And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 12:39:32 EDT
Subject: Snake River chinook extinction set at 2017
Snake River chinook extinction set at 2017
Full Story:
http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/1999/07/071299/chinsalmon_4271.asp
Chinook salmon on the Snake River may be extinct within the
next 18 years, according to a study by private fisheries
consultant Dr. Philip Mundy that was released Friday in Portland.
Mundy developed the extinction model based on counts of salmon
on spawning grounds that have been conducted annually by
biologists with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game on
Snake River tributaries for approximately 30 years. Mundy's
study was sponsored by Trout Unlimited.
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Gene identified that detoxifies heavy metals
Monday, July 12, 1999
The mustard plant Arabidopsis contains a genetic sequence,
phytochelatins synthase, that detoxifies hazardous heavy metals. A gene
has been identified that allows plants to detoxify heavy metals that are
hazardous to human health and the environment, according to research
published in the June 15 issue of the European Molecular Biology
Organization Journal.
Researchers have known for years that plants produce peptides called
phytochelatins that naturally bind and detoxify dangerous toxic metals
such as lead, mercury and cadmium.
Phytochelatins mediate the accumulation of the bonded peptide-metal mix
in the leaves of the plant, where they can be safely harvested.
Now, researchers from the University of California at San Diego, have
identified the gene family responsible for producing phytochelatins:
phytochelatins synthase, or PCS. They hope to repeat and duplicate its
naturally cleansing mechanisms to help clean up places like Superfund
sites.
"We initially identified a PCS gene from wheat roots, but by looking
into genome databases we found a sequence similar to PCS in the mustard
plant Arabidopsis," said university biologist Julian Schroeder. "We then
tested the gene in Arabidopsis and, sure enough, it also detoxified the
hazardous metal cadmium."
The researchers further used genome databases to successfully locate a
PCS homologous sequence in a yeast species, called S. pombe. When the
PCS gene was deleted from the genome of S. pombe, yeast growth was much
more sensitive to cadmium.
Much to their surprise, the investigation also turned up a similar
sequence in the genome of a worm, indicating that certain animals might
also use PCS genes for detoxification of hazardous metals.
Researchers have sought the identities of gene families such as PCS in
an effort to boost the ability of plants to detoxify metals at hazardous
waste sites, a process known as bioremediation.
Of the ten leading Superfund toxic site contaminants, four are metals
that interact with phytochelatins: lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium.
"I believe that this gene, together with other genes that help detoxify
metals in plants, will optimize the removal of metals in the future,"
said Schroeder. "You will never remove the metals completely out of
hazardous waste sites, but these genes can dramatically bring down the
levels of toxicity, hopefully to below hazard levels determined by the
EPA which will reduce the health and environmental risks at these
sites."
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News Bytes
Monday, July 12, 1999
Emissions up slightly � Despite economic growth of 3.9 percent, carbon
dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels rose just 0.4 percent in
1998, the smallest increase since 1991, according to the Energy
Information Administration. Carbon dioxide emissions account for 84
percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. Preliminary estimates of U.S.
emissions for 1998 can be found on the EIA's web site.
International Botanical Congress � St. Louis, Mo., is the site of this
year's International Botanical Congress, Aug. 1-7. Held once every six
years, this convention brings together world-renowned researchers to
discuss the latest findings in botany, ecology, mycology, horticulture,
agriculture and related fields. Register on-line at
www.BurnessC.com/press
Invasive saltcedar � The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking
measures to eliminate the invasive saltcedar tree, using about 3,000
eggs of Chinese leaf beetles as a part of a biological control program.
The beetles are expected to eat the saltcedar trees, which infest more
than 1 million acres along rivers and streams throughout the United
States West. "Saltcedar was brought into the U.S. in 1837 to protect
stream banks from erosion," said C. Jack DeLoach, an entomologist with
the USDA Agricultural Research Service "But no one realized that,
without natural enemies, saltcedar would crowd out plants crucial to
wildlife." The trees also degrade wildlife habitat by increasing soil
salinity, changing stream flow and increasing wildfire frequency.
6 billion humans � An online exhibit at the Museum National d'Histoire
Naturelle in Paris, France, provides a wonderful introduction to human
population growth, using interactive media to engage the viewer in a
learning game. Available in English or French, 6 Billion Human Beings
leads visitors through interesting facts such as daily statistics on
fertility rates and death rates. The site also provides numerous
statistics for different global populations and thought-provoking
questions about the future. See 6 Billion Human Beings.
Wetlands reserve � Washington State University is enrolling the area
occupied by the Chicona Farm in Pacific County in a wetlands reserve
project. This could be a major event in the longstanding effort to
restore salmon and waterfowl habitat in the Chinook Watershed,
researchers say. Contact: Terence L. Day, (509)335-2806
Attainable dreams � A video from the National Wildlife Federation,
Sustainable Lives � Attainable Dreams, produced in 1994 looks at the
efforts of Kenya, Java and Mexico to slow the rate of population growth.
The video calls for international family planning, documents some family
planning successes and looks at advances in education and empowerment of
women. For a copy of the video, which costs $3, contact NWF
(202)797-6639.
Copyright 1999, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved
Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
doctrine of international copyright law.
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Unenh onhwa' Awayaton
http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/
UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE
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