ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

Alterations to seabed raise fears for future

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 01:55 PM PDT

The ocean floor as we know it is dissolving rapidly as a result of human activity. The seabed plays a crucial role in controlling the degree of ocean acidification by neutralizing the acidity of the water. But due to human activities, the level of CO2 in the water is so high, and the water so acidic, that the calcite on the ocean floor is simply being dissolved.

How soil bacteria are primed to consume greenhouse gas

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 01:55 PM PDT

New research has revealed that some soil bacteria are primed ready to consume the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide when they experience life without oxygen in the environment.

Hidden costs of disease to greater Yellowstone elk

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 10:52 AM PDT

For decades researchers have known that a bacterial disease in elk, bison and cattle in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem causes periodic abortions in these animals and chronic illness in humans drinking infected cow's milk. The disease, called brucellosis, poses a financial concern for dairy producers and cattle ranchers, but its effects on the wild elk population have generally been considered minor.

Why a warmer world may equal a wetter Arctic

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 10:52 AM PDT

As the Arctic warms, it's predicted to get wetter. But why? A new study looks to history for answers, examining what happened in the region during a period of warming some 8,000 years ago. The research finds evidence that in this ancient time, western Greenland became more humid, a trend often linked to increased precipitation. The study further shows that two different climactic processes may have contributed to this elevated humidity.

A solar cell that does double duty for renewable energy

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 10:10 AM PDT

Researchers have developed an artificial photosynthesis device called a ''hybrid photoelectrochemical and voltaic (HPEV) cell'' that turns sunlight and water into two types of energy - hydrogen fuel and electricity.

Coal power plant regulations neglect a crucial pollutant

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 10:10 AM PDT

Researchers determine that particle-forming sulfur dioxide is the most damaging pollutant from Texas' coal-fired power plants that lack equipment to scrub emissions.

Improving climate models to account for plant behavior yields 'goodish' news

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 10:10 AM PDT

Climate scientists have not been properly accounting for what plants do at night, and that, it turns out, is a mistake. A new study has found that plant nutrient uptake in the absence of photosynthesis affects greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere.

Cephalopods could become an important food source in the global community

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 10:09 AM PDT

With a growing world population and climate challenges that are causing agricultural areas to shrink, many are wondering where sustainable food will come from in the future. A professor of gastrophysics and a chef offer a suggestion in a new research article: The cephalopod population (including squid, octopus and cuttlefish) in the oceans is growing and growing -- let's get better at cooking them so that many more people will want to eat them!

Earliest hominin migrations into the Arabian Peninsula required no novel adaptations

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 10:09 AM PDT

A new study suggests that early hominin dispersals beyond Africa did not involve adaptations to environmental extremes, such as to arid and harsh deserts. The discovery of stone tools and cut-marks on fossil animal remains at the site of Ti's al Ghadah provides evidence for hominins in Saudi Arabia at least 100,000 years earlier than previously known. Stable isotope analysis indicates a dominance of grassland vegetation at the site, similar to other early hominin environments.

Sweet discovery pushes back the origins of chocolate

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 10:09 AM PDT

As Halloween revelers prepare to feast on chocolate, a new study from an international team of researchers is pushing back the origins of the delicious sweet treat.

Chimpanzees react faster to cooperate than make selfish choices

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 07:46 AM PDT

When it comes to cooperation, there's no monkey business in how some chimpanzees respond.

Honeybees at risk from Zika pesticides

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 07:28 AM PDT

Up to 13 percent of US beekeepers are in danger of losing their colonies due to pesticides sprayed to contain the Zika virus, new research suggests.

UK bumblebee population trends

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 07:27 AM PDT

Data collected by volunteers to assess the country's changing bumblebee populations have been analyzed in a new way for the first time -- and show mixed results about their decline, with cause for concern for two species.

Bigger = better: Big bees fly better in hotter temps than smaller ones do

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 05:40 AM PDT

Larger tropical stingless bees fly better in hot conditions than smaller bees do and larger size may help certain species better tolerate high body temperatures. The findings run contrary to the temperature-size 'rule,' which suggests that insects that rely on the external environment to control their temperature are larger in cold climates and smaller in hot ones.

Smell and behavior: The scents of taking action

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 05:40 AM PDT

Scientists have discovered a neural pathway that links olfaction to locomotion.

Obese mice lose a third of their fat using a natural protein

Posted: 29 Oct 2018 05:40 AM PDT

To the great surprise of cancer researchers, a protein they investigated for its possible role in cancer turned out to be a powerful regulator of metabolism.