ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Oldest ever schistosomiasis egg found may be first proof of early human technology exacerbating disease burden
• Strict diet suspends development, doubles lifespan of worms
• Increasing rice production on acidic soils in Malaysia
• The genes tell crows to choose partners that look like themselves
• Skulls with mix of Neandertal and primitive traits illuminate human evolution
• Mechanism discovered for attaching an 'on' switch that helps cells accessorize proteins
• One step to solar-cell efficiency: Chemical process may improve manufacturing
• Speeding up drug discovery: Bioengineers invent new method
• Humans have been changing Chinese environment for 3,000 years: Ancient levee system set stage for massive, dynasty-toppling floods
• Testing biological treatment for pathogens that are killing honeybees and bats
• Horse care: Start mosquito protection methods now, veterinarians urge
• Children consuming a Mediterranean diet are 15% less likely to be overweight, study finds
• Egyptologist unravels ancient mystery
• Two low-cost, car battery-sized space telescopes launched
• Re-routing flights could reduce climate impact, research suggests
• Winds of change for the shipping sector
• MERS-related abnormality distribution on CT identifed, clarified

Oldest ever schistosomiasis egg found may be first proof of early human technology exacerbating disease burden Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:54 PM PDT The discovery of a schistosomiasis parasite egg in a 6200-year-old grave at a prehistoric town by the Euphrates river in Syria may be the first evidence that agricultural irrigation systems in the Middle East contributed to disease burden, according to new research. Schistosomiasis is a disease caused by several species of flatworm parasites that live in the blood vessels of the bladder and intestines.

Strict diet suspends development, doubles lifespan of worms Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:54 PM PDT Taking food away from C. elegans triggers a state of arrested development: while the organism continues to wriggle about, foraging for food, its cells and organs are suspended in an ageless, quiescent state. When food becomes plentiful again, the worm develops as planned, but can live twice as long as normal.

Increasing rice production on acidic soils in Malaysia Posted: 19 Jun 2014 11:59 AM PDT Adding lime is a cost-effective means of increasing rice production on marginal acidic soils, according to a new study. The study examined the effects of applying lime from various sources on an acid sulphate soil in Merbok, Malaysia.

The genes tell crows to choose partners that look like themselves Posted: 19 Jun 2014 11:22 AM PDT Crows like to select mates that look alike. In a large-scale genomic study a team of researchers found that this behavior might be rooted in their genetic make-up, revealing a likely common evolutionary path that allows for separating populations into novel species.

Skulls with mix of Neandertal and primitive traits illuminate human evolution Posted: 19 Jun 2014 11:22 AM PDT Researchers have analyzed the largest collection of ancient fossil hominin species ever recovered from a single excavation site, shedding light on the origin and evolution of Neandertals.

Mechanism discovered for attaching an 'on' switch that helps cells accessorize proteins Posted: 19 Jun 2014 11:20 AM PDT Scientists have discovered how an important "on" switch is attached to the machinery that cells rely on to adapt thousands of proteins to meet changing conditions. The switch is a small protein called NEDD8. Problems with NEDD8 have been associated with several cancers, developmental disorders and infectivity of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS.

One step to solar-cell efficiency: Chemical process may improve manufacturing Posted: 19 Jun 2014 09:55 AM PDT Scientists have created a one-step process for producing highly efficient materials that let the maximum amount of sunlight reach a solar cell. Scientists found a simple way to etch nanoscale spikes into silicon that allows more than 99 percent of sunlight to reach the cells' active elements, where it can be turned into electricity.

Speeding up drug discovery: Bioengineers invent new method Posted: 19 Jun 2014 09:52 AM PDT The 500 or so kinase proteins are particularly important to drug discovery. Kinases are messenger/signaling proteins that regulate and orchestrate the actions of other proteins. Proper kinase activity maintains health. Irregular activity is linked to cancer and other diseases. Many drugs seek to either boost or suppress kinase activity. Bioengineers have invented a way to observe and report on the behavior of these signaling proteins as they work inside living cells.

Humans have been changing Chinese environment for 3,000 years: Ancient levee system set stage for massive, dynasty-toppling floods Posted: 19 Jun 2014 09:50 AM PDT A widespread pattern of human-caused environmental degradation and related flood-mitigation efforts began changing the natural flow of China's Yellow River nearly 3,000 years ago, setting the stage for massive floods that toppled the Western Han Dynasty, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

Testing biological treatment for pathogens that are killing honeybees and bats Posted: 19 Jun 2014 09:50 AM PDT A researcher is studying a new, biological treatment for bacterial and fungal pathogens that are killing honeybees and bats in record numbers. He is testing how effective Rhodococcus rhodochrous, a species of bacteria, is in fighting pathogens affecting honeybees and bats.

Horse care: Start mosquito protection methods now, veterinarians urge Posted: 19 Jun 2014 09:49 AM PDT Veterinarian advises to start mosquito prevention methods now in order to protect yourself and your horse from West Nile virus during the heavy infection season in mid to late summer.

Children consuming a Mediterranean diet are 15% less likely to be overweight, study finds Posted: 19 Jun 2014 06:58 AM PDT Children consuming a diet more in line with the rules of the Mediterranean one are 15% less likely to be overweight or obese than those children who do not.

Egyptologist unravels ancient mystery Posted: 19 Jun 2014 06:58 AM PDT It is one of the greatest archaeological mysteries of all times: the disappearance of a Persian army of 50,000 men in the Egyptian desert around 524 BC. A professor has now unearthed a cover-up affair and solved the riddle.

Two low-cost, car battery-sized space telescopes launched Posted: 19 Jun 2014 06:19 AM PDT Two nanosatellites were launched from Russia by a Canadian research and technology team. Costing a fraction of conventional space telescopes and similar in size and weight to a car battery, the satellites are two of six that will work together to shed light on the structures and life stories of some of the brightest stars in the sky, uncovering unique clues as to the origins of our own Sun and Earth.

Re-routing flights could reduce climate impact, research suggests Posted: 18 Jun 2014 07:06 PM PDT Aircraft can become more environmentally friendly by choosing flight paths that reduce the formation of their distinctive condensation trails, new research suggests.

Winds of change for the shipping sector Posted: 18 Jun 2014 07:06 PM PDT Wind propulsion such as kites and Flettner rotors could offer a viable route to help cut carbon dioxide emissions in the shipping sector, according to researchers.

MERS-related abnormality distribution on CT identifed, clarified Posted: 18 Jun 2014 08:20 AM PDT Key defining characteristics of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in CT imaging of patients confirmed as having the disease have been identified by researchers. The study found that the most common CT finding in hospitalized patients with MERS infection is suggestive of an organizing pneumonia pattern.

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