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Hormone-Mimicking Chemicals Cause Inter-Species Mating
Fossil egg Sankofa pyrenaica, discovered in Lleida links dinosaurs to today's birds
Fossil turtle from Colombia round like car tire
Moderate drinking may reduce risk of rheumatoid arthritis
New biofuel process dramatically improves energy recovery
New 'self-calibrating MEMS' bringing accuracy to nanotech
New study suggests moderate alcohol consumption may help prevent bone loss
Researchers one step closer to new kind of thermoelectric "heat engine"
Scientists first to see trafficking of immune cells in beating heart
Two Proteins Offer a “Clearer” Way to Treat Huntington’s Disease

Hormone-Mimicking Chemicals Cause Inter-Species Mating

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 05:03 AM PDT

Hormone-mimicking chemicals released into rivers have been found to impact the mating choices of fish, a new study has revealed. The controversial chemical BPA, which emits oestrogen-like properties, was found to alter an individual’s appearance and behavior, leading to inter-species breeding. The study, published in Evolutionary Applications, reveals the threat to biodiversity when the boundaries between species are blurred.

Fossil egg Sankofa pyrenaica, discovered in Lleida links dinosaurs to today's birds

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 04:51 AM PDT

Researchers from the Complutense University of Madrid and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona identified in Lleida a series of dinosaur eggs with a unique characteristic: they are oval in shape. The discovery represents proof in favour of the hypothesis that birds and non avian theropods, dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period, could have a common ancestor.

Fossil turtle from Colombia round like car tire

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 02:58 PM PDT

Paleontologist Carlos Jaramillo's group at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and colleagues at North Carolina State University and the Florida Museum of Natural History discovered a new species of fossil turtle that lived 60 million years ago in what is now northwestern South America. The team's findings were published in the Journal of Paleontology.

Moderate drinking may reduce risk of rheumatoid arthritis

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 02:52 PM PDT

Moderate consumption of alcohol is associated with a reduced risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, suggests a novel study published in BMJ online. The results show that women who regularly consume more than three alcoholic drinks a week for at least 10 years have about half the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis compared with non-drinkers.

New biofuel process dramatically improves energy recovery

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 02:46 PM PDT

A new biofuel production process created by Michigan State University researchers produces 20 times more energy than existing methods.

The results, published in the current issue of Environmental Science and Technology, showcase a novel way to use microbes to produce biofuel and hydrogen, all while consuming agricultural wastes.

New 'self-calibrating MEMS' bringing accuracy to nanotech

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 02:37 PM PDT

Researchers have demonstrated tiny machines that could make possible super-accurate sensors and motors, with far-reaching applications from computer storage to altimeters, detecting petroleum deposits to measuring DNA-binding forces.

New study suggests moderate alcohol consumption may help prevent bone loss

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 02:18 PM PDT

New study suggests moderate alcohol consumption may help prevent bone loss Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol as part of a healthy lifestyle may benefit women’s bone health, lowering their risk of developing osteoporosis.

A new study assessed the effects of alcohol withdrawal on bone turnover in postmenopausal women who drank one or two drinks per day several times a week. Researchers at Oregon State University measured a significant increase in blood markers of bone turnover in women after they stopped drinking for just two weeks.

Researchers one step closer to new kind of thermoelectric "heat engine"

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 02:09 PM PDT

Researchers who are studying a new magnetic effect that converts heat to electricity have discovered how to amplify it a thousand times over - a first step in making the technology more practical.

In the so-called spin Seebeck effect, the spin of electrons creates a current in magnetic materials, which is detected as a voltage in an adjacent metal. Ohio State University researchers have figured out how to create a similar effect in a non-magnetic semiconductor while producing more electrical power.

Scientists first to see trafficking of immune cells in beating heart

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 01:46 PM PDT

Blood flow to the heart often is interrupted during a heart attack or cardiac surgery. But when blood flow resumes, the heart may still falter. That’s because collateral damage can occur as blood re-enters the heart, potentially slowing recovery and causing future cardiac troubles.

Two Proteins Offer a “Clearer” Way to Treat Huntington’s Disease

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 01:36 PM PDT

In a paper published in the July 11 online issue of Science Translational Medicine, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified two key regulatory proteins critical to clearing away misfolded proteins that accumulate and cause the progressive, deadly neurodegeneration of Huntington’s disease (HD).