ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Method developed to detect stealthy, 'hypervirulent' Salmonella strains
• Athletic frogs have faster-changing genomes
• Deep sequencing reveals potentially toxic, trade-restricted ingredients in some traditional Chinese medicines
• Engineered stem cells seek out and kill HIV in living mice
• American Chestnut returns to New York City
• How cells distinguish between disease-causing and innocuous invaders
• Endangered bats find sanctuary in Israeli 'ghost bunkers'
• Caterpillars more likely to vomit alone
• Determining a stem cell's fate: Biologists scour mouse genome for genes and markers that lead to T cells
• Listen up, parents: For toddlers (and chimps), the majority rules
• Under climate change, winners and losers on the coral reef
• Significant skull differences between closely linked groups
• Manatee hearing good enough to sense approaching motorboats
• Do monkeys know what others need?
• Artificial photosynthesis breakthrough: Fast molecular catalyzer
• Nutrient and toxin all at once: How plants absorb the perfect quantity of minerals
• Traffic harms Asturian amphibians
• Gulf coast residents say BP oil spill changed their environmental views
• Tsunami risk reduction in the age of Twitter
• Pigeons' homing skill not due to iron-rich beak: Cells cannot sense magnetic fields
• Why letting salmon escape could benefit bears and fishers

Method developed to detect stealthy, 'hypervirulent' Salmonella strains Posted: 12 Apr 2012 03:23 PM PDT A recent discovery of "hypervirulent" Salmonella bacteria has given researchers a means to potentially prevent food poisoning outbreaks from these particularly powerful strains.

Athletic frogs have faster-changing genomes Posted: 12 Apr 2012 03:23 PM PDT Physically fit frogs have faster-changing genomes, says a new study of poison frogs. Stretches of DNA accumulate changes over time, but the rate at which those changes build up varies considerably between species, researchers say.

Deep sequencing reveals potentially toxic, trade-restricted ingredients in some traditional Chinese medicines Posted: 12 Apr 2012 03:23 PM PDT Researchers have used new DNA sequencing technology to reveal the animal and plant composition of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). Some of the TCM samples tested contained potentially toxic plant ingredients, allergens, and traces of endangered animals.

Engineered stem cells seek out and kill HIV in living mice Posted: 12 Apr 2012 03:22 PM PDT Expanding on previous research providing proof-of-principal that human stem cells can be genetically engineered into HIV-fighting cells, a team of researchers have now demonstrated that these cells can actually attack HIV-infected cells in a living organism.

American Chestnut returns to New York City Posted: 12 Apr 2012 11:18 AM PDT The once-mighty American chestnut tree, which was virtually wiped out by a pathogenic fungus that arrived in New York City more than 100 years ago, will return April 18 to the area where it was first discovered in the Bronx.

How cells distinguish between disease-causing and innocuous invaders Posted: 12 Apr 2012 10:31 AM PDT The specific mechanisms by which humans and other animals are able to discriminate between disease-causing microbes and innocuous ones in order to rapidly respond to infections have long been a mystery to scientists. But a study conducted on roundworms has uncovered some important clues to finally answering that question.

Endangered bats find sanctuary in Israeli 'ghost bunkers' Posted: 12 Apr 2012 10:31 AM PDT Abandoned army bunkers along a 60 mile stretch of land in the north of Israel have new tenants, according to a Tel Aviv University researcher -- 12 indigenous bat species, including three already designated as endangered, have moved into the shelters and are flourishing.

Caterpillars more likely to vomit alone Posted: 12 Apr 2012 09:48 AM PDT A type of caterpillar which defends itself by regurgitating on its predators is less likely to do so when in groups than when alone, a new study has found.

Determining a stem cell's fate: Biologists scour mouse genome for genes and markers that lead to T cells Posted: 12 Apr 2012 09:14 AM PDT What happens to a stem cell at the molecular level that causes it to become one type of cell rather than another? In studies that mark a major step forward in our understanding of stem cells' fates, scientists have traced the stepwise developmental process that ensures certain stem cells will become T cells -- cells of the immune system that help destroy invading pathogens.

Listen up, parents: For toddlers (and chimps), the majority rules Posted: 12 Apr 2012 09:13 AM PDT A new study offers some news for parents: even toddlers have a tendency to follow the crowd. That sensitivity isn't unique to humans either; chimpanzees also appear more likely to pick up habits if "everyone else is doing it."

Under climate change, winners and losers on the coral reef Posted: 12 Apr 2012 09:13 AM PDT As ocean temperatures rise, some species of corals are likely to succeed at the expense of others, according to a new report that details the first large-scale investigation of climate effects on corals.

Significant skull differences between closely linked groups Posted: 12 Apr 2012 07:58 AM PDT In order to accurately identify skulls as male or female, forensic anthropologists need to have a good understanding of how the characteristics of male and female skulls differ between populations. A new study shows that these differences can be significant, even between populations that are geographically close to one another.

Manatee hearing good enough to sense approaching motorboats Posted: 12 Apr 2012 07:56 AM PDT Every year, manatees are injured in boat collisions. Why don't they just move when they hear a boat approach? Scientists have found that manatee hearing is likely good enough to detect sounds of approaching craft above loud background noise, but their findings point to new questions about how this hearing operates in the wild and why manatees remain susceptible to collisions.

Do monkeys know what others need? Posted: 12 Apr 2012 07:55 AM PDT If you have seen a child just eat an entire ice-cream, and she begs you to buy her one, what will your reaction be? Researchers asked if monkeys understand the physical needs of others. In order to provide help or share food, it would be useful for them to know what others want or need.

Artificial photosynthesis breakthrough: Fast molecular catalyzer Posted: 12 Apr 2012 07:54 AM PDT Researchers have constructed a molecular catalyzer that can oxidize water to oxygen very rapidly. In fact, these scientists have managed to reach speeds approximating those of natural photosynthesis. The speed with which natural photosynthesis occurs is about 100 to 400 turnovers per seconds. Scientists have now reached over 300 turnovers per seconds with their artificial photosynthesis. The research findings play a critical role for the future use of solar energy and other renewable energy sources.

Nutrient and toxin all at once: How plants absorb the perfect quantity of minerals Posted: 12 Apr 2012 07:54 AM PDT In order to survive, plants should take up neither too many nor too few minerals from the soil. New insights into how they operate this critical balance have now been determined. The researchers discovered novel functions of the metal-binding molecule nicotianamine.

Traffic harms Asturian amphibians Posted: 12 Apr 2012 07:54 AM PDT Midwife toads and palmate newts are run over and their habitats are fragmented by roads in the Trubia valley (Asturias). According to a Spanish study, alleviating traffic is not enough to minimize the impact on midwife toad populations. The roads are the main cause of fragmenting the habitats of many species, especially amphibians. The toads get run over and the species loses genetic diversity as a result.

Gulf coast residents say BP oil spill changed their environmental views Posted: 12 Apr 2012 07:52 AM PDT Researchers have found that residents of Louisiana and Florida most acutely and directly affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster -- the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history -- said they have changed their views on other environmental issues as a result of the spill.

Tsunami risk reduction in the age of Twitter Posted: 12 Apr 2012 07:51 AM PDT In theory, national governments should issue tsunami watches and warnings. For sure, they should be the only ones issuing evacuation orders. But social media are much quicker to inform.

Pigeons' homing skill not due to iron-rich beak: Cells cannot sense magnetic fields Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:20 AM PDT The theory that pigeons' famous skill at navigation is down to iron-rich nerve cells in their beaks has been disproven by a new study.

Why letting salmon escape could benefit bears and fishers Posted: 10 Apr 2012 06:09 PM PDT New research suggests that allowing more Pacific salmon to spawn in coastal streams will not only benefit the natural environment, including grizzly bears, but could also lead to more salmon in the ocean and thus larger salmon harvests in the long term -- a win-win for ecosystems and humans. In a new article, researchers investigate how increasing "escapement" -- the number of salmon that escape fishing nets to enter streams and spawn -- can improve the natural environment.

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