ATHENS, Ohio (Aug. 2, 2012)—The rise of the Rocky Mountains and the appearance of a major seaway that divided North America may have boosted the evolution of new dinosaur species, according to a new Ohio University-led study. The finding, published today in the journal PLOS ONE, may explain patterns of evolution and migration of North American duck-billed and horned dinosaurs in the years leading up to their extinction 65 million years ago, said Terry Gates, a postdoctoral researcher with Ohio University's Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine who is lead author on ...

A genetic screening approach to studying bone disease has found nine new genes associated with bone health and suggests a new way to discover genes that may be implicated in human skeletal diseases. A collaborative study of the mineral content, strength and flexibility of bones has found clues to the cause of bone disorders such as osteoporosis, osteogenesis imperfecta, and high bone density syndromes. The study, which brings together specialist skills in mouse gene deletion and bone measurement to assess the strength of bones in 100 mutant mouse lines, is the largest ...

ORLANDO, Fla. – Overweight and obese individuals can achieve a decade's worth of important health benefits by losing just 20 pounds, even if they regain the weight later that decade, according to research presented at the American Psychological Association's 120th Annual Convention. With a focus on psychology's role in overcoming the national obesity epidemic, the session also examined research that indicates foods high in sugar and fat could have addictive properties. Rena Wing, PhD, professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University's Alpert Medical School ...

African elephants are known to be great communicators that converse with extremely low-pitched vocalizations, known as infrasounds, over a distance of miles. These infrasounds occupy a very low frequency range—fewer than 20 Hertz, or cycles, per second—that is generally below the threshold of human hearing. Now, a new study shows that elephants rely on the same mechanism that produces speech in humans (and the vocalizations of many other mammals) to hit those extremely low notes. Christian Herbst from the University of Vienna, along with colleagues from Germany, Austria ...

Tropical Storm Saola and Typhoon Damrey appear on NASA satellite imagery to be arm-in-arm as they enter China on August 2. NASA's Terra satellite passed over both tropical cyclones and captured them in one image, using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument onboard. MODIS captured a visible image on August 2, 2012 at 0245 UTC that showed the southern extent (or arm) of Typhoon Damrey, making landfall north of Shanghai, feeding into the northern extent (or arm) of Tropical Storm Saola, making landfall south of Shanghai. MODIS imagery also ...

ATLANTA – Results from a study conducted at Georgia State University suggest that a "fight" between bacteria normally living in the intestines and the immune system, kicked off by another type of bacteria, may be linked to two types of chronic disease. The study suggests that the "fight" continues after the instigator bacteria have been cleared by the body, according to Andrew Gewirtz, professor of biology at the GSU Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infection. That fight can result in metabolic syndrome, an important factor in obesity, or inflammatory bowel disease ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Researchers have taken a new look at an old, but seldom-used technique developed by the petroleum industry to recover oil, and learned more about why it works, how it could be improved, and how it might be able to make a comeback not only in oil recovery but also environmental cleanup. The technology, called "microbial enhanced oil recovery," was first developed decades ago, but oil drillers largely lost interest in it due to its cost, inconsistent results and a poor understanding of what was actually happening underground. The new findings by engineers ...

AUDIO: Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a potential target for treating diabetes and obesity. They discovered that when a particular protein is disabled in... Click here for more information. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a potential target for treating diabetes and obesity. Studying mice, they found that when the target protein was disabled, the animals became more ...

There's a passage in the Old Testament's Deuteronomy that says if a case too difficult to decide comes before the courts, it should be brought to the Levite priests who will render a verdict in God's name. However, one University of Alberta researcher says that may be taking religious freedom a step too far. Sarah Hamill, a doctoral student in the Faculty of Law, recently published an article in response to a premise that said judges who lack direction-setting precedence in cases should use religious-based reasoning. Hamill contends that—aside from being a serious breach ...

KINGSTON, R.I. – August 2, 2012 – A postdoctoral researcher at the University of Rhode Island has observed a never-before-seen defensive strategy used by a small species of deep-sea squid in which the animal counter-attacks a predator and then leaves the tips of its arms attached to the predator as a distraction. Stephanie Bush said that when the foot-long octopus squid (Octopoteuthis deletron) found deep in the northeast Pacific Ocean "jettisons its arms" in self-defense, the bioluminescent tips continue to twitch and glow, creating a diversion that enables the squid ...

In science fiction novels, evil overlords and hostile aliens often threaten to vaporize the Earth. At the beginning of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, the officiously bureaucratic aliens called Vogons, authors of the third-worst poetry in the universe, actually follow through on the threat, destroying the Earth to make way for a hyperspatial express route. "We scientists are not content just to talk about vaporizing the Earth," says Bruce Fegley, professor of earth and planetary sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, tongue firmly in cheek. "We want to understand ...

Last year, astronomers discovered a quiescent black hole in a distant galaxy that erupted after shredding and consuming a passing star. Now researchers have identified a distinctive X-ray signal observed in the days following the outburst that comes from matter on the verge of falling into the black hole. This tell-tale signal, called a quasi-periodic oscillation or QPO, is a characteristic feature of the accretion disks that often surround the most compact objects in the universe -- white dwarf stars, neutron stars and black holes. QPOs have been seen in many stellar-mass ...

Durham, NC – What makes some species more prone to extinction? A new study of nearly 300 species of New Zealand birds — from pre-human times to the present — reveals that the keys to survival today differ from those of the past. The results are important in light of the growing number of studies that try to predict which species could be lost in the future based on what kinds of species are considered most threatened today, said lead author Lindell Bromham of Australian National University. In the roughly 700 years since humans arrived in the remote islands that make ...

Jeanne Romero-Severson, associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, and her collaborators, are tracking the evolution of the live oaks of eastern North America, seeking to understand how the trees adapted to climate change during glacial periods. When the ice advanced, the oaks retreated. When the ice retreated the oaks advanced, spreading from tropical to temperate zones, up from Central America and Mexico into the Piedmont Carolinas. The researchers expect the study of live oak migrations and phylogeny will provide clues to the success ...

Computer-generated characters have become so lifelike in appearance and movement that the line separating reality is almost imperceptible at times. "The Matrix" sequels messed with audiences' perceptions of reality (in more ways than one) with action scenes mixing CG characters and real actors. Almost a decade later, superheroes and alien warriors dominate the multiplex. But while bipeds and quadrupeds have reigned supreme in CG animation, attempts to create and control their skeleton-free cousins using similar techniques has proved time-consuming and laborious. Georgia ...

On the classic TV show "I Love Lucy," Ricky Ricardo was known for switching into rapid-fire Spanish whenever he was upset, despite the fact Lucy had no idea what her Cuban husband was saying. These scenes were comedy gold, but they also provided a relatable portrayal of the linguistic phenomenon of code-switching. This kind of code-switching, or switching back and forth between different languages, happens all the time in multilingual environments, and often in emotional situations. In a new article in the July issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal ...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Treating chronic venous leg ulcers with a topical spray containing a unique living human cell formula provides a 52 percent greater likelihood of wound closure than treatment with compression bandages only. That's the conclusion of a new study conducted in part at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and published online by The Lancet this week. The Phase II clinical trial, which investigates the efficacy of HP802-247 from Healthpoint® Biotherapeutics, was designed to determine effectiveness of certain cell concentrations and dosing ...

Our planet's changing climate is devastating communities in Africa through droughts, floods and myriad other disasters. Using detailed regional climate models and geographic information systems, researchers with the Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS) program developed an online mapping tool that analyzes how climate and other forces interact to threaten the security of African communities. The program was piloted by the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin in 2009 after receiving a $7.6 ...

VIDEO: Gary Crameri, part of CSIRO’s bat virus team, discusses Cedar virus. Click here for more information. Australian scientists have discovered a new virus in bats that could help shed light on how Hendra and Nipah viruses cause disease and death in animals and humans. The new virus - named 'Cedar' after the Queensland location where it was discovered - is a close relative of the deadly Hendra and Nipah viruses. However, CSIRO's initial studies have discovered ...

http://www.AutismSeminarsOnDemand.com, a website created by Dr. Kurt Woeller featuring a compilation of his lecture presentations on biomedical autism intervention, announced today that it's offering drastically reduced pricing for the month of August. Dr. Woeller's ability to provide detailed information regarding diagnostic testing, therapies, and protocols that is understandable for all parties makes his information unique in the world of autism education. Each seminar available via the website is a presentation Dr. Woeller has previously given on a specific topic ...

With more than 25 years of experience in franchising, FASTSIGNS International Inc., the worldwide franchisor of FASTSIGNS visual communications, signage and graphics centers, was recently recognized for its strides in franchising by the Franchise Yardstick Index and 1851 Magazine. Listed alongside some of the franchise industry's biggest players, including Dunkin Donuts, Super 8 Motels and Subway, FASTSIGNS has been recognized as No. 3 on Franchise Yardstick Index's 2012 400 list. The ranking, which compared 20 different criteria, acknowledges FASTSIGNS for its consistent ...

You've done all your planning, purchased all your toiletries and linens and you think you are ready to send your child off to school. But did you think about the mattress he would sleep on? Of course, this may be provided by the dorm, but it is often a cheap mattress that is lumpy and worn. Wouldn't you feel better knowing that your child is getting the rest he needs to keep up with his demanding schedule? Due to the unique situation of living in a dormitory, you should take a few things into consideration before purchasing a dorm mattress: - Consider the space! Since ...

Members of the US Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, including athletes from The United States of America Adaptive Bobsled Team (USAABT) and the US Paralympic Bobsled & Skeleton Association, Inc. located in Park City, Utah are scheduled to participate in 5 international driving schools this upcoming winter season. Teams will then compete in races across the US and Canada. A fundraising event will be held Friday, August 24, 2012 from 7-10pm at Molly Blooms Restaurant and Pub located at 6180 Ute Boulevard, Park City, Utah to raise funds to build a new modified bobsled. Driving ...

Werner Co., the world's leading ladder manufacturer, today announced a national sweepstakes with a chance to win an amazing, three-day adventure at Cabin Bluff, a world-class hunting and fishing destination located near Cumberland Island, Georgia. All outdoor adventure enthusiasts can now enter the contest by going to http://us.wernerco.com/adventuresweeps between August 1, 2012- September 28, 2012. "Werner is a brand that offers the best climbing solutions for both pros and consumers. Our products are rugged and durable and we want to give away an experience that ...

Create Abilities For Kids offers a unique solution to busy parents looking for ways to maximize quality time with their young children. Our art activity kits include everything you need to create a "masterpiece" with your little one. You won't need to shop around for anything. Our age-appropriate art kits are designed for ages three, four, or five. These all-inclusive kits will be delivered to your mailbox each month. This means you save time in planning, getting the materials, and doing the prep work because we've already done all of that for you. The art ...