ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

---

• 'Molecular motors' involved in chromosome transport observed
• A whirling dervish puts physicists in a spin
• Iron preserves, hides ancient tissues in fossilized remains
• Flexible, stretchable fire-ant rafts
• Delaying resistance to Bt corn in western corn rootworm
• Google Earth reveals untold fish catches
• The lingering clouds: Why pollution results in larger storm clouds, colder days, warmer nights
• Bonobo: 'Forgotten' ape threatened by human activity and forest loss
• Lowering stand density reduces mortality of ponderosa pine stands
• Large study shows pollution impact on coral reefs, and offers solution
• Incidental by-catch of marine turtles in the Mediterranean Sea
• A robot turtle will help underwater archaeologists to inspect shipwrecks
• How scavenging fungi became a plant's best friend
• Inner workings of bacterial black box caught on time-lapse video
• Methane emissions vastly surpass previous estimates
• Scientists re-imagine how genomes are assembled
• Scientists ID new catalyst for cleanup of nitrites

'Molecular motors' involved in chromosome transport observed Posted: 26 Nov 2013 05:29 PM PST Researchers have for the first time directly observed the "molecular motor", called Xkid, that plays a critical role in facilitating the proper alignment of chromosomes during cell division. The study provides invaluable knowledge on the mechanisms of materials transport in biological systems.

A whirling dervish puts physicists in a spin Posted: 26 Nov 2013 04:16 PM PST A force that intricately links the rotation of the Earth with the direction of weather patterns in the atmosphere has been shown to play a crucial role in the creation of the hypnotic patterns created by the skirts of the Whirling Dervishes.

Iron preserves, hides ancient tissues in fossilized remains Posted: 26 Nov 2013 04:14 PM PST Iron may play a role in preserving ancient tissues within dinosaur fossils, but also may hide them from detection. This finding could open the door to the recovery of more ancient tissues from within fossils.

Flexible, stretchable fire-ant rafts Posted: 26 Nov 2013 10:46 AM PST Fire-ant rafts aren't just unusual in that they're "viscoelastic," like Jell-O and toothpaste, according to a new study. Researchers found the rafts actively reorganize their structure, a feat that allows them to more effectively cushion themselves against applied forces, such as the battering of raindrops or the surges of waves.

Delaying resistance to Bt corn in western corn rootworm Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:41 AM PST While Bt corn has been highly effective against the European corn borer, it has been less so against the western corn rootworm. A new article explains why and recommends an integrated pest management approach to address it.

Google Earth reveals untold fish catches Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:39 AM PST Large fish traps in the Persian Gulf could be catching up to six times more fish than what's being officially reported, according to the first investigation of fish catches from space.

The lingering clouds: Why pollution results in larger storm clouds, colder days, warmer nights Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:36 AM PST A new study reveals how pollution causes thunderstorms to leave behind larger, deeper, longer lasting clouds. The results solve a long-standing debate and reveal how pollution plays into climate warming. The work can also provide a gauge for the accuracy of weather and climate models.

Bonobo: 'Forgotten' ape threatened by human activity and forest loss Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:36 AM PST The most detailed range-wide assessment of the bonobo (formerly known as the pygmy chimpanzee) ever conducted has revealed that this poorly known and endangered great ape is quickly losing space in a world with growing human populations. The loss of usable habitat is attributed to both forest fragmentation and poaching, according to a new study.

Lowering stand density reduces mortality of ponderosa pine stands Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:27 AM PST As trees grow larger in even-aged stands, competition develops among them. Competition weakens trees, as they contend for soil moisture, nutrients, and sunlight. Competition also increases trees' risk to bark beetles and diseases, and subsequently leads to a buildup of dead fuels. A recent study considered if the onset of this risk could be determined.

Large study shows pollution impact on coral reefs, and offers solution Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:26 AM PST One of the largest and longest experiments ever done to test the impact of nutrient loading on coral reefs today confirmed what scientists have long suspected -- that this type of pollution from sewage, agricultural practices or other sources can lead to coral disease and bleaching. But there was unexpectedly good news - when you cleaned up the water, the corals recovered.

Incidental by-catch of marine turtles in the Mediterranean Sea Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:25 AM PST When a marine turtle is incidentally by-caught by a longliner, fishermen try to cut the line — without hauling it on board — and release the turtle into the sea. However, research published determines that about 40% of post-released turtles die some months later due to the impact of longline fishing.

A robot turtle will help underwater archaeologists to inspect shipwrecks Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:24 AM PST A new highly maneuverable robot turtle has been designed to penetrate shipwrecks.

How scavenging fungi became a plant's best friend Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:47 PM PST More than two thirds of the world's plants depend on Glomeromycota soil-dwelling symbiotic fungus to survive, including critical agricultural crops such as wheat, cassava, and rice. The analysis of the Rhizophagus irregularis genome has revealed that it doesn't shuffle genes the way researchers expected. Moreover it has expanded its range of cell-to-cell communication genes and phosphorus-capturing genes.

Inner workings of bacterial black box caught on time-lapse video Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:47 PM PST Using a pioneering visualization method, researchers made movies of a complex and vital cellular machine called the carboxysome being assembled inside living cells. They observed that bacteria build these internal compartments in a way never seen in plant, animal and other eukaryotic cells. The findings will illuminate bacterial physiology and may also influence nanotechnology development.

Methane emissions vastly surpass previous estimates Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:44 PM PST Government calculations of total US methane emissions may underestimate the true values by 50 percent, a new study finds. The results cast doubt on a recent Environmental Protection Agency decision to downscale its emissions estimate.

Scientists re-imagine how genomes are assembled Posted: 25 Nov 2013 09:54 AM PST Scientists have developed a new method for piecing together the short DNA reads produced by next-generation sequencing technologies that are the basis for building complete genome sequences.

Scientists ID new catalyst for cleanup of nitrites Posted: 25 Nov 2013 09:19 AM PST Researchers have found that gold and palladium nanoparticles can rapidly break down nitrites, a common contaminant in drinking water that often results from overuse of agricultural fertilizers. The nanoengineered catalysts were 7 1/2 times more efficient at reducing nitrites than previously studied catalysts made of palladium and aluminum oxide.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Environment News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610