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| January 20, 2014 |
 Soil production breaks geologic speed record Seattle WA (SPX) Jan 20, 2014 - Geologic time is shorthand for slow-paced. But new measurements from steep mountaintops in New Zealand show that rock can transform into soil more than twice as fast as previously believed possible. The findings were published Jan. 16 in the early online edition of Science. "Some previous work had argued that there were limits to soil production," said first author Isaac Larsen, who ... more |  |
 The symphony of life, revealed Buffalo NY (SPX) Jan 20, 2014 - The strings on a violin or the pipes of an organ, the proteins in the human body vibrate in different patterns, scientists have long suspected. Now, a new study provides what researchers say is the first conclusive evidence that this is true. Using a technique they developed based on terahertz near-field microscopy, scientists from the University at Buffalo and Hauptman-Woodward Medical Re ... more |  |
 Gold nanoparticles help to develop a new method for tracking viruses Jyvaskyla, Finland (SPX) Jan 20, 2014 - Researchers at the Nanoscience Center (NSC) of University of Jyvaskyla in Finland have developed a novel method to study enterovirus structures and their functions. The method will help to obtain new information on trafficking of viruses in cells and tissues as well as on the mechanisms of virus opening inside cells. This new information is important for example for developing new antiviral drug ... more |  |
How a scorpion gets its sting Oxford UK (SPX) Jan 20, 2014 - Defensins, as their name implies, are small proteins found in plants and animals that help ward off viral, bacterial or fungal pests. One fascinating question of invertebrate evolution is how these proteins evolved into venoms to attack their prey. Based on structural similarity, it was proposed that scorpion toxins and antimicrobial invertebrate defensins could have a common ancestor. To ... more |  |
 Discovery of quantum vibrations in 'microtubules' corroborates theory of consciousness Amsterdam, Netherlands (SPX) Jan 20, 2014 - A review and update of a controversial 20-year-old theory of consciousness published in Physics of Life Reviews claims that consciousness derives from deeper level, finer scale activities inside brain neurons. The recent discovery of quantum vibrations in "microtubules" inside brain neurons corroborates this theory, according to review authors Stuart Hameroff and Sir Roger Penrose. They su ... more |  |
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 Trees grow faster and store more carbon as they age Panama City, Panama (SPX) Jan 20, 2014 - Trees put on weight faster and faster as they grow older, according to a new study in the journal Nature. The finding that most trees' growth accelerates as they age suggests that large, old trees may play an unexpectedly dynamic role in removing carbon from the atmosphere. Richard Condit, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, devised the analysis to interpret mea ... more |  |
 Streamflow Alteration Impacts Fish Diversity in Local Rivers Washington DC (SPX) Jan 20, 2014 - A new USGS study quantifies change in fish diversity in response to streamflow alteration in the Tennessee River basin. The USGS study highlights the importance of the timing, magnitude, and variability of low streamflows and the frequency and magnitude of high streamflows as key characteristics critical to assessing how fish communities change in response to streamflow alteration. This st ... more |  |
 Loss of biodiversity limits toxin degradation London, UK (SPX) Jan 20, 2014 - You might not think of microbes when you consider biodiversity, but it turns out that even a moderate loss of less than 5% of soil microbes may compromise some key ecosystem functions and could lead to lower degradation of toxins in the environment. Research published in the SfAM journal, Environmental Microbiology, reports that without a rich diversity of soil bacteria, specialised functi ... more |  |
 Arctic cyclones more common than previously thought Columbus OH (SPX) Jan 20, 2014 - From 2000 to 2010, about 1,900 cyclones churned across the top of the world each year, leaving warm water and air in their wakes - and melting sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. That's about 40 percent more of these Arctic storms than previously thought, according to a new study of vast troves of weather data that previously were synthesized at the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC). A 40 per ... more |  |
 China's Wen pleads innocence over hidden riches claim Hong Kong (AFP) Jan 19, 2014 - Former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has pleaded innocence over claims that his family amassed huge wealth during his decade in power, a Hong Kong columnist said, as Beijing ramps up a much-publicised crackdown on official corruption. "I have never been involved and would not get involved in one single deal of abusing my power for personal gain because no such gains whatsoever could shake my co ... more |  |
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Waterfowl poisoning halved by lead shot prohibition Madrid, Spain (SPX) Jan 20, 2014 - Lead shot was forbidden in 2001 in Spanish wetlands on the Ramsar List of these areas of international importance. Ten years later, this prohibition -and the consequent use of steel shot by hunters- has started to bear fruit, according to a report in the journal 'Environment International'. "The most important part of our work is that it shows that, despite it's still covering a partial ar ... more |  |
 US envoy Kennedy tweets concern at Japanese dolphin hunt Tokyo (AFP) Jan 19, 2014 - US ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy has tweeted her concern at the "inhumaneness" of a Japanese village's traditional dolphin hunt. "Deeply concerned by inhumaneness of drive hunt dolphin killing. USG (US Government) opposes drive hunt fisheries," she tweeted on January 17. Every year the fishermen of Taiji corral hundreds of dolphins in a secluded bay, select a few dozen for sale to ... more |  |
 Strong 6.3-earthquake jolts New Zealand: USGS Wellington (AFP) Jan 20, 2014 - A strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake rattled New Zealand Monday, halting train services and knocking merchandise off shelves, but there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries. The quake, which struck at 3:52pm (0252 GMT), was centred in the North Island about 115 kilometres (71 miles) northeast of the capital city Wellington, the US Geological Survey said. The tremor hit at a ... more |  |
 Easing conditions help Australian fire crews Sydney (AFP) Jan 19, 2014 - Easing conditions Sunday after a week-long heatwave helped Australian fire crews battling major wildfires that destroyed 25 homes in the southeast, but there were warnings of a long and dangerous season ahead. Firefighters in the states of South Australia and Victoria said they had gained the upper hand over a series of blazes which started last week during temperatures of more than 40 degre ... more |  |
30,000 displaced by deadly floods in Indonesian capital Jakarta (AFP) Jan 19, 2014 - More than 30,000 Indonesians have fled their homes in the capital due to flooding that has left five dead, officials said Sunday, with people using rubber dinghies and wading through waist-deep water to reach safer ground. Many parts of Jakarta were under murky, brown water after days of torrential rain produced the city's first significant floods of the months-long rainy season. Buildin ... more |  |
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China, Japan dumpling poisoner gets life: report Beijing (AFP) Jan 20, 2014 - A Chinese court on Monday convicted a man of poisoning dumplings causing around 13 people in Japan and China to fall ill and sentenced him to life in prison, state-run media reported. Factory worker Lu Yueting was reported to have injected the dumplings with insecticide in 2008 as a protest against his employer over pay. A court in the northern Chinese city of Shijiazhuang sentenced Lu t ... more |  |
Conservationists, big oil join forces to help whales Geneva (AFP) Jan 20, 2014 - Conservationists have joined forces with a company working on one of the world's largest oil and gas projects to help limit the impact of seismic surveys on endangered whales. A group working to save the critically endangered western grey whales said Monday that it and the Sakhalin Energy Investment Company had drawn up stringent guidelines for carrying out surveys of the ocean floor in a wa ... more |  |
 Next 15 years vital for taming warming: UN panel Paris (AFP) Jan 17, 2014 - The next 15 years will be vital in determining whether global warming can be limited to 2C (3.6F) by 2100, with energy and transport presenting the heftiest challenges, according to a draft UN report. "Delaying mitigation through 2030 will increase the challenges.... and reduce the options," warns a summary of the report seen by AFP. The draft is the third volume in a long-awaited trilog ... more |  |
California declares drought emergency Los Angeles (AFP) Jan 17, 2014 - California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Friday due to what could be the western US state's worst drought in a century, which has sparked wildfires and hurt farmers. The declaration allows authorities to access federal help to battle the dry spell that has left huge swaths of tinder-dry forest vulnerable to going up in flames. On Thursday, a massive blaze raged just ... more |  |
Easing conditions help Australian fire crews Sydney (AFP) Jan 19, 2014 - Easing conditions Sunday helped Australian fire crews battling major wildfires that destroyed 25 homes in the nation's southeast following a week-long heatwave, with warnings of a long and dangerous season ahead. Firefighters in South Australia and Victoria states said they had gained the upper hand over a series of blazes which started this week during a scorching heatwave that brought temp ... more | |
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