Investing in opposite outcomes—or bet hedging—is a common tool to cushion against huge monetary losses. While this strategy has earned a bad name for its role in the recent global financial crisis, bet hedging is key to survival in bacteria. But how microorganisms manage bet hedging at the molecular level is poorly understood. Now, new research in yeast shows that slow-growing cells resist stress better than fast-growing cells, thanks in part to higher levels of a stress-related protein… (more)

PLoS Biology, 2012

California condors accidentally eat fragments of lead ammunition in carcasses and gutpiles.

The battle over lead bullets is heating up in the US as those for and against their use both aim to settle the matter with pre-emptive strikes. On one side, 100 environmental groups petitioned the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in March 2012 to regulate the lead in recreational ammunition as a toxic substance. On the other side, a bill to prevent the EPA from doing so recently passed the US House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources… (more)

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2012

Silene latifolia’s female and male flowers, and X and Y chromosomes

Birds do it, bees do it—and now it appears that even plants do it. No, it’s not what you’re thinking. Sexual reproduction is obviously well-known in plants. Rather, the phenomenon in question is equalizing sex chromosome expression in males and females. In people, females inactivate one of their X chromosomes but such balancing was thought to be absent in plants.

Now researchers report the first evidence of sex chromosome balancing in the plant Silene latifolia, or white campion, along with insights into how this phenomenon evolves. (more)

PLoS Biology, 2012

Timely seismic data will help more people survive tsunamis.

A new deep-sea internet cable stretching from Australia to Los Angeles will be embedded with seismographs and other sensors, in order to fill enormous gaps in the knowledge of this remote part of the Earth. “Most seismographs are on land, even though most of the planet is covered by ocean”, points out geophysicist John Orcutt of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (La Jolla, CA).

Ports on the 13 000-km cable will also accommodate climate instruments to assess ocean warming as well as hydrophones to capture sounds from whales and other marine mammals… (more)

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2012

What’s your number?

A recent survey shows that about half of all non-commercial drivers in California change their vehicles’ motor oil far too often, thereby wasting resources and increasing pollution. “Most people don’t even think about it”, says Mark Oldfield, spokesman for the state’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recover… (more)

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2012

Julia & Clara enjoy an urban walk on the wild side

“I see it!” Julia shouted out, pointing up at the pink rock outcrop in San Francisco’s Corona Heights Park. “Let’s go!” Clara said. And off they ran toward the 500-foot summit. But they didn’t go straight up to the top. Instead, they paused along the way to learn about various elements of the natural world—from geology and weather to plants and animals—in the heart of the city… (more)

Bay Nature, 2012

Imbalanced gut bacteria can make mice obese, leading to diabetes

Obesity and type 2 diabetes have risen tremendously over the last 20 years, and  weight gain and insulin resistance are linked to gut bacteria that provide a source of extra calories by breaking down compounds that are otherwise indigestible.

Some mice are genetically protected against obesity-induced insulin resistance and, intriguingly, this may be due to alterations in their enteric microbe composition. Now, in this issue of PLoS Biology, Andréa Caricilli and colleagues present compelling evidence that gut bacteria can nullify genetic protections against diabetes … (more)

PLoS Biology, 2011

Rice fields provide a welcome for shorebirds

With most of California’s natural wetlands gone, millions of migrating waterbirds now depend on the state’s vast rice fields. This fall, 70 rice farmers in the northern Central Valley began making their land more bird-friendly, thanks to a $2.68-million US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS) pilot project. “Rice fields already provide excellent wildlife habitat, and a little more effort by growers will make a lot more habitat”, says Alan Forkey… (more)

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2011

In September, California lawmakers passed a bill aimed at tapping a surprising source of green energy: traffic on the state’s busy freeways. Cars and trucks compress asphalt, and piezoelectric generators installed under road surfaces convert this compression into electricity. “The heavier the load, the better the electricity returns”, explains Randy Copperman… (more)

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2011