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Public Release: 1-Aug-2013
August 2013 story tips from Oak Ridge National Laboratory The following are story ideas from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory for August 2013. Contact: Ron Walli
Public Release: 1-Aug-2013
 Environmental Research LettersExisting cropland could feed 4 billion more The world's croplands could feed 4 billion more people than they do now just by shifting from producing animal feed and biofuels to producing exclusively food for human consumption, according to new research from the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota. Contact: Mary Hoff
Public Release: 1-Aug-2013
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesGeoscientists unearth mineral-making secrets potentially useful for new technologies Proteins have gotten most of the attention in studies of how organic materials control the initial step of making the first tiny crystals that organisms use to build structures that help them move and protect themselves. Virginia Tech researchers have discovered that certain types of sugars, known as polysaccharides, may also control the timing and placement of minerals that animals use to produce hard structures. 
National Science Foundation, US Department of Energy
Contact: John Pastor
Public Release: 1-Aug-2013
ScienceAs climate, disease links become clearer, study highlights need to forecast future shifts Climate change is affecting the spread of infectious diseases worldwide, according to an international team of leading disease ecologists, with serious impacts to human health and biodiversity conservation. Writing in the journal Science, they propose that modeling the way disease systems respond to climate variables could help public health officials and environmental managers predict and mitigate the spread of lethal diseases.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Sonia Altizer
Public Release: 1-Aug-2013
ScienceTemperature alters population dynamics of common plant pests Temperature-driven changes alter outbreak patterns of tea tortrix -- an insect pest -- and may shed light on how temperature influences whether insects emerge as cohesive cohorts or continuously, according to an international team of researchers. These findings have implications for both pest control and how climate change may alter infestations.
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canada, US Department of Agriculture
Contact: A'ndrea Elyse Messer
Public Release: 1-Aug-2013
Journal of Experimental BiologyScientists uncover secrets of starfish's bizarre feeding mechanism Scientists have identified a molecule that enables starfish to carry out one of the most remarkable forms of feeding in the natural world. Contact: Katrina Coutts
Public Release: 1-Aug-2013
ScienceClimate strongly affects human conflict and violence worldwide, says study Shifts in climate are strongly linked to human violence around the world, with even relatively minor departures from normal temperature or rainfall substantially increasing the risk of conflict in ancient times or today, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and Princeton University. Contact: Kathleen Maclay
Public Release: 1-Aug-2013
ScienceArctic sea-ice loss has widespread effects on wildlife How the Arctic wildlife and humans will be affected by the continued melting of Arctic sea ice is explored in a review article in the journal Science, by an international team of scientists. The article examines relationships among algae, plankton, whales, and terrestrial animals such as caribou, arctic foxes, and walrus; as well as the effects of human exploration of previously inaccessible parts of the region.
National Science Foundation, Penn State University
Contact: Barbara K. Kennedy
Public Release: 1-Aug-2013
Current BiologyWe each live in our own little world -- smellwise There are some smells we all find revolting. But toward a handful of odors, different people display different sensitivities. A pair of studies identifies the genetic differences that underpin the differences in smell sensitivity. The researchers tested 200 people for their sensitivity to 10 different chemical compounds. They then searched through the subjects' genomes for areas of the DNA that differed between people who could smell a given compound and those who could not. Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary
Public Release: 31-Jul-2013
Chanel, UCSB's corpse flower, blooms and causes a big stink Chanel, UC Santa Barbara's corpse flower, has finally spread her odiferous wings, broadcasting a stench that smells like a cross between rotting flesh and Limburger cheese. "It's disgusting," said UCSB junior Connor Way, who visited Wednesday morning. "It's pretty nasty." Contact: Julie Cohen
Public Release: 31-Jul-2013
Journal of Animal ScienceRubber slat mats could improve animal well-being Animal scientists and producers are testing new kinds of flooring to improve animal health. Rubber slat mats are one option that could help pregnant sows avoid joint problems and circulatory issues. Contact: Madeline McCurry-Schmidt
Public Release: 31-Jul-2013
PLOS ONERobots strike fear in the hearts of fish The latest in a series of experiments testing the ability of robots to influence live animals shows that bio-inspired robots can not only elicit fear in zebrafish, but that this reaction can be modulated by alcohol. These findings may pave the way for new methodologies for understanding anxiety and other emotions, as well as substances that modulate them.
National Science Foundation, Honors Center of Italian Universities, Mitsui USA Foundation
Contact: Kathleen Hamilton
Public Release: 31-Jul-2013
The Plant CellThe pathway to potato poisons Weizmann Institute scientists reveal the gene network for producing the toxin in green potatoes, which may help improve crops. Contact: Yivsam Azgad
Public Release: 31-Jul-2013
Ecosystem ServicesEcosystem service mapping and modelling -- new special issue shows big steps forward Big steps forward toward practical application of the ecosystem services concept in science, policy and practice have been made recently and are presented in the new Special Issue "Mapping and Modelling Ecosystem Services" in the journal "Ecosystem Services". Modelling and mapping approaches aim at understanding stocks, demands and flows of ecosystem services on different spatial and temporal scales. Contact: Dr. Benjamin Burkhard
Public Release: 31-Jul-2013
Earth System DynamicsCould planting trees in the desert mitigate climate change? As the world starts feeling the effects of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and consequent global temperature rise, researchers are looking for a Plan B to mitigate climate change. A group of German scientists has now come up with an environmentally friendly method that they say could do just that. The technique, dubbed carbon farming, consists in planting trees in arid regions on a large scale to capture CO2. They publish their study today in Earth System Dynamics, a journal of the European Geosciences Union. Contact: Bárbara Ferreira
Public Release: 31-Jul-2013
Journal of Integrated Pest ManagementNew Journal of Integrated Pest Management articles useful for farmers and military The latest issue of the Journal of Integrated Pest Management -- an open-access, peer-reviewed, extension journal covering the field of integrated pest management -- contains articles on using IPM to control corn earworms, beetles, and other insect pests, plus an article highlighting the accomplishments of the Research Program for Deployed Warfighter Protection against disease-carrying insects. Contact: Richard Levine
Public Release: 31-Jul-2013
PLOS ONECitizen scientists rival experts in analyzing land-cover data Data gathered and analyzed by non-experts can rival the quality of data from experts, shows a new IIASA study of crowdsourced data from its Geo-Wiki project. Contact: Katherine Leitzell
Public Release: 30-Jul-2013
Journal of Animal ScienceFat digestibility in pigs study looks at oils in soybeans, corn co-products Pork producers need accurate information on the energy value of fat in feed ingredients to ensure that diets are formulated economically and in a way that maximizes pork fat quality. Researchers at the University of Illinois have determined the true ileal and total tract digestibility of fat in four corn co-products, as well as in full fat soybeans and corn oil.
National Pork Board, Nutritional Efficiency Consortium, Illinois Corn Marketing Board
Contact: Stephanie Henry
Public Release: 30-Jul-2013
Proceedings of the Royal Society BAquatic playground can turn water tanks into fish schools Raising fish in tanks that contain hiding places and other obstacles can make the fish both smarter and improve their chances of survival when they are released into the wild, according to an international team of researchers.
Research Council of Norway
Contact: Matthew Swayne
Public Release: 29-Jul-2013
ZootaxaMini-monsters of the forest floor A University of Utah biologist has identified 33 new species of predatory ants in Central America and the Caribbean, and named about a third of the tiny but monstrous-looking insects after ancient Mayan lords and demons.
National Science Foundation, National Geographic Society, Conservation International
Contact: Lee J. Siegel
Public Release: 29-Jul-2013
NOAA-supported scientists find large Gulf dead zone, but smaller than predicted NOAA-supported scientists found a large Gulf of Mexico oxygen-free or hypoxic 'dead' zone, but not as large as had been predicted. Measuring 5,840 square miles, an area the size of Connecticut, the 2013 Gulf dead zone indicates nutrients from the Mississippi River watershed, which drains 40 percent of the lower 48 states, are continuing to affect the nation's commercial and recreational marine resources in the Gulf.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium
Contact: Ben Sherman
Public Release: 29-Jul-2013
Scientific ReportsGlobal warming endangers South American water supply Chile and Argentina may face critical water storage issues due to rain-bearing westerly winds over South America's Patagonian Ice-Field to moving south as a result of global warming. Contact: Alvin Stone
Public Release: 29-Jul-2013
Evolutionary ApplicationsEarly exposure to insecticides gives amphibians higher tolerance later Amphibians exposed to insecticides early in life -- even those not yet hatched -- have a higher tolerance to those same insecticides later in life, according to a recent University of Pittsburgh study. Contact: B. Rose Huber
Public Release: 29-Jul-2013
Danes contract Salmonella infections abroad In 2012 the number of Salmonella cases increased slightly after the record low incidence in 2011. Nearly half of the Danes who contracted Salmonella were infected abroad. Among people infected in Denmark, Danish pork and beef were estimated to be the major sources of Salmonella cases, while no cases could be attributed to Danish broiler meat. Contact: Anne Wingstrand
Public Release: 29-Jul-2013
Journal of Animal EcologyOf bears and berries: Return of wolves aids grizzly bears in Yellowstone A new study suggests that the return of wolves to Yellowstone National Park is beginning to bring back a key part of the diet of grizzly bears that has been missing for much of the past century -- berries that help bears put on fat before going into hibernation. The berries could aid bear survival and reproduction.
US Geological Survey
Contact: William Ripple
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