My picks from ScienceDaily

New Research Alters Concept Of How Circadian Clock Functions:

Scientists from the University of Cambridge have identified a molecule that may govern how the circadian clock in plants responds to environmental changes. The researchers have discovered that a signalling molecule, known to be important for environmental stress signalling in plants, also regulates their circadian clock. They believe that the molecule may therefore incorporate information about environmental changes into the biological clock that regulates the physiology of plants. The research dramatically changes our current understanding of the circadian clock and may have important implications for the agricultural community.

Penguins In Peril As Climate Warms:

The penguin population of Antarctica is under pressure from global warming, according to a WWF report. The report, Antarctic Penguins and Climate Change, shows that the four populations of penguins that breed on the Antarctic continent -- Adélie, Emperor, Chinstrap and Gentoo -- are under escalating pressure. For some, global warming is taking away precious ground on which penguins raise their young. For others, food has become increasingly scarce because of warming in conjunction with overfishing.

To Catch A Panda:

Michigan State University's panda habitat research team has spent years collecting mountains of data aimed at understanding and saving giant pandas. Now a graduate student is working to catch crucial data that's black, white and furry. Vanessa Hull, 25, a Ph.D. candidate, is in the snowy, remote mountains of the Sichuan Province of China -- which also is the heart of panda habitat. She's hoping to capture, collar and track up to four wild pandas using advanced global positioning systems.

New, Rare And Threatened Species Discovered In Ghana:

Scientists exploring one of the largest remaining blocks of tropical forest in Western Africa discovered significant populations of new, rare and threatened species underscoring the area's high biological diversity and value.

Genetic Differences Influence Aging Rates In The Wild:

Long-lived, wild animals harbor genetic differences that influence how quickly they begin to show their age, according to the results of a long-term study. Evidence for the existence of such genetic variation for aging rates--a central tenet in the evolutionary theory that explains why animals would show physiological declines as they grow older--had largely been lacking in natural populations until now, the researchers said.

More like this

tags: researchblogging.org, global warming, climate variation, climate change, penguins, El Nino, marine zoning, P. Dee Boersma Adélie penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae, and chicks. (a) Adélie penguin chicks may get covered in snow during storms, but beneath the snow their down is warm and dry. (b)…
tags: researchblogging.org, global warming, climate variation, climate change, penguins, El Nino, marine zoning, P. Dee Boersma Adélie penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae, and chicks. (a) Adélie penguin chicks may get covered in snow during storms, but beneath the snow their down is warm and dry. (b)…
tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter Male Broad-billed Hummingbird, Cynanthus latirostris. Image: Greg Scott [MUCH larger view]. Birds in Science A new study by the University of Exeter, UK has revealed that stressed out birds are more likely to take risks…
Mammalian Clock Protein Responds Directly To Light: We all know that light effects the growth and development of plants, but what effect does light have on humans and animals? A new paper by Nathalie Hoang et al., published in PLoS Biology, explores this question by examining cryptochromes in flies…