February 2012
2 posts
3 tags
Breaking bad oil-change habits
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...
2 tags
A Nature Quest on Corona Heights
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...
December 2011
2 posts
2 tags
Gut Bacteria May Override Genetic Protections...
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,...
2 tags
New crop for rice farmers?
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...
November 2011
1 post
2 tags
Harvesting green energy from cars
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...
October 2011
2 posts
1 tag
Global cypress epidemic traced to CA
International trade in Monterey cypresses caused a pandemic
Massive die-offs of Italian cypresses from Portugal to Greece have been linked to California’s Monterey cypresses, solving a long-standing puzzle in the world of plant pathology and surprising the researchers. “When I was a student, this was one of the big mysteries”, says UC Berkeley’s Matteo Garbelotto... (more)
Frontiers in...
1 tag
How Symbiotic Bacteria Survive Host Defenses
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria live in root nodules of legumes
There’s a surprisingly fine line between bacterial symbiosis and chronic infection. While one is beneficial and the other detrimental, recent findings suggest that they share mechanisms for sidestepping host defenses. Plants in the pea family (legumes) have symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria that are closely related to bacteria...
September 2011
2 posts
2 tags
Warming climate could favor exotic grasses in CA
Noxious invasives like this European beachgrass could spread along the California coast
As global temperatures rise, the exotic grasses that currently dominate California’s hot interior are likely to expand into its cooler ecosystems, according to a new study. “Warming temperatures should favor exotics everywhere, but a given warming should matter more in a cold area”, explains lead author...
2 tags
Wild bees boost CA crops
This California native bee pollinates manzanitas — and blueberries
Wild bees do far more for California agriculture than expected, fertilizing up to 40% of pollinator-dependent crops and thus providing up to $2.4 billion in ecosystem services. “We were surprised by how much native bees can provide — it’s much higher than other estimates…” (more)
Frontiers in Ecology and the...
July 2011
2 posts
1 tag
Why Biotrophs Can't Live Alone
Some oomycetes feed off plants by extending hyphae between their cells
At first glance, diatoms, malaria parasites, and fungus-like plant pathogens called oomycetes look wildly different. But these organisms all have something in common: they belong to a group called the Chromalveolata that contains genes from algae. This diversity of lifestyles within a single group presents an...
2 tags
Biofactors in food linked to health benefits
Can what we eat help fix what ails us? Research increasingly suggests that the answer could be “yes.” Many foods contain biofactors — biologically active compounds — that may prevent and treat illnesses including asthma, diabetes and heart disease… (more)
California Agriculture, 2011
June 2011
1 post
2 tags
Carbon footprint fixes vary by location
Eating more produce cuts household carbon—and costs.
When energy expert Christopher Jones of the University of California, Berkeley, wanted to measure his carbon footprint a few years ago, he couldn’t find a calculator that was comprehensive. “There were lots out there”, he says, “but they only gave toeprints – they didn’t include everything”.
So he built one himself… (more)
...
May 2011
2 posts
2 tags
How Bacteria Shift Gears
Bacteria tumble in place when their flagella are unbundled
Bacteria can change course almost instantaneously, zipping towards food or away from toxins. How do such simple organisms do something so complex? It’s all in the flagella, a tail-like structure with rotating helical filaments… (more)
PLoS Biology, 2011
1 tag
Got weeds? There’s an app for that!
The war on weeds in California just got easier, thanks to a new smartphone app that takes much of the drudgery out of reporting and tracking invasive species. Called Observer, the app also maps native plant distributions and could reveal climate-induced vegetation shifts… (more, see p. 2)
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2011
April 2011
1 post
2 tags
Bubble barrier to steer salmon clear of pumps
Would you swim through this? California officials hope young salmon won’t.
California officials are testing a new way to keep young salmon out of the massive pumps that divert water from the state’s wet north to its thirsty south: a “barrier” made of tiny bubbles, flashing lights, and low-frequency sounds (up to 170 decibels, which is louder than a jet engine at takeoff)…...
March 2011
1 post
2 tags
Finding Balance in Cortical Networks
Networks of pyramidal cells help you remember things
No matter what you’re doing at any given moment, from walking to talking or even sleeping, your brain is doing its own thing. Networks of neurons constantly and often spontaneously generate rhythmic electrical activity in the cortex, the brain’s outermost layer and the seat of...
February 2011
1 post
2 tags
Nematodes Go Viral
Tiny worms with simple genetics, nematodes have almost everything it takes to be a favored model system to study viral infections. Recent work has even shown that the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has innate immune pathways against viruses much like those in vertebrates, including people.
So what’s missing? No viruses were known to infect nematodes naturally, limiting our view to...
January 2011
2 posts
2 tags
You Aren't Always What You Eat
The maxim “you are what you eat” goes only so far. The bacteria inhabiting our guts, which outnumber our own cells by perhaps 10 to 1, are commonly thought to reflect our diets. But other factors can also affect gut microbes, and sorting out their provenance is critical because they can affect our health for good or ill, from enhancing immune function to increasing the risk of stomach...
2 tags
Saving renewable energy for a rainy day
California wind power is lowest during the day, when demand is highest
Green power is great when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing – but what about when they’re not? Currently, there is no way to store masses of excess energy produced from renewable sources for future use.
But that may change soon…(more, see p.5)
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2010
October 2010
5 posts
1 tag
Parallel Lives
California’s Sierra Nevada mountains are dotted with populations of checkerspot butterflies that belong to the same species but lead separate lives — one population lays eggs on blue-eyed Mary plants and the other on pine lousewort.
But other than that, the two kinds of checkerspots are much the same. They are alike morphologically and genetically, and can also interbreed and...
2 tags
Hidden cost of organic farms
Although organic farms are better for butterflies than conventional farms, wholesale adoption of organic farming could be worse for butterflies overall. The root of this apparent paradox is that because organic farms often have smaller yields, they can require more land to match the output of conventional farming. Thus, embracing large-scale organic agriculture could mean converting the natural...
1 tag
Stress May Drive Plant Patterns
Plants grow in a wondrous assortment of patterns, from simple to complex, with near mathematical precision. Honeysuckles sprout leaf pairs at regular intervals along their stems, for instance, whereas some succulents form double spirals turning in opposite directions.
The big question is how do they do this? New research reported in this issue of PLoS Biology suggests that mechanical stress...
1 tag
"Silver tsunami" hits Golden State
How we age is primarily affected by how we live
California is about to be hit by an “age wave” of people 60 years and over. Driven by aging baby boomers and longer life spans, this “silver tsunami” is expected to swell the state’s elderly population by 40% to nearly 9 million by 2020.
Within the elderly population, those 85 years and over are more likely to have severe disabilities...
3 tags
Fast food boosts urban kit foxes
Where’s our supper?
New research may explain why the San Joaquin kit fox does better in Bakersfield, CA, than in nearby wildlife preserves. This endangered species chows down on the same fast food that humans do…(more—see p.5)
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2010
September 2010
1 post
1 tag
The Upside of Slackers
It’s a dirty job but someone’s got to do it
Are slackers a drag on the rest of us? It makes sense because those who produce (“co-operators”) benefit everyone, whereas those who don’t produce (“cheats”) get a free ride. Classic theory holds that cheating comes at the expense of society as a whole, making populations composed entirely of co-operators the most fit. But this...
July 2010
2 posts
1 tag
Genetic Mismatches Between Nuclei and Mitochondria...
Why can’t I have babies?
When one species mates with another, the resulting hybrids typically die or fail to reproduce. Hybrids can form between similar species from microorganisms to mammals, with the mule being a classic example. Sterile offspring of horses and donkeys, mules are prized for being more agile than the former, less obstinate than the latter, and smarter than both. But...
2 tags
Foggy future
A sharp drop in marine fog may threaten California’s state tree
Just as Southern California is famous for sunny beaches, the north coast is epitomized by fog-enshrouded redwood forests. Now, new research suggests that this fog has declined drastically, threatening these iconic trees… (more)
California Magazine, 2010
May 2010
1 post
1 tag
Dress for less environmental impact
The clothing industry is moving beyond bamboo, hemp, and other environmentally friendly textiles to the greenest fiber source of all: recycled cloth. Making new fashions from old ones is called “upcycling” by boutique manufacturers… (more—see p.2)
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2010
April 2010
27 posts
3 tags
California’s global warming law threatened
California state representatives have launched a November 2010 ballot initiative to gut AB 32, the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act, requiring a 25% cut in carbon emissions by 2020. Dubbed the California Jobs Initiative by supporters, the measure would keep AB 32 from kicking in until the state’s jobless rate falls to 5.5% or less… (more—see p.3)
Frontiers in Ecology and the...
2 tags
Green jobs boom in the Golden State
These days, green jobs are a bright spot in California’s economic gloom. Statewide, green jobs grew more than twice as fast as jobs overall during the past decade, and continued to increase by 5%, even as the total number of jobs dipped by 1% in 2008… (more—see p.4)
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2010
1 tag
Identifying Genes that Help One Sex but Harm the...
Traits that help one sex can harm the other, resulting in conflicting evolutionary pressures on males and females. In zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), for instance, males with redder bills attract more mates but females with redder bills attract fewer mates. This battle of the sexes is thought to extend to the genetic level, with individual genes favoring one sex over the other…...
4 tags
Biofuels caught in changing regulations
California’s new regulations for transportation-fuel carbon emissions are shaking up the biofuels industry. When biofuels first took off, corn ethanol was touted as having the potential to cut carbon emissions by nearly 20%. But now the carbon intensity of corn ethanol can exceed that of gasoline… (more)
California Agriculture, 2009
1 tag
Science-based outreach helps stem sudden oak death
Leaf browning is an early symptom of sudden oak death
One of the biggest challenges in controlling sudden oak death is that prevention is the best treatment, but most efforts begin only after trees are already infected. “People don’t deal with this disease except in crisis mode,” says Janice Alexander, outreach coordinator for the California Oak Mortality Task Force. “We’re...
1 tag
Bad Taste Protects Fruit Flies from Eating a Toxic...
Besides enhancing the pleasure of eating, our sense of taste can steer us away from poisonous foods. Many plants, for example, produce bitter-tasting toxins, such as caffeine and quinine, to deter predation by herbivores from cows to insects. But it remains a mystery how animals developed their capacity to detect—and so avoid—the tens of thousands of plant toxins… (more)
PLoS...
3 tags
Peer pressure cuts home energy use
Keeping up with the Joneses has gone beyond maintaining flawless lawns and spotless cars, and now extends to improving energy efficiency. When people learn that their neighbors use less energy, they cut back too… (more—see p.4)
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2009
1 tag
Dutch advise San Francisco on sea-level rise
When the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) began preparing for rising sea levels due to climate change, they solicited advice from the best. “We asked, ‘Who knows about this?’ ”, recalls Will Travis, Executive Director of the BCDC, which regulates shoreline development in the San Francisco Bay area. “So we went to the Dutch – they’ve been holding back the seas for...
2 tags
Compulsory composting
In pursuit of its goal of zero landfilled or incinerated waste by 2020, San Francisco has become the first US city to require its citizens to compost their food scraps… (more—see p.5)
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2009
3 tags
Banning energy-hog TVs
Although wildly popular for their picture clarity and thin profiles, flatscreen televisions are outperformed by their outdated cathoderay tube (CRT) cousins when it comes to energy efficiency… (more—see p.4)
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2009
1 tag
Rx for oak trees
Finally, there’s a way to protect trees from sudden oak death (SOD), a fatal disease caused by the water mold Phytophthora ramorum, a fungus-like pathogen that has killed about a million trees in California since its onset two decades ago… (more—see p.3)
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2009
2 tags
A Social Amoeba Discriminates in Favor of Kin
Microorganisms that cheat and practice nepotism to get the top—who needs science fiction?
Though seemingly simple life forms, microorganisms can display surprisingly complex behaviors, such as altruism and cheating, that are more often associated with “higher” organisms… (more)
PLoS Biology, 2008
2 tags
Slowing Down a Hammerhead Ribozyme Allows Glimpses...
Trapping an RNA enzyme in a crystal reveals the workings of these ancient catalysts, which may have been the basis of life in a pre-DNA world.
Ever since the discovery of RNA enzymes—or ribozymes—rocked the world of molecular biology two decades ago, researchers have been asking how they work. The answer could hold clues to the origin of life… (more)
PLoS Biology, 2008
1 tag
California Sea Otters, Adrift
What’s killing California sea otters? Veterinarians say disease but conservation biologists say the likely culprit is malnutrition.
Sea otters once ranged all along the Pacific Rim, from Baja California, Mexico, to Japan. But beginning in the mid-1700s, these marine mammals were hunted commercially for their soft, dense fur. By the time sea-otter hunting was finally banned by the...
1 tag
Small Worlds Shed New Light on Habitat Loss
Bigger habitats aren’t always better. New research shows that the mix of species—and how they affect each other—may matter even more than sheer size… (more)
Conservation Magazine, 2007
1 tag
A Little Vaccination Goes a Long Way
With only about 500 remaining, Ethiopian wolves are the world’s rarest canid, and their most immediate threat is rabies from domestic dogs. But new research shows that we don’t have to immunize each wolf against rabies: vaccinating just one-third of a population was enough… (more)
Conservation Magazine, 2007
1 tag
Wipe Out
The domino effect extends to marine life.
After decades of heavy fishing, it’s no surprise that great sharks have virtually disappeared from the U.S. Atlantic seaboard. But it is surprising that they are taking bay scallops and probably other bottom-dwelling shellfish with them… (more)
Conservation Magazine, 2007
1 tag
Long-distance Killer
Pesticides are the latest suspect in Costa Rica’s mysterious frog decline.
Massive amphibian die-offs in Central America have been hard to explain because they are more common at higher elevations, where habitats seem more pristine. But new research resolves this paradox, revealing that the region’s mountaintop cloud forests are literally dripping with agricultural pesticides…...
1 tag
Models clarify Tahoe clarity loss
Comprehensively cleaning up our act is the only way to restore Lake Tahoe.
Tahoe is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, with such clear blue water that you could once see to depths of more than 100 feet. But Lake Tahoe’s extraordinary clarity has declined for half a century and today you can usually only see to depths of about 70 feet… (more)
California Agriculture,...
1 tag
The Unicorn, the Mermaid, and the Centaur
Why do we fall for mythological hoaxes? Some people just like to fool others, some just don’t know any better, and science can be as much an art as anything else.
People have been perpetrating—and falling for—mythological hoaxes for centuries. Among the most amazing are a unicorn skeleton assembled by a German scientist in the...
1 tag
Wetland Mitigation Banking: What do buyers want...
Finding common ground between conservationists and builders is key to making mitigation banks work.
The conventional wisdom among many in the United States is that real-estate developers only care about the bottom line. “All the developer wants is a permit to build the mall. The cheaper she can get the permit, the better,” says James Salzman, an environmental lawyer at Duke Law...
1 tag
Trouble in Paradise: California's Island Fox
The few remaining foxes are in danger of being picked off by golden eagles but both species are protected. Can we save one from the other without harming either?
Pity the island fox. Found on only six of California’s Channel Islands, this small, docile cousin of the mainland gray fox seemed to be doing fine until the mid-1990s. ...