ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Paralysis promises smart silk technology
• 'Cascade of events' caused sudden explosion of animal life
• Geologists simulate deep earthquakes in lab
• Seismologists puzzle over largest deep earthquake ever recorded
• Oldest and youngest stag-moose in North America
• Endocrine-disrupting chemicals pose global health threat, experts say
• Turtle eye muscle adapts to deal with obstructed vision
• Got calcium? Mineral is key to restoring acid rain-damaged forests
• Earthworms can survive and recover after three-week drought stress
• After the storms, a different opinion on climate change
• Gulf of Finland's coastal waters same as last year: Oxygen on deep-sea floors deteriorating
• Giant prehistoric elephant slaughtered by early humans
• Dirty job made easier: Microfluidic technique recovers DNA

Paralysis promises smart silk technology Posted: 19 Sep 2013 05:46 PM PDT Researchers have harnessed the natural defense mechanism of silkworms, which causes paralysis, in what is a major step towards the large-scale production of silks with tailor-made properties.

'Cascade of events' caused sudden explosion of animal life Posted: 19 Sep 2013 11:22 AM PDT The explosion of animal life on Earth around 520 million years ago was the result of a combination of interlinked factors rather than a single underlying cause, according to a new study.

Geologists simulate deep earthquakes in lab Posted: 19 Sep 2013 11:22 AM PDT Geologists have shown how deep earthquakes can be simulated in the laboratory. The experiments were performed using a new type of apparatus that uses synchrotron X-rays.

Seismologists puzzle over largest deep earthquake ever recorded Posted: 19 Sep 2013 11:21 AM PDT A magnitude 8.3 earthquake that struck deep beneath the Sea of Okhotsk on May 24, 2013, has left seismologists struggling to explain how it happened. At a depth of about 609 kilometers, the intense pressure on the fault should inhibit the kind of rupture that took place.

Oldest and youngest stag-moose in North America Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:19 AM PDT While most bones discovered in North America turn out to be from deer, bison, horses or cows, some discoveries turn out to be highly unusual, as was the case with an antler from an extinct Ice Age animal known as a stag-moose or elk-moose.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals pose global health threat, experts say Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:19 AM PDT Endocrine experts agreed that endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) pose a threat to human health and to the ecosystems of Earth. The editorial comes in response to a commentary (Dietrich et al. Chem Biol Interact) signed by a number of editors of toxicology journals that dismisses the state-of-the-science on EDCs and argues for the status quo in the regulation of these hazardous substances.

Turtle eye muscle adapts to deal with obstructed vision Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:18 AM PDT While researchers expected that the pond turtle's eyes would operate like other animals with eyes on the side of their heads, this particular species of turtle appears to have characteristics of both front and side-eyed animals.

Got calcium? Mineral is key to restoring acid rain-damaged forests Posted: 19 Sep 2013 06:37 AM PDT Scientists have reversed the decline of a New Hampshire watershed by gradually adding calcium back into the soil over 15 years. The experimental forest had suffered depletion of key soil nutrients due to acid rain. The study not only illustrates the impact of acid rain, but a potential treatment to help reverse the damage.

Earthworms can survive and recover after three-week drought stress Posted: 19 Sep 2013 05:58 AM PDT A study suggests that earthworms could be established in drought-prone dryland soils to improve soil quality.

After the storms, a different opinion on climate change Posted: 19 Sep 2013 05:58 AM PDT Extreme weather may lead people to think more seriously about climate change, according to new research. In the wake of Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, New Jersey residents were more likely to show support for a politician running on a "green" platform, and expressed a greater belief that climate change is caused by human activity.

Gulf of Finland's coastal waters same as last year: Oxygen on deep-sea floors deteriorating Posted: 19 Sep 2013 05:57 AM PDT The oxygen situation on deep-sea floors, in open seas in the Gulf of Finland, has deteriorated compared to last year. Results obtained during an expedition by the research vessel Aranda in early summer shows an increase in salinity stratification in the Gulf of Finland, which has weakened the oxygen situation. At these sites, zoobenthic communities had also declined compared to last year. During the expedition in August, water layers close to the sea floor were found to be anoxic at these same sites. Hydrogen sulphide was found at sites on the Estonian side of the Gulf.

Giant prehistoric elephant slaughtered by early humans Posted: 19 Sep 2013 05:57 AM PDT Archaeologists have found evidence that early humans, who lived thousands of years before Neanderthals, were able to work together in groups to hunt and slaughter animals as large as the prehistoric elephant.

Dirty job made easier: Microfluidic technique recovers DNA Posted: 18 Sep 2013 10:06 AM PDT A team of researchers has demonstrated an improved microfluidic technique for recovering DNA from real-world, complex mixtures such as dirt. The technique delivers DNA from these crude samples with much less effort and in less time than conventional techniques.

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