May 16, 2012

Wildlife and habitat

Study shows experiments underestimate plant responses to climate change
Plastic trash altering ocean habitats, study shows
    Related: Wind pushes plastics deeper into oceans, driving trash estimates up
Common Fungicide Wreaks Havoc on Freshwater Ecosystems
Marine Scientists Urge Government to Reassess Oil Spill Response
'Rock snot' found en masse in Delaware River
So Much Life on a Little Patch of Earth
Hunting bill worries advocates of national parks
No Fear of the 'Big Bad Wolf:' Feeding Habits of German Wolves Investigated

Chinese scientists call for ban on bear farming

Reef sharks vanishing near populated islands: 1st large-scale study in Pacific Ocean

One-quarter of grouper species being fished to extinction
Steelhead Trout Lose out When Water Is Low in Wine Country
Global warming threatens pine forests, forcing federal officials to shift strategy
24 new species of lizards discovered on Caribbean islands are close to extinction
Five 'poachers' killed in Kenya

Peru investigates massive die-off of dolphins along coast

   
Related: Peru to probe mass die-off of pelicans along coast where dolphins recently died
                  Thousands of birds found dead on Chile beaches
    Update: Peru says 5,000 birds, nearly 900 dolphins dead
Australia lists koala as 'vulnerable' species due to its dwindling population
UK: Badger cull plans to be reviewed

South Africa seizes $7m in 'rhino-poachers' assets
India: New limbless amphibian species found
India court suspends plan to reintroduce cheetah
Extent of Illinois' Asian Carp Problem Detailed
Jump in Asian tiger shrimp sightings in Southeast US worries federal scientists

Oil palm surging source of greenhouse gas emissions

Pennsylvania: Study suggests shale-gas development causing rapid landscape change

    Related: Do Wyoming pronghorns give clues to PA wildlife's response to drilling?
Flooding Disperses Invasive Plant, Fish Species
As Bison Return to Prairie, Some Rejoice, Others Worry

Senator seeks to allow goose kills near NY airport

Ore. asks to kill salmon-eating birds

A crime by the highway: Poisoning trees to make billboards easier to see

Killing of bald eagles divides 2 Native American tribes

Orangutans at Miami zoo use iPads to communicate

Discoveries about the natural world

Warming affects ecosystems not just biodiversity
Bats and toothed whales use surprisingly similar acoustic behavior
Bird color variations speed up evolution: research
History Is Key Factor in Plant Disease Virulence

Forest Diversity from Canada to the Sub-Tropics Influenced by Family Proximity
Diversity Aided Mammals’ Survival Over Deep Time
Investigating Mysteries of Polar Bears' Ancestry With a DNA Lens

Study Sheds Light on How Pigeons Navigate by Magnetic Field

UCSB researchers find that less is more, for female cowbirds
Birds Cultivate Decorative Plants to Attract Mates
The rock hyrax surprises with syntax skills

Colorful Butterflies Increase Their Odds of Survival by Sharing Traits
Mild Winters Are Detrimental to Butterflies
Microscopic Neighbors, Evolving Together
Bony bacteria
Microbes go rafting on floating volcanic rocks

First Ever Record of Insect Pollination from 100 Million Years Ago

Mini-mammoths lived on Crete: scientists (w/ Video)
Ancient network of rivers and lakes found in Arabian Desert
Jurassic Pain: Giant 'Flea-Like' Insects Plagued Dinosaurs 165 Million Years Ago

An Underground Fossil Forest Offers Clues on Climate Change

Mysterious 'Monster' Discovered by Amateur Paleontologist

Life in the Sea Found Its Fate in a Paroxysm of Extinction

Dinosaur gases 'warmed the Earth'
Yellowstone Super-Eruptions Rethought
Missing rocks may explain why life started playing shell games

Earth took a multibillion-year beating

Report Points to Decline in Ability to Monitor the Earth


Weather and climate

Statistical Analysis Projects Future Temperatures in North America
Study Hints at Greater Threat of Extreme Weather
Humanmade Pollutants May Impact Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation
Study Finds Surprising Arctic Methane Emission Source
Warm ocean currents cause majority of ice loss from Antarctica
Oceans' salinity changed over last half-century

Study: Rise in temperatures in and around Australia since 1950 has been unprecedented
Clouds’ Effect on Climate Change Is Last Bastion for Dissenters
Climate change proponent realizes he was wrong, but for the wrong reasons

Geoengineering experiment cancelled amid patent row

Environmental policy

Endangered-species truce faces big test from little sand dunes lizard
EPA faces crucial climate decision on diesel made from palm oil
Draft Federal Fracking Regs Cover Only A Sliver of Land
Brazil passes divisive forest law
Krancer Rejects Request to List Susquehanna River as “Impaired”


Energy

Use of Public & Private Funds to Scale Up Clean Energy Needs Reality Check, Say Scholars

U.S. shale causes rise in waste gas pollution
Novel battery system could reduce buildings' electric bills


Water

Using Water from Wells Leads to Sea Level Rise, Cancels out Effect of Dams
Researchers develop rapid test strips for bacterial contamination in swimming water

Chemical concerns, waste management, recycling

Manufacturers of fire retardants rely on questionable testimony, front groups

Sunscreen ingredient may pose skin cancer risk, researchers find

Sunscreen Ingredient May Be Linked to Endometriosis

FDA outlines proposed rules for food and cosmetics containing tiny nanoparticles
Link between common environmental contaminant and rapid breast cancer growth

Fewer female birds after Chernobyl, study finds; same true at Fukushima?

The Low-Level Radiation Puzzle


Agriculture and food, livestock and pets

UK: Slaughtering animals without prior stunning should be curbed, if not banned

Agricultural Bacteria: Blowing in the Wind

Tiny Plants Could Cut Costs, Shrink Environmental Footprint
Dow Corn, Resistant to a Weed Killer, Runs Into Opposition
Bugs pick up pesticide resistance from pesticide-eating bacteria

Tunnel Vision: Network of farmers use a new tool to extend the growing season

Vitamin E in Diet Protects Against Many Cancers, Study Suggests

How probiotic bacteria protect against inflammatory bowel diseases

  
  Related: Why do different people's bodies react differently to a high-fat diet?
A Serving a Day of Dark Chocolate Might Keep the Doctor Away

Berries keep your brain sharp

Soybeans soaked in warm water naturally release key cancer-fighting substance
Coffee linked to lower risk of death
UCLA study shows high-fructose diet sabotages learning, memory
Soda Consumption Increases Overall Stroke Risk

Health and medicine, human behavior

Evidence Shows That Anti-Depressants Likely Do More Harm Than Good
Reusable Grocery Bags Kept in Bathroom Implicated in Norovirus Outbreak
American Pain Foundation Shuts Down as Senators Launch Investigation

Environment Key to Preventing Childhood Disabilities

US lowers cutoff for lead poisoning in young kids
20 Percent 'Fat Tax' Needed to Improve Population Health, Experts Say

Is world outpacing U.S. on health care?
Babies' brains benefit from music lessons, researchers find
How cannabis use during adolescence affects brain regions associated with schizophrenia

Sports and Energy Drinks Responsible for Irreversible Damage to Teeth


Disruptions seen for Medicare provider payments if SCOTUS strikes down law
Girls, parents not buying into HPV vaccine

Psychiatry Manual Drafters Back Down on Diagnoses

Many Rare Mutations May Underpin Diseases
A Surprising Risk for Toddlers on Playground Slides
Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Help to Reduce the Physical Harm Caused by Smoking
Vitamin D supplements may protect against viral infections during the winter
   
Related: Vitamin D supplementation in winter can help lower blood pressure
                   Study investigates how vitamin D affects skeleton when serum calcium...
Raising HDL Levels May Not Lower Heart Attack Risk
Fat Outside of Arteries May Influence Onset of Coronary Artery Disease
Cardiovascular Disease Risk of High Normal Blood Pressure Decreases in Old Age
Any Exercise May Cut Alzheimer's Risk at Any Age
   
Related: Trajectory of Cognitive Decline Can Be Altered in Seniors at Risk for Dementia
Why Drinking Alcohol Is Linked to Breast Cancer

Heart study suggests city center pollution doubles risk of calcium build-up in arteries
New Sunscreen Guide: 1 in 4 Products Deemed Safe
Olympic Boxing May Damage the Brain
   
Related: Fighters' brains damaged long before symptoms emerge, study hints
                   Family of Junior Seau will allow his brain to be studied
                  
Brain Ailments in Veterans Likened to Those in Athletes
Risk Factor Management Helps Prevent Migraine Attacks
Pain Relief With PAP May Last 100 Times Longer Than a Traditional Acupuncture Treatment
Violence Puts Wear and Tear on Kids' DNA

Building muscle without heavy weights

Lack of contact with nature 'increasing allergies'
A woman’s ‘intense interest’ in her partner shifts when grandchildren arrive
Your Left Side Is Your Best Side: Left Cheek Shows More Emotion, Is More Aesthetically...

Handheld plasma flashlight rids skin of bacteria instantly

RNA Modification Influences Thousands of Genes: Revolutionizes Understanding of Gene Expression
    Related: New Technique Reveals Unseen Information in DNA Code

The brain… it makes you think. Doesn't it?

People See Sexy Pictures of Women as Objects, Not People; Sexy-Looking Men as People
Emotionally Intelligent People Are Less Good at Spotting Liars
Highly religious people are less motivated by compassion than are non-believers
Analytic thinking can decrease religious belief: UBC study

Thinking in foreign language makes decisions more rational
Even Positive Stereotypes Can Hinder Performance, Researchers Report

To Predict Dating Success, The Secret's In The Pronouns

   
More info: The secret life of pronouns

Education

Harvard and M.I.T. Team Up to Offer Free Online Courses
Learned, not innate human intuition: Study finds twist to the story of the number line

AT&T, Feds Neglect Low-Price Mandate Designed to Help Schools


Law

Judge blocks indefinite military detention provision

Senate probe finds little evidence of effective 'torture'
Is the filibuster unconstitutional?
Free After 25 Years: A Tale Of Murder And Injustice
No Forensic Background? No Problem

More than 68,000 US guns seized in Mexico


Archeology, art and history

Mystery of horse taming 'solved' by gene study
Italian merchants funded England's discovery of North America
Anthropologists Discover Earliest Form of Wall Art
New study chronicles the rise of agriculture in Europe
   
Also see: Europe: Farming 'spread by migrant wave'
Oetzi the Iceman's blood is world's oldest

New Maya Mural Refutes 2012 Myth
Bones of early American disappear from underwater cave
California: Professors sue to stop ancient bones transfer

Rare Ancient Statue Depicts Topless Female Gladiator

Smuggled Cargo Found on Ancient Roman Ship

Neolithic farmers brought deer to Ireland
Inscription Appears to Confirm 'Sign of Jonah' on Jerusalem Tomb Ossuary

National security, defense

US military leaders recommend new cyberwarfare unit receive elevated status
U.S. May Scrap Costly Efforts to Train Iraqi Police
U.S. deploys stealth jets to air base in Southwest Asia
US not reporting all Afghan soldiers' attacks on coalition troops


Astronomy and cosmology, spaceflight

NASA survey counts potentially hazardous asteroids
Sun Is Moving Slower Than Thought
Evidence for New Planet in Our Solar System?

NASA's Dawn mission reveals secrets of large asteroid

Under 'Dark Halo' Old Galaxies Have Many More Stars

Huge "Structure" of Satellites Found Orbiting Milky Way

Fireball Over California/Nevada: How Big Was It?

   
More info: NASA releases photo of meteor blazing across Nevada skies
Space weather expert has ominous forecast
Arizona: astronomers, advertisers ink billboards deal

Physics, chemistry and materials science, mathematics

Scientists unlock mystery of how 'handedness' arises
Quantum decision affects results of measurements taken earlier in time (cue Twilight Zone theme)
Quantum physics mimics spooky action into the past
Researchers find a way to make glass that's anti-fogging, self-cleaning and free of glare

Scientists See Solution to Critical Barrier to Fusion


Technology and engineering, robotics

Nevada issues Google first license for self-driving car

Self-Assembling Highly Conductive Plastic Nanofibers

Solar cells must emit light to attain perfection, research suggests

French company uses wind turbine to create fresh water

Bird-like robot perches on a human hand (w/ Video)

Of note

White births no longer a majority in the US, Census Bureau reports
Physics Vs. Philosophy: Really? (see the previous post as well)
How science failed during the Gulf oil disaster


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