A team of researchers from the Capital Normal University in Beijing (China) and the Institute of Biology and Soil Sciences in Vladivostok (Russia) has discovered a remarkable silky lacewing insect from the Mesozoic of China. The study has been published recently in the open access journal ZooKeys and is available for free download. The extant silky lacewings (the family Psychopsidae) may be recognized by their broad wing shape, dense venation, spectacularly patterned and hairy wings. Today, this family is very small, restricted only to southern Africa, southeastern Asia ...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5—Few people have ever claimed to see three rainbows arcing through the sky at once. In fact, scientific reports of these phenomena, called tertiary rainbows, were so rare—only five in 250 years—that until now many scientists believed sightings were as fanciful as Leprechaun's gold at a rainbow's end. These legendary optical rarities, caused by three reflections of each light ray within a raindrop, have finally been confirmed, thanks to photographic perseverance and a new meteorological model that provides the scientific underpinnings to find them. The ...

BaseKit, the online website builder, has been selected as a firm of the future and listed in the Red Bull Future 50 - a list of the most groundbreaking British firms that are less than four years old. The list serves as a guide to the UK's most creative, stylish, visionary and disruptive brands. The nationwide search began in June and final selections for the Red Bull Future 50 were made by a panel of judges including: Nigel Trood, MD of Red Bull UK; Madeleine Milne, MD of Emusic; and Jos White, investor and co-founder of MessageLabs. The full list is currently viewable ...

The anaerobic oxidation of ammonia (anammox) is an important pathway in the nitrogen cycle that was only discovered in the 1980s. Currently, scientists estimate that about 50 percent of the nitrogen in the atmosphere is forged by this process. A group of specialized bacteria perform the anammox reaction, but so far scientists have been in the dark about how these bacteria could convert ammonia to nitrogen in the complete absence of oxygen. Now, 25 years after its discovery, they finally solved the molecular mechanism of anammox. Anammox bacteria are very unusual because ...

The National Football League (NFL) has teamed up with Bud Light to launch the NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Awards. This Sunday, October 9, the NFL is celebrating 2011 Hispanic Heritage Day. As part of the celebration, each of the 32 football teams is recognizing one member of the community for his or her positive impact on the local Hispanic population. The Hispanic Heritage Awards honor notable Latinos who have not only distinguished themselves in their field, but have also made an impact on America. The Houston Texans have chosen to honor attorney Benny Agosto ...

The examination of insects in Burmese amber by researchers at the University of Cologne, Germany and National Museums Scotland revealed a new genus of caddisfly, which has been named Palerasnitsynus. The discovery, based on two specimens, constitute the first record of the living family Psychomyiidae in Burmese amber and the oldest known member of this family in the fossil record. Burmese amber is 100 million years old, from the Cretaceous Period, so this discovery adds to our understanding of the caddisfly fauna in that part of the world at that time.INFORMATION: Original ...

As of early August, Wisconsin's 2011 boating season reached a sad milestone: the number of boating deaths for the summer of 2011 had already equaled the total number of boating deaths in 2010. And, with approximately a month left of summer, Wisconsin's boating season may be in its waning moments, but there is plenty of beautiful weather left for boating, and the potential for more accidents. Numbers released by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources state that, as of early August, 18 people lost their lives in boating accidents on Wisconsin's rivers and lakes. ...

In a study recently published in European Physical Journal E (EPJE), a German scientist constructed a theoretical model to understand how to best avoid jamming of soft matter that can be applied in food and cosmetics production. Thomas Voigtmann, a researcher at the Institute for Material Physics in Space in Cologne, Germany, evaluated the internal friction force, or yield stress, to be overcome before a solid material made of a metallic melt with a glass structure can flow and thus prevent jamming. These materials have an apparent viscosity that drops if they are ...

The exceptional strength of certain biological materials is due principally to their complex structure. Long bones, for instance, consist of a compact, solid outer casing filled with spongy tissue, which makes them particularly strong and resilient. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institutes for Mechanics of Materials IWM and for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT are collaborating on a project entitled "Bionic Manufacturing", which aims to develop products that are lightweight but strong and economic in their use of materials – imitating the perfected ...

A growing number of pregnant American women and delivery doctors are choosing Cesarean sections (C-sections) before their babies reach full term (39 weeks) instead of vaginal birth for the delivery of babies. According to recent studies, the number of C-sections performed in the United States has risen to more than 36 percent. Driving the increase are both mothers and their physicians. According to a study conducted by Yale researchers, women often choose Cesarean birth for convenience and for cosmetic reasons. Further, Dr. Uma M. Reddy, National Institute of Child ...

Who is responsible when a person is injured on a property owned by someone else? For example, is a landlord liable for tenant injuries? Premises liability law seeks to identify when the person in possession of the property must compensate someone for injuries that occur on that property. Because various legal factors -- such as negligence, the status of the visitor or the role the injured person played in the incident -- determine when property owners are responsible, premises liability cases can become highly complex. This makes the advice of a premises liability / ...

As reported this week in Nature Communications, the researchers used the atomically-sharp tip of a scanning tunneling microscope to move 1-nanometer sized molecules on top of a silver substrate. The tip is controlled with such great accuracy that it is possible to precisely choose the position of each molecule and build tiny molecular squares, crosses, and chains of controlled size and orientation. The same tip is then used as a mobile electrode to probe the electrical conductivity of the molecules as a function of their position in the array. Figures a-d show an example ...

A tracheostomy performed within the first seven days after a severe head injury results in better overall patient outcome, according to a team of Penn State College of Medicine researchers. This is especially true for patients who have a greater chance of surviving when admitted to the hospital. A tracheostomy is an opening created in the front of the neck directly into the trachea to allow unimpeded breathing. (A tracheotomy is the act of making that opening.) "The CDC estimates that more than 200,000 individuals are hospitalized annually for traumatic brain injury," ...

In a recent ruling by the Massachusetts Court of Appeals, the Commonwealth's Sex Offender Registry Board may not require an individual to register as a Level 2 sex offender based solely on a conviction of possessing child pornography. Massachusetts has three levels of sex offenders, which are based on a person's individual risk of reoffending and the perceived danger to the public. Level 1 offenders have a low risk of committing future crimes and pose a minimal public safety risk. The list of Level 1 offenders is not available to the general public. However, law enforcement ...

If an electric car wants to be environmentally friendly it must weigh as little as possible, because when the light turns green every additional pound/kilogram must be accelerated with considerable energy expenditure. And the lighter the electric vehicle, the longer it can be on the road without having to be plugged back into a power outlet. To advance the symbiosis between electromobility and lightweight construction, engineers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT in Pfinztal, Germany, are developing manufacturing concepts that have one goal – they ...

Trick-or-treating is a great way for kids to have fun, create cherished memories and indulge a youthful sweet tooth. But, when caught up in the spirit of the holiday, many parents forget that bumps, bruises and far more frightening injuries are also an unfortunate possibility when an unusual number of children take to the streets. Pedestrian Accidents Involving Cars and Children Far More Common on October 31 Studies have shown that the number of pedestrian deaths involving children age 15 and younger is 4.5 times higher on Halloween night compared to all other nights ...

MIAMA BEACH, FL (October 5, 2011)––Approximately 10-20 percent of prostate cancer patients have a family history of the disease. There are three major factors that are used to evaluate the extent and aggressiveness of prostate cancer, help make treatment decisions, and estimate prognosis: the Prostate Specific Antigen Level (PSA), Gleason score (GS) from the biopsy, and the digital rectal exam findings (DRE). However, men with a family history of prostate cancer have often been feared to have a more aggressive form of the disease not otherwise represented by these three ...

Advanced imaging with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans shows great promise in predicting which patients with inoperable lung cancer have more aggressive tumors and need additional treatment following standard chemotherapy/radiation therapy, according to new research. Mitch Machtay, MD, of the Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center and principle investigator for the study, presented the significant data today at 2 pm at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in Miami Beach, Fla. The National Cancer ...

In these hard economic times, many couples are sticking together solely because of perceived monetary impediments to divorce. With the right help, however, you may not have to choose between happiness and financial wellbeing. Divorce and the Economy According to a study conducted by the University of Virginia, nearly 40 percent of married couples who were planning on a divorce or separation before the recession put their divorce on hold once the economy crashed. While the choice to abandon the pursuit of a divorce is no doubt complex and there are multiple reasons ...

In the best of circumstances, raising a toddler is a daunting undertaking. But parents under long-term stress often find it particularly challenging to tap into the patience, responsiveness, and energy required for effective child rearing. Now research from a University of Rochester team helps to explain why chronic stress and parenting are such a toxic mix. The study finds that ongoing strains, like poverty or depression, disrupt the body's natural stress response, making mothers more likely to engage in a host of problematic parenting behaviors, including neglect, ...

In 2010, more than 2,000 businesses went through an immigration audit. And this year, ICE has already audited many more companies, including sending out 1,000 notification letters to businesses in early June alone. In a time when employers have enough to worry about, they must also make concerted efforts to ensure their employees are legally qualified to work in the U.S. Under the Obama administration, the focus on illegal immigration has moved from undocumented immigrants to their potential employers. Gone are the days of loud immigration raids like the ones we saw ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Researchers recently isolated 63 unique dust particles from their laboratory – and that's just the beginning. The chemists were testing a new kind of sensor when dust got stuck inside it, and they discovered that they could measure the composition of single dust particles. In a recent issue of The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, they describe how the discovery could aid the study respiratory diseases caused by airborne particles. Most dust is natural in origin, explained James Coe, professor of chemistry at Ohio State University. The 63 particles ...

Property rights are one of the essential tenets of our society. According to one California eminent domain attorney, property owners are entitled to use their property how they see fit within the bounds of the law. However, there are instances where the government is entitled to infringe upon one's property to support the greater good of the community. This is called eminent domain. Under the principle of eminent domain, it is the government's right to "take" private property for public use. When a "taking" occurs, a municipality must pay fair market ...

The sluggish economy is not only affecting job growth in the United States, it is also spurring more debt due to medical expenses. According to study conducted by the Commonwealth Fund, 57 percent of workers who lost jobs that previously had health insurance have become uninsured. This creates two problems for those who become sick: Not only do they no longer have health insurance to defray medical expenses, they also lack the income to pay such costs out of pocket. The Commonwealth Fund also found that debt collection companies contacted 30 million Americans in 2010 ...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Technology firms frequently require workers to sign non-compete agreements, which typically bar their employees from joining rival companies for one to two years. For firms, the agreements keep workers from taking the knowledge and skills they have acquired and using them to help a rival. But a new study of more than 1,000 engineers, conducted by an MIT professor, shows that non-compete agreements come with a high cost for employees: When those workers do shift jobs, roughly one-third of them end up leaving their chosen industry altogether, often ...