Small heads, large bodies, and a slow metabolism -- these are the characteristics that make us think of dinosaurs as dull, lethargic and cold-blooded giants. However, this image seems to be deceiving. These giant saurians that have been extinct for 65 million years may have been high-performance models of evolution. In cooperation with colleagues from the US, researchers from the University of Bonn have just determined that the body temperature of some large herbivorous dinosaurs was between 36 and 38 degrees Celsius. "Originally, dinosaurs were considered to have been ...

Where Atlantic salmon feed in the ocean has been a long-standing mystery, but new research led by the University of Southampton shows that marine location can be recovered from the chemistry of fish scales. Surprisingly, salmon from different British rivers migrate to feed in separate places, and may respond differently to environmental change. Numbers of Atlantic salmon have declined across their range since the early 1970s, and most researchers believe that conditions experienced at sea are largely to blame. Unfortunately, identifying where salmon go to feed in the ...

Oregon law requires that a parenting time plan be included in all judgments where minor children are involved. In Oregon, "parenting time" (called "visitation" in some states) is the scheduled time that each parent has with the children. The parenting time plan is a document that states when the children will be with each parent and how decisions will be made for the parties' children. The amount of parenting time that each parent has with the children is not necessarily related to whether or not a parent has legal custody in Oregon. In Oregon, ...

For years, it has been assumed that teachers—specifically math teachers—need to master the content they intend to teach. And the best way to do this is to take courses beyond that content. Yet in a paper published today in the Education Forum of the journal Science, Dr. Brent Davis of the University of Calgary says research does not support this common belief. There is little evidence that advanced courses in mathematics contribute to more effective teaching. "You know that feeling, when you try to explain to a child how to add multi-digit numbers, and you realize that ...

DALLAS – June 23, 2011 – We are one step closer to deciphering why some stressed people indulge in chocolate, mashed potatoes, ice cream and other high-calorie, high-fat comfort foods. UT Southwestern Medical Center-led findings, in a mouse study, suggest that ghrelin – the so-called "hunger hormone" – is involved in triggering this reaction to high stress situations. "This helps explain certain complex eating behaviors and may be one of the mechanisms by which obesity develops in people exposed to psychosocial stress," said Dr. Jeffrey Zigman, assistant professor ...

Ground-nesting birds face an uphill struggle to successfully rear their young, many eggs and fledglings falling prey to predators. Now, scientists from the USA have found that some birds eavesdrop on their enemies, using this information to find safer spots to build their nests. The study – one of the first of its kind – is published this week in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Animal Ecology. Ovenbirds and veeries both build their nests on the ground, running the risk of losing their eggs or chicks to neighbouring chipmunks. Nesting birds use a range of cues ...

Es una historia de la que ningun padre quiere oir hablar, pero que, lamentablemente, todos hemos escuchado alguna vez. Supongamos que "Junior" pide prestado el coche y tiene un accidente. Puede ser que haya chocado simplemente contra un buzon o puede tratarse de algo mas serio. En el caso de accidentes que tengan como resultado lesiones, quien es responsable? "Junior", que solo tiene 16 anos? Sus padres? El propietario registrado del automovil? Generalmente, de acuerdo con la ley de Vehiculos y Transito de Nueva York, cuando una persona se ve involucrada ...

Double-stranded (ds) RNA viruses are a diverse group of viruses that include rotaviruses, a common cause of gastroenteritis. The ability of the immune system to detect and destroy viruses is critical for human health and survival. Now, a study published by Cell Press in the June 23rd issue of the journal Immunity identifies a novel sensor that is necessary to activate the immune response to viral infection. The research enhances our understanding of the complex and overlapping mechanisms our immune cells use to thwart infection. Viruses are infectious agents composed ...

Van Nuys, CA – June 23, 2011 – In a case study that illustrates the need for people with diabetes to be cautious of foot injuries and to protect themselves from pets, a woman with numbness in her feet caused by diabetic neuropathy slept through a traumatic episode in which her Jack Russell terrier chewed off part of her slightly infected big toe, according to an article published in this month's issue of the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association. The patient's wound required surgery, and it ultimately led the amputation of her leg, leaving her a double ...

Boulder, CO, USA - GSA BULLETIN offers pre-issue publication of papers online. Sign up for e-alerts at http://www.gsapubs.org/cgi/alerts or the Bulletin RSS feeds at http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/rss/, for first access to new journal content as it is posted. Research highlights are provided below. Representatives of the media may obtain complimentary copies of GSA BULLETIN articles by contacting Christa Stratton at the address above. Please discuss articles of interest with the authors before publishing stories on their work, and please make reference to GSA BULLETIN ...

Scientists have made an important step forward in their understanding of cryoprotectants – compounds that act as natural 'antifreeze' to protect drugs, food and tissues stored at sub-zero temperatures. Researchers from the Universities of Leeds and Illinois, and Columbia University in New York, studied a particular type of cryoprotectants known as osmolytes. They found that small osmolyte molecules are better at protecting proteins than larger ones. The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help scientists develop better storage ...

BETHESDA, Md., June 23, 2011 – Say what you will about bird brains, but our feathered friends sure have us -- and all the other animals on the planet -- beat in the vision department, and that has a bit to do with how their brains develop. Consider the in-flight feats of birds of prey: They must spot their dinner from long distances and dive-bomb those moving targets at lightning speed. And then there are the owls, which operate nimbly on even the darkest nights to secure supper in swift swoops. Some birds have ultraviolet sensitivity; others have infrared sensitivity. ...

Northern Rock has added another helpful video guide to its interactive savings website to help consumers with their savings choices. The video - Northern Rock's Guide to Savings - is the third guide in the series recently introduced by the bank to add a further dimension to its award-winning website. Existing videos include Northern Rock's Guide to ISAs and First Time Buyers Guide, which can be viewed on the Northern Rock website alongside the new addition. The newest guide is designed to help customers make the most of their money in an accessible way, by highlighting ...

High-tech training may trump tax breaks for creating more jobs and improving a state's economy, according to a team of economists. "We found that lower state taxes were not statistically associated with a state's economic performance," said Stephan Goetz, professor of agricultural economics and regional economics, Penn State. "The tax climate was not linked to either growth or income distribution." Goetz, who serves as director of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, said states that favor low taxes do not necessarily spend funds efficiently. They may ...

Biologists worldwide subscribe to the healthy herds hypothesis, the idea that predators can keep packs of prey healthy by removing the weak and the sick. This reduces the chance disease will wipe out the whole herd, but could it be that predators can also make prey populations more susceptible to other predators or even parasites? Biologists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have discovered at least one animal whose defenses against a predator make it a good target for one opportunistic parasite. The research appears online in the journal Functional Ecology. "We ...

Parts of Australia's fruit and vegetable industry are under threat, with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) scientists racing to find new ways to control a major horticultural pest before chemical treatments are restricted. Associate Professor Anthony Clarke, from QUT's Faculty of Science and Technology in Brisbane, is leading Australia's largest team of university researchers examining non-chemical based ways to fight fruit flies, including promising "lure and kill" techniques using ginger essence. Professor Clarke, lead author of the largest ever review of ...

The NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini-Huygens mission has directly sampled the water plumes jetting into space from Saturn's moon Enceladus. The findings from these fly-throughs are the strongest evidence yet for the existence of large-scale saltwater reservoirs beneath the moon's icy crust. Enceladus' water plumes shoot water vapour and tiny grains of ice into space. They originate from the 'tiger stripe' surface fractures at the moon's south pole, and create the faint E-ring, which traces the orbit of Enceladus around Saturn. The Cassini spacecraft discovered the plumes in 2005 ...

Debenhams has revealed that parents are stockpiling cash for investment in a range of household improvements after their children have gone to University in the autumn or left home, according to a poll carried out by the high street retailer. Debenhams quizzed 1,000 parents with teens and asked them when they were likely to invest significant sums in redecorating or refurnishing their homes.  The department store found that 74% of parents, battered by the costs of raising their kids, were planning to hold on to their cash and refurbish their homes after their kids have ...

The development of 'brain-like' computers has taken a major step forward today with the publication of research led by the University of Exeter. Published in the journal Advanced Materials and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the study involved the first ever demonstration of simultaneous information processing and storage using phase-change materials. This new technique could revolutionise computing by making computers faster and more energy-efficient, as well as making them more closely resemble biological systems. Computers currently ...

A University of Exeter team has monitored the movements of an entire sub-population of marine turtle for the first time. The study confirms that through satellite tracking we can closely observe the day-to-day lives of marine turtles, accurately predicting their migrations and helping direct conservation efforts. Writing in the journal Diversity and Distributions, lead author and University of Exeter PhD student Dr Lucy Hawkes (now at Bangor University) describes the migrations of a population of loggerhead turtles in the US Atlantic Ocean over a decade (1998�). ...

iFund Lending is pleased to announce that it has made an additional $2 million available in its lending facility for western Canadian entrepreneurs and companies requiring a prudent financing alternative to banks, credit unions and other alternative lenders. iFund Lending provides entrepreneurs with business loans, bridge financing, franchise acquisition, purchase-order financing, debt consolidation, re-mortgages, SR&ED and receivables factoring, and other proven asset-based alternative methods of financing. Borrowers are able to access between $25,000 and $1 million, ...

A seminal article on language testing, co-authored by Dr Glenn Fulcher, a Reader in Education at the University of Leicester, argues that some agencies are using unsuitable language tests to achieve policy ends. Dr Fulcher, and Professor Fred Davidson of the University of Illinois Department of Linguistics, argue that generic tests are being used for multiple purposes because some policy makers go for "cheap and simple solutions" to complex problems, such as immigration. Their article, entitled Test architecture, test retrofit, which has won this year's Best Paper ...

Swinglifestyle, the largest swingers site has teamed up to sponsor two hotel takeovers with Tampa Bay Escapes and Hedo Parties. The first event is Tampa Bay Escapes 3, which Tampa Swingers have scheduled for July 28-31,2011 (Thursday - Sunday). Tampa Bay Escapes 3 is a 3 day / 3 night Complete Hotel Takeover and convention, with 15 Great Play Rooms & Hospitality Rooms, Libation Room every night courtesy of SwingLifeStyle.com. Prizes and Travel give-aways will also be included in the event. TBE has a Great line-up of entertainment and activities, plus TBE's signature ...

Anthrax, septicemia and meningitis are some of the planet's most deadly infections. In part because doctors lack basic insights to prevent and cure diseases caused by so called Gram-positive bacteria. Now, a chemist from the University of Copenhagen has revealed the mechanism behind these deadly infections. By creating a synthetic version of a Gram-positive bacterial endotoxin, Danish synthetic chemist Christian Marcus Pedersen has made a contribution that'll compel immune biologists to revise their textbooks. More importantly, he has paved the first steps of the way ...

A side effect of many commonly used drugs appears to increase the risks of both cognitive impairment and death in older people, according to new research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA). As part of the Medical Research Council's Cognitive Function and Ageing Studies (CFAS) project, the study is the first systematic investigation into the long term health impacts of 'anticholinergic activity' – a known potential side effect of many prescription and over the counter drugs which affects the brain by blocking a key neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. The findings ...