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Energiewende auf Chinesisch

By Guest PostMarch 12, 2014EnvironmentChina, der smog, energiewende auf chinesisch, erneuerbare energie, klimapolitik, klimawandel, smog in shanghai, umweltschutzorganisation wwf, wwf deutschland

Smog verpestet Peking. / WWF-Report: 80 Prozent Erneuerbare Energien möglich

Durch den Ausbau erneuerbarer Energien und eine Steigerung der Energieeffizienz könnte China bis 2050 seinen Energiebedarf zu 80 Prozent aus klimafreundlichen Technologien decken. Zu diesem Schluss kommt eine aktuelle Studie der Umweltschutzorganisation WWF.

„Der Smog schnürt China wortwörtlich die Luft ab. Es braucht daher dringend eine chinesische Energiewende. Wenn die Volksrepublik jetzt umsteuert, kann sie nicht nur das katastrophale Ausmaß der Luftverschmutzung in den Griff bekommen, sondern Energie zukünftig auch gesünder und günstiger produzieren als es derzeit durch den Fokus auf Kohlestrom möglich ist“, sagt Denise Loga, Referentin für Internationale Klimapolitik beim WWF Deutschland. (more…)

Evolutionary study finds neglected fin may have a function

By Guest PostMarch 12, 2014Nature, Scienceadipose fin, Chicago, convergent evolution, evolutionary study, field museum, function, michael coates, neglected fin, new model, species, thomas stewart, university of chicago

Fin’s emergence in many species challenges assumption that it’s a useless remnant

Although present in more than 6,000 living species of fish, the adipose fin, a small appendage that lies between the dorsal fin and tail, has no clear function and is thought to be vestigial. A new study analyzing their origins, however, finds that these fins arose repeatedly and independently in multiple species. In addition, adipose fins appear to have repeatedly and independently evolved skeletal elements, offering a glimpse into how new tissue types and structural complexity evolve in vertebrate appendages.

Adipose fins therefore represent a prime example of convergent evolution and offer a new model for exploring the evolution of vertebrate limbs and appendages, report University of Chicago scientists in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B on March 5. (more…)

Vitamin water: Measuring essential nutrients in the ocean

By Guest PostMarch 12, 2014Environmentanitra ingalls, b12 vitamins, david stahl, eat your vitamins, hood canal, katherine heal, liquid chromatography, marine algae, marine archaea, mass spectrometry, nutrients in ocean, phytoplankton, sampling seawater, underwater volcanoes, university of washington, vitamin water

The phrase, ‘Eat your vitamins,’ applies to marine animals just like humans. Many vitamins are elusive in the ocean environment.

University of Washington researchers used new tools to measure and track B-12 vitamins in the ocean. Once believed to be manufactured only by marine bacteria, the new results show that a whole different class of organism, archaea, can supply this essential vitamin. The results were presented Feb. 24 at the Ocean Sciences meeting in Honolulu. (more…)

Astronaut Alexander Gerst beantwortet Ihre Fragen

By Guest PostMarch 12, 2014Scienceastronaut alexander gerst, atv, automated transfer vehicle, baikonur, blue dot mission, dlr, esa astronaut, europaeische weltraumorganisation, moskau, msl eml

Der deutsche ESA-Astronaut Alexander Gerst ist bereit für seine “Blue Dot”-Mission zur Internationalen Raumstation ISS im Mai. Am 18. März 2014 findet eine gemeinsame Medienkonferenz von Alexander Gerst und seinen ISS-Crewkollegen statt. Die Europäische Weltraumorganisation lädt aus diesem Anlass alle Interessierten ein, sich via Twitter mit Fragen an den Diskussionen zu beteiligen.

Alexander absolviert zurzeit noch seine letzten Trainingseinheiten, bevor er dann im Mai nach Kasachstan zum Startplatz in Baikonur weiterreist. Dort begibt er sich mit seinen Crewkollegen in Quarantäne, um sicherzustellen, dass keine gefährlichen Viren oder Bakterien in den orbitalen Außenposten eingeschleust werden. (more…)

That Sinking Feeling

By Guest PostMarch 12, 2014Environmentsignature of sinkholes, sinkhole formation, sinkhole size, sinkholes, surface deformations, surface movements

NASA Radar Demonstrates Ability to Foresee Sinkholes

New analyses of NASA airborne radar data collected in 2012 reveal the radar detected indications of a huge sinkhole before it collapsed and forced evacuations near Bayou Corne, La., that year. (more…)

Dunst und Frühnebel

By Guest PostMarch 11, 2014Environmentdeutscher wetterdienst, deutschland, dunst, feuchter dunst, fruehnebel, hochdruckgebiet, ingo, nebel, thomas ruppert

Deutschland befindet sich an der Südostflanke des Hochdruckgebietes
INGO, welches den größten Teil Europas dominiert, gestern über den
Britischen Inseln lag und seinen Schwerpunkt allmählich in die
Deutsche Bucht verlagert. Dabei wurde vor einer schwachen Kaltfront
feuchte Meeresluft nach Norddeutschland geführt. (more…)

Love or kill thy neighbour? New study into animal social behaviour

By Guest PostMarch 11, 2014Naturealtruism, animal social behavior, bacteria in biofilms, cornwall, evolution, evolution of spite, florence debarre, kill thy neighbor, love, mathematical framework, penryn campus, social behavior, university of exeter

A theoretical study led by the University of Exeter has shed new light on the conditions that lead to the evolution of spite or altruism in structured populations.

Understanding the way in which social behaviours such as altruism – when animals benefit others at their own expense – develop is a long-standing problem that has generated thousands of articles and heated debates.

Dr Florence Débarre of Biosciences at the University of Exeter led a study, published in Nature Communications, which presents a comprehensive framework that applies to a large class of population structures and identifies the crucial elements which support the evolution of social behaviour. (more…)

New Insight into an Emerging Genome-Editing Tool

By Guest PostMarch 11, 2014Scienceactinomyces naeslundii, anacas9, bacteria, bacterial immune system, berkeley lab, biochemist, biophysicist, cas9, cas9 enzymes, crispr, david taylor, DNA, enzyme, eva nogales, fuguo jiang, genetic element, genetically engineered, genome editing tool, guide rna, jennifer doudna, microbes, spycas, streptococcus pyogenes

Berkeley Researchers Show Expanded Role for Guide RNA in Cas9 Interactions with DNA

The potential is there for bacteria and other microbes to be genetically engineered to perform a cornucopia of valuable goods and services, from the production of safer, more effective medicines and clean, green, sustainable fuels, to the clean-up and restoration of our air, water and land. Cells from eukaryotic organisms can also be modified for research or to fight disease. To achieve these and other worthy goals, the ability to precisely edit the instructions contained within a target’s genome is a must. A powerful new tool for genome editing and gene regulation has emerged in the form of a family of enzymes known as Cas9, which plays a critical role in the bacterial immune system. Cas9 should become an even more valuable tool with the creation of the first detailed picture of its three-dimensional shape by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley. (more…)

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