ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• 'Warming hole' delayed climate change over eastern United States
• Structure of a key 'gene silencer' protein discovered: Potential therapeutic targets with 'untapped potential'
• New technique will transform epigenetics research
• Genes shed light on spread of agriculture in Stone Age Europe
• Earliest life forms' operation promises therapies for diseases
• New insight on molecular motor movement: Mini cargo transporters on a rat run
• From embryonic stem cells, a sperm replacement and easier path to genetic modification
• Mystery of bacterial growth and resistance solved: Findings shed light on how bacteria form protective biofilms
• Slicing mitotic spindle with lasers, nanosurgeons unravel old pole-to-pole theory
• Long-held genetic theory, morphogen theory, doesn't quite make the grade, biologists find
• First evaluation of the Clean Water Act's effects on coastal waters in California reveals major successes
• Smalleye pigmy sharks' bellies shine: They glow for camouflage
• Oil palm surging source of greenhouse gas emissions
• Seabirds, a key factor in the dispersal of parasites
• Heart study suggests city center pollution doubles risk of calcium build-up in arteries
• Rare protozoan from sludge in Norwegian lake does not fit on main branches of tree of life
• Almost seven million birds perish at communication towers in North America each year
• Researchers give long look at who benefits from nature tourism
• Eight species of wild fish have been detected in aquaculture feed

'Warming hole' delayed climate change over eastern United States Posted: 26 Apr 2012 12:51 PM PDT Climate scientists have discovered that particulate pollution in the late 20th century created a "warming hole" over the eastern United States -- that is, a cold patch where the effects of global warming were temporarily obscured. The findings have implications for industrial nations (like China) that have not yet tightened air quality regulations.

Structure of a key 'gene silencer' protein discovered: Potential therapeutic targets with 'untapped potential' Posted: 26 Apr 2012 12:50 PM PDT Scientists have described a protein that can effectively "silence" a gene by intercepting and slicing the gene's RNA transcripts before they are translated into working proteins.

New technique will transform epigenetics research Posted: 26 Apr 2012 11:38 AM PDT A new technique will significantly improve scientists' ability to perform epigenetics research and help unlock the door to understanding how cells develop and function. Epigenetics is a branch of genetics that studies modifications to the DNA which affect gene activity. The research has important implications for stem cell research and the development of regenerative medicines.

Genes shed light on spread of agriculture in Stone Age Europe Posted: 26 Apr 2012 11:38 AM PDT One of the most debated developments in human history is the transition from hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies. Scientists have now shown that agriculture spread to Northern Europe via migration from Southern Europe.

Earliest life forms' operation promises therapies for diseases Posted: 26 Apr 2012 11:38 AM PDT Scientists have discovered that the gas nitric oxide (NO), produced in all cells of the human body for natural purposes, plays a fundamental regulatory role in controlling bacterial function, via a signaling mechanism called S-nitrosylation (SNO), which binds NO to protein molecules. In addition, the researchers discovered a novel set of 150 genes that regulate SNO production and disruption of these genes created bacterial cell damage resembling the cell damage seen in many common human diseases. Collectively these data point to new classes of antibiotics and several new disease treatments.

New insight on molecular motor movement: Mini cargo transporters on a rat run Posted: 26 Apr 2012 10:53 AM PDT Kinesins assume a vital function in our cells: The tiny cargo transporters move important substances along lengthy protein fibers and ensure an effective transportation infrastructure. Biophysicists have now discovered how some of these transporters can, like cars on a multi-lane motorway, change lanes.

From embryonic stem cells, a sperm replacement and easier path to genetic modification Posted: 26 Apr 2012 10:52 AM PDT Not only will the advance make it easier to produce genetically modified mice, but it may also enable genetic modification of animals that can't be modified by today's means. The technique might ultimately be used in assisted human reproduction for those affected by genetic disease, the researchers suggest.

Mystery of bacterial growth and resistance solved: Findings shed light on how bacteria form protective biofilms Posted: 26 Apr 2012 10:51 AM PDT Scientists have unraveled a complex chemical pathway that enables bacteria to form clusters called biofilms. Such improved understanding might eventually aid the development of new treatments targeting biofilms, which are involved in a wide variety of human infections and help bacteria resist antibiotics.

Slicing mitotic spindle with lasers, nanosurgeons unravel old pole-to-pole theory Posted: 26 Apr 2012 10:51 AM PDT The mitotic spindle, an apparatus that segregates chromosomes during cell division, may be more complex than the standard textbook picture suggests.

Long-held genetic theory, morphogen theory, doesn't quite make the grade, biologists find Posted: 26 Apr 2012 10:50 AM PDT Biologists have discovered new mechanisms that control how proteins are expressed in different regions of embryos, while also shedding additional insight into how physical traits are arranged in body plans. Their findings call for reconsideration of a decades-old biological theory.

First evaluation of the Clean Water Act's effects on coastal waters in California reveals major successes Posted: 26 Apr 2012 10:49 AM PDT Levels of copper, cadmium, lead and other metals in Southern California's coastal waters have plummeted over the past four decades, which researchers attribute to sewage treatment regulations that were part of the Clean Water Act of 1972 and to the phase-out of leaded gasoline in the 1970s and 1980s.

Smalleye pigmy sharks' bellies shine: They glow for camouflage Posted: 26 Apr 2012 07:57 AM PDT Smalleye pigmy sharks have an eye-catching party trick: Their bellies glow. However, instead of being a giveaway, biologists have shown that the fish's shiny undersides probably provide camouflage. They also discovered that the pigmy shark and another glowing fish, the lantern shark, regulate their glow using the similar mechanisms, although the pigmy shark is probably more closely related to their common ancient ancestor.

Oil palm surging source of greenhouse gas emissions Posted: 26 Apr 2012 07:56 AM PDT Continued expansion of industrial-scale oil palm plantations on the island of Borneo will become a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 unless strong forest and peatland protections are enacted and enforced, according to a new study.

Seabirds, a key factor in the dispersal of parasites Posted: 26 Apr 2012 07:49 AM PDT Due to their capacity to travel long distances, seabirds play an important role in the dispersal and biodiversity of parasites and of the infectious agents these may transmit, a new study shows.

Heart study suggests city center pollution doubles risk of calcium build-up in arteries Posted: 26 Apr 2012 07:48 AM PDT City center residents who took part in a study were almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery calcification (CAC), which can lead to heart disease, than people who lived in less polluted urban and rural areas, according to new research.

Rare protozoan from sludge in Norwegian lake does not fit on main branches of tree of life Posted: 26 Apr 2012 07:48 AM PDT Humankind's remotest relative is a very rare micro-organism from south-Norway. The discovery may provide an insight into what life looked like on earth almost one thousand million years ago. Biologists all over the world have been eagerly awaiting the results of the genetic analysis of one of the world's smallest known species, hereafter called the protozoan, from a little lake 30 kilometer south of Oslo in Norway. When researchers compared its genes with all other known species in the world, they saw that the protozoan did not fit on any of the main branches of the tree of life. The protozoan is not a fungus, alga, parasite, plant or animal.

Almost seven million birds perish at communication towers in North America each year Posted: 25 Apr 2012 04:30 PM PDT Every year nearly 7 million birds die as they migrate from the United States and Canada to Central and South America, according to a new study. The birds are killed by the 84,000 communication towers that dot North America and can rise nearly 2,000 feet into the sky. Placing that figure in context, the Exxon Valdez oil spill killed 250,000 birds and the Empire State building is 1,250 feet high.

Researchers give long look at who benefits from nature tourism Posted: 25 Apr 2012 04:30 PM PDT Using nature's beauty as a tourist draw can boost conservation in China's valued panda preserves, but it isn't an automatic ticket out of poverty for the human inhabitants, a unique long-term study shows.

Eight species of wild fish have been detected in aquaculture feed Posted: 25 Apr 2012 06:44 AM PDT Researchers have for the first time analyzed a DNA fragment from commercial feed for aquarium cichlids, aquaculture of salmon and marine fish in aquariums. The results show that in order to manufacture this feed, eight species of high trophic level fish have been used, some of them coming directly from extractive fisheries.

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