Intricate, often invisible land-sea ecological chains of life threatened with extinction around the world

Fri, 18 May 2012 13:27:27 EDT

Intricate, often invisible chains of life are threatened with extinction around the world. A new study quantifies one of the longest such chains ever documented.

A crowning success for crayfish

Fri, 18 May 2012 13:24:24 EDT

Australian freshwater crayfish have a tooth enamel very similar to humans. Nature sometimes copies its own particularly successful developments. Scientists have now found that the teeth of the Australian freshwater crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus are covered with an enamel amazingly similar to that of vertebrates. Both materials consist of calcium phosphate and are also very alike in terms of their microstructure. This extremely hard substance has apparently developed in freshwater crayfish independently from vertebrates, as it makes the teeth particularly strong.

Unparalleled views of Earth's coastal zone with HREP-HICO

Fri, 18 May 2012 10:32:32 EDT

Scanning the globe from the vantage point of the International Space Station is about more than the fantastic view. While cruising in low Earth orbit, the space station HICO and RAIDS Experiment Payload-Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean, or HREP-HICO, gives researchers a valuable new way to view the coastal zone.

Ancient history of circumarctic peoples illuminated

Thu, 17 May 2012 19:31:31 EDT

Scientists have discovered new information about the migration patterns of the first humans to settle the Americas. The studies identify the historical relationships among various groups of Native American and First Nations peoples and present the first clear evidence of the genetic impact of the groups' cultural practices.

Bioinformatics: We can learn a lot from other species

Thu, 17 May 2012 19:29:29 EDT

Researchers have confirmed the long-held belief that studying the genes we share with other animals is useful. The study shows how bioinformatics makes it possible to test the fundamental principles on which life science is built.

Forest diversity from Canada to the sub-tropics influenced by family proximity

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:35:35 EDT

How species diversity is maintained is a fundamental question in biology. Biologists have shown for the first time that diversity is influenced on a spatial scale of unparalleled scope, in part, by how well tree seedlings survive under their own parents.

Pollination with precision: How flowers do it

Thu, 17 May 2012 13:20:20 EDT

Pollination could be a chaotic disaster. With hundreds of pollen grains growing long tubes to ovules to deliver their sperm to female gametes, how can a flower ensure that exactly two fertile sperm reach every ovule? Biologists report the discovery of how plants optimize the distribution of pollen for successful reproduction.

Ancient giant turtle fossil was size of Smart car

Thu, 17 May 2012 13:16:16 EDT

Picture a turtle the size of a Smart car, with a shell large enough to double as a kiddie pool. Paleontologists have found just such a specimen -- the fossilized remains of a 60-million-year-old South American giant that lived in what is now Colombia.

1,000 years of climate data confirms Australia's warming

Thu, 17 May 2012 11:14:14 EDT

In the first study of its kind in Australasia, scientists have used 27 natural climate records to create the first large-scale temperature reconstruction for the region over the last 1,000 years.

Bats: A good immune system ensures success in reproduction

Wed, 16 May 2012 19:54:54 EDT

Anyone who is healthy has more enthusiasm for reproduction. The same is true even for bats. Male bats with a good immune system are more successful in being selected by females during mate choice and reproduction than their ailing counterparts.

The Rhine is five million years older than first thought: Age of the river corrected based on fossils

Wed, 16 May 2012 19:54:54 EDT

Scientists have examined the age of the Rhine based on fossils. They have discovered that the river is five million years older than previously believed.

NASA survey counts potentially hazardous asteroids

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:06:06 EDT

Observations from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have led to the best assessment yet of our solar system's population of potentially hazardous asteroids. The results reveal new information about their total numbers, origins and the possible dangers they may pose.

New advice on medication disposal: Trash beats take-back, new study suggests

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:25:25 EDT

Returning extra medicine to the pharmacy for disposal might not be worth the extra time, money or greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study that is the first to look at the net effects of so-called take-back programs.

Listening to chickens could improve poultry production

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:22:22 EDT

Listening to squawks and other chicken "vocalizations" using digital signal processing techniques may help farmers better manage growing conditions, contributing to both healthier birds and more productive poultry operations.

Health experts narrow the hunt for Ebola

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:01:01 EDT

Response efforts to outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in Africa can benefit from a standardized sampling strategy that focuses on the carcasses of gorillas, chimpanzees and other species known to succumb to the virus, according to wildlife health experts.

Sumatra faces yet another risk: Major volcanic eruptions

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:01:01 EDT

The early April earthquake of magnitude 8.6 that shook Sumatra was a grim reminder of the devastating earthquakes and tsunami that killed tens of thousands of people in 2004 and 2005. Now a new study shows that the residents of that region are at risk from yet another potentially deadly natural phenomenon -- major volcanic eruptions.

Colorful butterflies increase their odds of survival by sharing traits

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT

Bright black-and-red butterflies that flit across the sunlit edges of Amazonian rain forests are natural hedonists, and it does them good, according to new genetic data.

Humanmade pollutants may be driving Earth's tropical belt expansion: May impact large-scale atmospheric circulation

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT

Black carbon aerosols and tropospheric ozone, both humanmade pollutants emitted predominantly in the Northern Hemisphere's low- to mid-latitudes, are most likely pushing the boundary of the tropics further poleward in that hemisphere, new research shows. While stratospheric ozone depletion has already been shown to be the primary driver of the expansion of the tropics in the Southern Hemisphere, the researchers are the first to report that black carbon and tropospheric ozone are the most likely primary drivers of the tropical expansion observed in the Northern Hemisphere.

Paralyzed individuals use thought-controlled robotic arm to reach and grasp

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT

In an ongoing clinical trial, a paralyzed woman was able to reach for and sip from a drink on her own -- for the first time in nearly 15 years -- by using her thoughts to direct a robotic arm. The trial, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, is evaluating the safety and feasibility of an investigational device called the BrainGate neural interface system, which is intended to put robotics and other assistive technology under the brain's control.

Genome research reveals key behind one butterfly’s ability to mimic another

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:55:55 EDT

Scientists have discovered promiscuous sharing of large regions of DNA code among species by sequencing the genome of a South American butterfly.

Ancient tree-ring records from southwest U.S. suggest today's megafires are truly unusual

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:03:03 EDT

Today's mega forest fires of the southwestern U.S. are truly unusual and exceptional in the long-term record, suggests an unprecedented study that examined 1,500 years of ancient tree ring and fire data from two distinct climate periods. Researchers constructed and analyzed a statistical model and found that today's dry, hot climate combined with the past century of human fire suppression is causing megafires.

Common fungicide wreaks havoc on freshwater ecosystems

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:01:01 EDT

A new study on chlorothalonil, one of the world's most common fungicides, shows it was lethal to a wide variety of freshwater organisms.

Chocolate and diamonds: Why volcanoes could be 'a girl's best friend'

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:32:32 EDT

Scientists have discovered a previously unrecognized volcanic process, similar to one that is used in chocolate manufacturing, which gives important new insights into the dynamics of volcanic eruptions. The scientists investigated how a process called ‘fluidized spray granulation’ can occur during kimberlite eruptions to produce well-rounded particles containing fragments from the Earth’s mantle, most notably diamonds.

Plant growth without light control

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:31:31 EDT

Plants are dependent on the sun. Sunlight does not only supply them with energy, but also controls their development steps. So-called photoreceptors activate the processes of germination, leaf development, bud formation, and blossoming in the cells. The light-absorbing component of a photoreceptor may be replaced by a chemically similar synthetic substance. For the first time, the effects on complete plants have now been described.

Sulfur finding may hold key to Gaia theory of Earth as living organism

Tue, 15 May 2012 20:31:31 EDT

Is Earth really a sort of giant living organism as the Gaia hypothesis predicts? A new discovery may provide a key to answering this question. This key of sulfur could allow scientists to unlock heretofore hidden interactions between ocean organisms, atmosphere, and land -- interactions that might provide evidence supporting this famous theory.

Hidden lives of elephant seals: Record-setting dive more than a mile deep

Tue, 15 May 2012 20:30:30 EDT

The same researchers who pioneered the use of satellite tags to monitor the migrations of elephant seals have compiled one of the largest datasets available for any marine mammal species, revealing their movements and diving behavior at sea in unprecedented detail.

Ancient sea reptile with gammy jaw suggests dinosaurs got arthritis too

Tue, 15 May 2012 20:30:30 EDT

Imagine having arthritis in your jaw bones ... if they're over 2 meters long! A new study has found signs of a degenerative condition similar to human arthritis in the jaw of a pliosaur, an ancient sea reptile that lived 150 million years ago. Such a disease has never been described before in fossilized Jurassic reptiles.

Mixed bacterial communities evolve to share resources, not compete

Tue, 15 May 2012 20:30:30 EDT

New research shows how bacteria evolve to increase ecosystem functioning by recycling each other's waste. The study provides some of the first evidence for how interactions between species shape evolution when there is a diverse community.

New look at prolonged radiation exposure: At low dose-rate, radiation poses little risk to DNA, study suggests

Tue, 15 May 2012 18:12:12 EDT

A new study suggests that the guidelines governments use to determine when to evacuate people following a nuclear accident may be too conservative.

Big-mouthed babies drove the evolution of giant island snakes

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:10:10 EDT

The need to have big-mouthed babies drove the evolution of giant tiger snakes on Australian islands, new research shows. The findings offer a new dimension to the study of island gigantism and dwarfism.

Ancient plant-fungal partnerships reveal how the world became green

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:17:17 EDT

Prehistoric plants grown in state-of-the-art growth chambers recreating environmental conditions from more than 400 million years ago have shown scientists how soil dwelling fungi played a crucial role in the evolution of plants.

Statistical analysis projects future temperatures in North America

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:16:16 EDT

For the first time, researchers have been able to combine different climate models using spatial statistics -- to project future seasonal temperature changes in regions across North America.

Maps of miscanthus genome offer insight into grass evolution

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:47:47 EDT

Miscanthus grasses are used in gardens, burned for heat and energy, and converted into liquid fuels. They also belong to a prominent grass family that includes corn, sorghum and sugarcane. Two new, independently produced chromosome maps of Miscanthus sinensis (an ornamental that likely is a parent of Miscanthus giganteus, a biofuels crop) are a first step toward sequencing the M. sinensis genome. The studies reveal how a new plant species with distinctive traits can arise as a result of chromosome duplications and fusions.

Tiny plants could cut costs, shrink environmental footprint

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:46:46 EDT

Tall, waving corn fields that line Midwestern roads may one day be replaced by dwarfed versions that require less water, fertilizer and other inputs, thanks to a fungicide commonly used on golf courses.

Juggling with air pollutant data

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:45:45 EDT

Models integrating air quality and climate change data will help reaching compliance with new emission targets.

Arctic seabirds adapt to climate change

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:39:39 EDT

The planet is warming up, especially at the poles. How do organisms react to this rise in temperatures? Biologists have now shown that little auks, the most common seabirds in the Arctic, are adapting their fishing behavior to warming surface waters in the Greenland Sea. So far, their reproductive and survival rates have not been affected. However, further warming could threaten the species.

A practical guide to green products and services

Tue, 15 May 2012 05:25:25 EDT

A new report provides key information for policy makers and business managers on how to assess the environmental impacts of products and services. It helps to pave the way towards a resource-efficient Europe and aims to help design more sustainable products, which are indispensable in a world of 7 billion people and limited resources.

Rainforest microbe can handle ionic liquids: New find could help reduce biofuel production costs

Mon, 14 May 2012 20:40:40 EDT

Researchers have identified a tropical rainforest microbe that can endure relatively high concentrations of an ionic liquid used to dissolve cellulosic biomass for the production of advanced biofuels. They've also determined how the microbe accomplishes this, a discovery that holds broad implications beyond biofuels.

Nearly one tenth of hemisphere's mammals unlikely to outrun climate change

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:31:31 EDT

A safe haven could be out of reach for 9 percent of the Western Hemisphere's mammals, and as much as 40 percent in certain regions, because the animals just won't move swiftly enough to outpace climate change. In particular, many of the hemisphere's species of primates -- including tamarins, spider monkeys, marmosets and howler monkeys, some of which are already considered threatened or endangered -- will be hard-pressed to outpace climate change.

First ever record of insect pollination from 100 million years ago

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:31:31 EDT

Amber from the Cretaceous period found in Spain has revealed the first ever fossil record of insect pollination. Scientists discovered and studied with X-rays at the ESRF a specimen of a tiny insect covered with pollen grains. This is the first record of pollen transport and social behavior in this group of animals.

Measuring CO₂ to fight global warming, enforce future treaty

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:29:29 EDT

If the world's nations ever sign a treaty to limit emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide gas, there may be a way to help verify compliance. Using measurements from only three carbon-dioxide (monitoring stations in the Salt Lake Valley, the method could reliably detect changes in CO₂ emissions of 15 percent or more, researchers report.

The gut could reveal effect of climate change on fish

Mon, 14 May 2012 14:47:47 EDT

As sea temperatures rise, stocks of some fish species can decline while others may grow, reveals new research looking at gastrointestinal function in fish.

New species of fish in Sweden

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:43:43 EDT

Reticulated dragonet have been found in Väderöarna -- "Weather Islands" -- off the west coast of Sweden. It is not often that a new species of fish is discovered in Sweden.

A walk in the park gives mental boost to people with depression

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:43:43 EDT

In one of the first studies to examine the effect of nature walks on cognition and mood in people with major depression, researchers in Canada and the US have found promising evidence that a walk in the park may provide some cognitive benefits.

Dip chip technology tests toxicity on the go

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:42:42 EDT

Researchers have developed a portable "dip chip" that detects water toxicity quickly and accurately. Once perfected, the chip might be plugged into ordinary smartphones or PDA devices to provide a toxicity alert.

Foxtail millet offers clues for assembling the switchgrass genome

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:42:42 EDT

Scientists are interested in the perennial grass switchgrass as a prospective biofuels feedstock, but the plant genome is complex. Researchers have sequenced plant genomes of related candidate bioenergy crops such as sorghum and the model grass Brachypodium but they last shared a common ancestor with switchgrass more than 20 million years ago. The genome of a much closer switchgrass relative -- foxtail millet -- has now been described.

Floating robots use GPS-enabled smartphones to track water flow

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:50:50 EDT

A fleet of 100 floating robots took a trip down the Sacramento River on May 9, in a field test. The devices, equipped with GPS-enabled smartphones, demonstrated the next generation of water-monitoring technology, promising to transform the way government agencies track one of the state's most precious resources.

Steelhead trout lose out when water is low in wine country

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:50:50 EDT

The competition between farmers and fish for precious water in California is intensifying in wine country, suggests a new study by biologists. The study links higher death rates for threatened juvenile steelhead trout with low water levels in the summer and the acreage of vineyards upstream.

Urban landscape's power to hurt or heal

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:49:49 EDT

Research shows that street furniture, barriers, parks, public spaces and neighborhood architecture can stir up powerful emotions in local residents. This should be taken into account in programs designed to reduce tensions and foster community cohesion.

Plant protein discovery could boost bioeconomy

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:48:48 EDT

Three proteins have been found to be involved in the accumulation of fatty acids in plants. The discovery could help plant scientists boost seed oil production in crops. And that could boost the production of biorenewable fuels and chemicals.

Roadmap towards sustainable pole-and-line-caught tuna

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:44:44 EDT

New research offers a blueprint for the long-term sustainability of tuna caught using the pole-and-line method.

Time, place and how wood is used are factors in carbon emissions from deforestation

Sun, 13 May 2012 14:46:46 EDT

A new study holds implications for the impact of biofuels production on deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. The volume of greenhouse gas released when a forest is cleared depends on how the trees will be used and in which part of the world the trees are grown.

Wasted milk is a real drain on our resources, study shows

Sun, 13 May 2012 14:46:46 EDT

Milk poured down Britain's kitchen sinks each year creates a carbon footprint equivalent to thousands of car exhaust emissions, research shows.

Scientists generate electricity from viruses

Sun, 13 May 2012 14:46:46 EDT

Scientists have developed a way to generate power using harmless viruses that convert mechanical energy into electricity. The scientists tested their approach by creating a generator that produces enough current to operate a small liquid-crystal display. Their generator is the first to produce electricity by harnessing the piezoelectric properties of a biological material.

Scientists 'read' ash from the Icelandic volcano two years after its eruption

Sat, 12 May 2012 14:41:41 EDT

In May 2010, the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull reached the Iberian Peninsula and brought airports to a halt all over Europe. At the time, scientists followed its paths using satellites, laser detectors, sun photometers and other instruments. Two years later they have now presented the results and models that will help to prevent the consequences of such natural phenomena.

Meteorite discovery spurs hunt for more pieces

Sat, 12 May 2012 10:10:10 EDT

Meteorite fragments were recently scattered around Sutter's Mill in California, the same region where the first nugget of gold was found that sparked the Gold Rush in 1848. Scientists believe the meteorites may hold answers to unsolved mysteries about our solar system and the origins of molecules necessary for life. When the Gold Rush began, people headed to California seeking their fortune. Now, with this meteorite hunt, people once again have flocked to this area to search for scientific treasures.

Mojave Desert tests prepare for NASA Mars roving

Sat, 12 May 2012 10:01:01 EDT

Team members of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission took a test rover to Dumont Dunes in California's Mojave Desert this week to improve knowledge of the best way to operate a similar rover, Curiosity, currently flying to Mars for an August landing.

NASA's new carbon-counting instrument leaves the nest

Sat, 12 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT

Its construction now complete, the science instrument that is the heart of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) spacecraft -- NASA's first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide -- has left its nest at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and has arrived at its integration and test site in Gilbert, Ariz.

Increasing predator-friendly land can help farmers reduce costs

Fri, 11 May 2012 17:50:50 EDT

Having natural habitat in farming areas that supports ladybugs could help increase their abundance in crops where they control pests and help farmers reduce their costs, says a new study.

First satellite tag study for manta rays reveals habits and hidden journeys of ocean giants

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:22:22 EDT

Using the latest satellite tracking technology, conservationists have completed a ground-breaking study on a mysterious ocean giant: The manta ray.