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Ethane Levels Yield Information About Changes in Greenhouse Gas Emissions

By Guest PostAugust 14, 2011EnvironmentAntarctica, atmosphere, atmospheric methane, carbon dioxide, change in energy use, change in human activities, decline in methane emission, donald blake, eric saltzman, ethane, fossil fuel emissions, global temperatures, greenhouse gas, greenland, hydrocarbons, julie palais, kristal verhulst, methane, michael prather, murat aydin, polar ice sheets in greenland and antarctica, potent greenhouse gas, qi tang, twentieth century, university of california

*Research at Greenland and Antarctic shows decline in methane and ethane levels*

Recent data from NSF-funded research in both Greenland and Antarctica demonstrate that fossil-fuel related emissions of both methane and ethane, two of the most abundant hydrocarbons in the atmosphere, declined at the end of the twentieth century, according to a paper published Thursday in the journal Nature.

The causes of the decline in methane emission rates to the atmosphere have been puzzling scientists for some time. This new study shows that a change in human activities may have played a key role in the recent leveling off of methane, which, being a potent greenhouse gas contributes to global temperatures. (more…)

Poultry Farms that Go Organic Have Fewer Drug-Resistant Bacteria

By Guest PostAugust 14, 2011Health, Scienceamy r sapkota, antibiotic resistant enterococci, antibiotics, bacteria, bacterium and antibiotic, drug resistant enterococci bacteria, enterococci bacteria in poultry litter, enterococcus faecalis, erinna kinney, guangyu zhang, kellogg j schwab, organic poultry farms, organic practices, poultry farms, poultry houses in the mid atlantic region, r michael hulet, sam joseph, united states, us poultry farms

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Poultry farms that have adopted organic practices and ceased using antibiotics have significantly lower levels of drug-resistant enterococci bacteria that can potentially spread to humans, according to a groundbreaking new study led by a researcher in the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health.

The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives (online August 10, 2011), is the first to demonstrate lower levels of drug-resistant bacteria on newly organic farms in the United States and suggests that removing antibiotic use from large-scale U.S. poultry farms can result in immediate and significant reductions in antibiotic resistance for some bacteria. (more…)

Low Vitamin D Linked to Earlier First Menstruation, a Risk Factor for Health Problems Throughout Life

By Guest PostAugust 14, 2011Healthbehavioral and psychosocial problems in teens, blood vitamin d levels, bogota, breast cancer, cancer, cardiometabolic diseases, Colombia, early menstruation, eduardo villamor, environmental cause, epidemiologist, equator, health problems, limited sun exposure, puberty, risk factor, teen girls, university of michigan, vitamin d in young girls

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— A study links low vitamin D in young girls with early menstruation, which is a risk factor for a host of health problems for teen girls as well as women later in life.

Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health measured the blood vitamin D levels in 242 girls ages 5-12 from Bogota, Colombia, and followed them for 30 months. Girls low on vitamin D were twice as likely to start menstruation during the study than those with sufficient vitamin D, said epidemiologist Eduardo Villamor, associate professor in the U-M SPH. (more…)

Arctic Ice Melt Could Pause in Coming Decades

By Guest PostAugust 14, 2011Environmentarctic ice melt, arctic summer, climate variability, loss of ice, sea ice loss

*Researchers find unexpected results in study of ice cover in the Arctic*

Despite the rapid retreat of Arctic sea ice in recent years, the ice may temporarily stabilize or somewhat expand at times over the next few decades, new research indicates. (more…)

Research Reveals How Butterflies Copy Their Neighbours to Fool Birds

By Guest PostAugust 13, 2011Natureamazonian species, bates and darwin, butterfly, chromosomal region, chromosome, cnrs, DNA, eaten by birds, evolutionary thinkers, heliconius numata, liverpool university, mathieu joron, melinaea, müllerian mimicry, muséum national d'histoire naturelle, neighbouring species, non mimetic patterns, Paris, patterns of warning colouration, peppered moth, rainforest, richard ffrench constant, supergene, university of exeter, wallace, wing colour patterns, wing patterns

The mystery of how a butterfly has changed its wing patterns to mimic neighbouring species and avoid being eaten by birds has been solved by a team of scientists.

The study is published in the journal Nature. (more…)

A Change in Perspective Could Be All It Takes to Succeed in School

By Guest PostAugust 13, 2011Scienceadrenal gland, choking under pressure, free press, hormone, marci decaro, math anxiety and salivary cortisol, neil albert, psychology, right way to handle stress, robin thomas, sian beilock, stress hormone, stress related changes in the body, university of chicago, working memory

*Study finds stress boosts performance for confident students, but holds back those with more anxiety*

Knowing the right way to handle stress in the classroom and on the sports field can make the difference between success and failure for the millions of students going back to school this fall, new University of Chicago research shows.

“We found that cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress, can either be tied to a student’s poor performance on a math test or contribute to success, depending on the frame of mind of the student going into the test,” said Sian Beilock, associate professor in psychology and one of the nation’s leading experts on poor performance by otherwise talented people. (more…)

Ecologist: Up-and-Coming Forests Will Remain Important Carbon Sinks

By Guest PostAugust 13, 2011Environmentaging forests, aspen canopy, carbohydrates, carbon storage, christopher gough, climate change analysts, ecological theories, ecosystem, effective carbon sink, Environment, faset, forest accelerated succession experiment, greenhouse gas emissions, kyoto protocol, lucas nave, national carbon sink, nitrogen cycling, ohio, ohio state university, oxygen, peter curtis, photosynthesis, policymakers and ecologists, upper great lakes, upper midwest

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The aging forests of the Upper Great Lakes could be considered the baby boomers of the region’s ecosystem.

The decline of trees in this area is a cause for concern among policymakers and ecologists who wonder whether the end of the forests’ most productive years means they will no longer offer the benefits they are known for: cleansed air, fertile soil, filtered water and, most important to climate change analysts, carbon storage that offsets greenhouse gas emissions. (more…)

14 Million Americans Scanned QR or Bar Codes on their Mobile Phones in June 2011

By Guest PostAugust 12, 2011Technologybrand engagement, Comscore, kiosk, mark donovan, matrix bar code, mobile qr and bar code scanning, public transit, qr codes, quick response, smartphones

*Newspapers/Magazines and Product Packaging Most Likely Source of QR Code*

*QR Code Users Most Likely to Scan Code while at Home or Store*

RESTON, VA, August 12, 2011 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released results of a study on mobile QR and bar code scanning based on data from its comScore MobiLens service. A QR (“Quick Response”) code is a specific matrix bar code (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by smartphones. The study found that in June 2011, 14 million mobile users in the U.S., representing 6.2 percent of the total mobile audience, scanned a QR or bar code on their mobile device. The study found that a mobile user that scanned a QR or bar code during the month was more likely to be male (60.5 percent of code scanning audience), skew toward ages 18-34 (53.4 percent) and have a household income of $100k or above (36.1 percent). The study also analyzed the source and location of QR or bar code scanning, finding that users are most likely to scan codes found in newspapers/magazines and on product packaging and do so while at home or in a store. (more…)

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