ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Herpes-loaded stem cells used to kill brain tumors
• Between Roquefort and Camembert: Multiple recent gene transfers
• On the shoulder of a giant: Precursor volcano to the island of O'ahu discovered
• Domesticated animals provide vital link to emergence of new diseases
• Traditional cheeses: gustatory richness, health quality assured by their microbiota
• Cause of death established: Chamois had pneumonia
• Complex interactions may matter most for longevity
• Experts call for urgent defense of deep-ocean
• Hitting a moving target: AIDS vaccine could work against changeable site on HIV
• Protein sharpens salmonella needle for attack
• PCB increases harmful effects of smoking
• Snubbing lion hunters could preserve the endangered animals
• Heredity is not destiny: Breastfeeding, birth control pills may reduce ovarian cancer risk among women with BRCA gene mutations

Herpes-loaded stem cells used to kill brain tumors Posted: 16 May 2014 05:33 PM PDT A potential solution for how to more effectively kill tumor cells using cancer-killing viruses has been discovered by researchers. The investigators report that trapping virus-loaded stem cells in a gel and applying them to tumors significantly improved survival in mice with glioblastoma multiform, the most common brain tumor in human adults and also the most difficult to treat.

Between Roquefort and Camembert: Multiple recent gene transfers Posted: 16 May 2014 07:29 AM PDT In the paste of Roquefort and on the surface of Camembert, the microscopic filamentous fungi Penicillium roqueforti and Penicillium camembertii are responsible for the formation of a greenish-blue mould in the former case and a so-called "bloom" in the latter. Sequencing of the genomes of these two fungi has recently, and surprisingly, shown that these genomes contain more than 250 strictly identical genes, thus indicating a transfer of genes between these two species. This type of event, until now little described in eukaryotes, may therefore be much more common than previously thought.

On the shoulder of a giant: Precursor volcano to the island of O'ahu discovered Posted: 16 May 2014 07:19 AM PDT Researchers recently discovered that O'ahu, Hawai'i actually consists of three major Hawaiian shield volcanoes, not two, as previously thought. Extending almost 100 km WNW from the western tip of the island of O'ahu is the submarine Ka'ena Ridge, a region that has now been recognized to represent a precursor volcano to the island of O'ahu, and on whose flanks the Wai'anae and Ko'olau Volcanoes later formed.

Domesticated animals provide vital link to emergence of new diseases Posted: 16 May 2014 06:23 AM PDT Pets and other domesticated animals could provide new clues into the emergence of infections that can spread between animals and humans. The study showed that the number of parasites and pathogens shared by humans and animals is related to how long animals have been domesticated. The findings suggest that although wild animals may be important for the transmission of new diseases to humans, humanity's oldest companions -- livestock and pets such as cattle and dogs -- provide the vital link in the emergence of new diseases.

Traditional cheeses: gustatory richness, health quality assured by their microbiota Posted: 16 May 2014 06:21 AM PDT The benefits of traditional, raw-milk cheeses have been reviewed by researchers who have shown that traditional cheeses have unrivalled advantages in terms of both their diversity and their gustatory richness, but also regarding their protection against pathogenic agents. These benefits are linked to the specific microbiota found in these cheeses; they result from the use of raw milk, combined with the specific techniques used to manufacture traditional cheeses.

Cause of death established: Chamois had pneumonia Posted: 16 May 2014 06:20 AM PDT In spring 2010, nearly a third of the chamois living in a region of northern Austria suddenly died of unexplained causes. Concerned hunters and foresters sent the carcasses for analysis. Extensive investigations have now revealed that the animals died of bacterial pneumonia caused by two strains of bacteria that are highly unusual in chamois.

Complex interactions may matter most for longevity Posted: 15 May 2014 02:35 PM PDT Complex interactions among diet, mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA appear to influence lifespan at least as much as single factors alone, a new study of the biology of aging shows. The findings may help scientists better understand the underlying mechanisms of aging and explain why studies of single factors sometimes produce contradictory results.

Experts call for urgent defense of deep-ocean Posted: 15 May 2014 12:39 PM PDT An oceanographer is working with experts from around the globe to warn against lasting damage to the deep-ocean, caused by fishing, oil and gas development, industrial-scale mining, waste disposal and land-based pollution. The world's deep-ocean spans more than half the planet and holds vast quantities of untapped energy resources, precious metals and minerals. But as advancements in technology enable greater access to these treasures of the deep, experts are urging caution, highlighting the potentially irreversible damage that extracting such materials can cause.

Hitting a moving target: AIDS vaccine could work against changeable site on HIV Posted: 15 May 2014 12:39 PM PDT A vaccine or other therapy directed at a single site on a surface protein of HIV could in principle neutralize nearly all strains of the virus—thanks to the diversity of targets the site presents to the human immune system. HIV infection is nearly always fatal, if untreated, because the virus is extremely effective at evading the human immune response. Its main strategy is to cover its most exposed parts, the flower-like envelope protein (Env) structures that grab and penetrate host cells, with rapidly mutating decoy proteins and antibody-resistant sugar molecules called glycans.

Protein sharpens salmonella needle for attack Posted: 15 May 2014 10:21 AM PDT A tiny nanoscale syringe is Salmonella's weapon. Using this, the pathogen injects its molecular agents into the host cells and manipulates them to its own advantage. A team of scientists demonstrates that a much investigated protein, which plays a role in Salmonella metabolism, is required to activate these needles and makes the replication and spread of Salmonella throughout the whole body possible.

PCB increases harmful effects of smoking Posted: 14 May 2014 03:27 PM PDT The harmful effect of smoking is aggravated if the person has high blood levels of PCB, research shows. This indicates that environmental contaminants interact with other risk factors for various diseases -- a field the researchers claim is under-researched. Also in former smokers the risk of dying was considerably higher among those who had high levels of PCB in their blood compared with those who had low levels (370 per cent greater risk, compared with 20 per cent). On the other hand, no elevated mortality was found among those who had never smoked.

Snubbing lion hunters could preserve the endangered animals Posted: 14 May 2014 12:32 PM PDT A change in longstanding cultural practice in Tanzania is saving some endangered lions from being killed by hunters. For hundreds of years young men from some ethnic groups in Tanzania, called "lion dancers" because they elaborately acted out their lion killing for spectators, were richly rewarded for killing lions that preyed on livestock and people. Now when a lion dancer shows up he might be called a rude name rather than receive a reward.

Heredity is not destiny: Breastfeeding, birth control pills may reduce ovarian cancer risk among women with BRCA gene mutations Posted: 14 May 2014 12:31 PM PDT Breastfeeding, tubal ligation – also known as having one's "tubes tied" – and oral contraceptives may lower the risk of ovarian cancer for some women with BRCA gene mutations, according to a comprehensive analysis. Though the team cautions that more data are required before definitive conclusions about these variables can be made, the findings help to shed light on non-surgical risk reduction options for women who may not be ready to undergo prophylactic removal of their ovaries to cut their cancer risk.

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