ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Oldest existing lizard-like fossil hints at scaly origins
• Genetic study pushes back timeline for first significant human population expansion
• New adsorbent is more effective and environmentally friendly for treating wastewater
• Late Cretaceous Period was likely ice-free
• Emissions and costs of power plant cycling necessary for increased wind and solar calculated
• Uphill for the trees of the world
• Possible way to turn fungus from foe to friend
• Time to rethink misguided policies that promote biofuels to protect climate, experts say
• Cheats of the bird world: Cuckoo finches fool host parents
• Fusion, anyone? Not quite yet, but scientists show just how close we've come
• Northern moths may fare better under climate warming than expected
• Europe-wide studies published on cormorant-fishery conflicts
• New methods increases food and bioenergy production from cassava
• Scientists develop artificial surfaces insects cannot stick to
• Voyager 1 magnetic data surprise intrigues researchers

Oldest existing lizard-like fossil hints at scaly origins Posted: 24 Sep 2013 04:36 PM PDT The fossilized remains of a reptile closely related to lizards are the oldest yet to be discovered. Two new fossil jaws discovered in Vellberg, Germany provide the first direct evidence that the ancestors of lizards, snakes and tuatara (known collectively as lepidosaurs), were alive during the Middle Triassic period -- around 240 million years ago.

Genetic study pushes back timeline for first significant human population expansion Posted: 24 Sep 2013 02:43 PM PDT Using new genetic tools, the authors conclude that the first significant expansion of human populations appears to be much older than the emergence of farming and herding, dating back to the Paleolithic (60,000-80,000 years ago) rather than Neolithic age (10,000 years ago). They also suggest that strong Paleolithic expansions may have favored the emergence of sedentary farming in some populations during the Neolithic.

New adsorbent is more effective and environmentally friendly for treating wastewater Posted: 24 Sep 2013 02:41 PM PDT A new adsorbent for removing emerging contaminants from wastewater that is more effective, reusable and eco-friendly, has been developed.

Late Cretaceous Period was likely ice-free Posted: 24 Sep 2013 12:39 PM PDT For years, scientists have thought that a continental ice sheet formed during the Late Cretaceous Period more than 90 million years ago when the climate was much warmer than it is today. Now, researchers have found evidence suggesting that no ice sheet formed at this time. This finding could help environmentalists and scientists predict what Earth's climate will be as carbon dioxide levels continue to rise.

Emissions and costs of power plant cycling necessary for increased wind and solar calculated Posted: 24 Sep 2013 11:16 AM PDT New research quantifies the potential impacts of increasing wind and solar power generation on the operators of fossil-fueled power plants in the West. To accommodate higher amounts of wind and solar power on the electric grid, utilities must ramp down and ramp up or stop and start conventional generators more frequently to provide reliable power for their customers -- a practice called cycling.

Uphill for the trees of the world Posted: 24 Sep 2013 11:10 AM PDT You'll need to get out your mountain boots to go for a walk in the woods in the future. A new study shows that forests are to an increasing extent growing on steep slopes all over the world.

Possible way to turn fungus from foe to friend Posted: 24 Sep 2013 09:24 AM PDT Candida albicans is a double agent: In most of us, it lives peacefully, but for people whose immune systems are compromised by HIV or other severe illnesses, it is frequently deadly. Now a new study shows how targeting a specific fungal component might turn the fungus from a lion back into a kitten.

Time to rethink misguided policies that promote biofuels to protect climate, experts say Posted: 24 Sep 2013 09:24 AM PDT Policymakers need to rethink the idea of promoting biofuels to protect the climate because the methods used to justify such policies are inherently flawed, according to a University of Michigan energy researcher.

Cheats of the bird world: Cuckoo finches fool host parents Posted: 24 Sep 2013 08:34 AM PDT Cuckoo finches that lay more than one egg in their victims' nests have a better chance of bamboozling host parents into fostering their parasitic young, a study has found.

Fusion, anyone? Not quite yet, but scientists show just how close we've come Posted: 24 Sep 2013 08:31 AM PDT The dream of igniting a self-sustained fusion reaction with high yields of energy, a feat likened to creating a miniature star on Earth, is getting closer to becoming reality, according to a new review of recent research.

Northern moths may fare better under climate warming than expected Posted: 24 Sep 2013 07:32 AM PDT Moths in northern Finland are less susceptible to rising temperatures than expected, suggesting high latitude moth populations around the world may be partly buffered from the effects of rapid climate warming, according to a new Dartmouth-Finnish study based on the most extensive analyses yet conducted of seasonal patterns in forest animals.

Europe-wide studies published on cormorant-fishery conflicts Posted: 24 Sep 2013 06:15 AM PDT Findings from a major Europe-wide study into cormorant-fishery conflicts are published this week, providing one of the most detailed ecological and socio-economic investigations of these fish-eating birds, their impacts and implications for their management.

New methods increases food and bioenergy production from cassava Posted: 24 Sep 2013 06:13 AM PDT New ways to utilize starch from cassava can provide food to an additional 30 million people without taking more arable land than today. By 2030, the figure will be 100 million. In addition, the same land can also contribute to an increased production of bioenergy.

Scientists develop artificial surfaces insects cannot stick to Posted: 24 Sep 2013 06:13 AM PDT Beetles, cockroaches, and ants will have a harder time walking up the sides of buildings or air conditioners in the future -- thanks to the bio-inspired, anti-adhesive surfaces. The team studied plant surfaces in order to determine what influence cell form and microstructure as well as surface chemistry exert on the adhesion behavior of insects.

Voyager 1 magnetic data surprise intrigues researchers Posted: 24 Sep 2013 06:05 AM PDT Scientists are exploring surprising data from Voyager 1's crossing of the heliopause into the interstellar medium of our galaxy.

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