pleistocene era climate changes, neotropical orchid bees that relied on year-round warmth and wet weather found their habitats reduced by 30 to 50 percent, according to a study that used computer models and genetic data to understand bee distributions during past climate changes.

Antibodies that may cut risk of HIV infection better understood Posted: 19 Mar 2014 01:52 PM PDT What immune response should a vaccine elicit to prevent HIV infection? Two studies bring scientists closer to answering this question by identifying previously unrecognized attributes of antibodies that appear to have reduced the risk of HIV infection in the only clinical trial to show efficacy, albeit modest, of an experimental vaccine regimen in people.

Texans are turning to a different kind of spirit -- vodka -- and saltier is better Posted: 19 Mar 2014 12:30 PM PDT Texans, known for enjoying local beers and Dr Pepper soft drinks, now have a growing beverage industry that would appeal to James Bond, who is well-known for enjoying a good martini. Distillers are producing at least 17 Texas vodkas. The most popular are, surprisingly, those that are a bit salty.

True value of cover crops to farmers, environment Posted: 19 Mar 2014 09:48 AM PDT Planting cover crops in rotation between cash crops -- widely agreed to be ecologically beneficial -- is even more valuable than previously thought, according to a team of agronomists, entomologists, agroecologists, horticulturists and biogeochemists. The research quantified the benefits offered by cover crops across more than 10 ecosystem services. Benefits included increased carbon and nitrogen in soils, erosion prevention, more mycorrhizal colonization -- beneficial soil fungus that helps plants absorb nutrients -- and weed suppression.

Gear up for flood risk this spring Posted: 19 Mar 2014 08:46 AM PDT Flooding could be severe this spring. An emergency physician and disaster preparedness expert warns to be ready, saying that keeping informed is the key to staying safe during flooding events: know your risk, pay attention to media reports, and have a plan.

People with leukemia are more prone to infection -- but not from one particular herpes virus Posted: 19 Mar 2014 06:39 AM PDT People with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are essentially more prone to infections such as varicella, influenza or pneumococci due to the reduction in the number of antibodies that their condition causes. Researchers have now discovered that this doesn't apply to the cytomegalovirus (CMV).

Small step towards growing tissue in the lab Posted: 19 Mar 2014 06:38 AM PDT Mathematicians have devised a method for identifying how cell clusters have formed by analyzing an image of the cluster. Their modelling tool will be useful in helping biologists and tissue engineers to move towards growing human tissue such as liver in the laboratory.

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