his image of an ancient fly in amber shows the strange horn on its head, topped by three eyes.
Just in time for Halloween, researchers have announced the discovery of a new, real-world “monster” — what they are calling a “unicorn” fly that lived about 100 million years ago and is being described as a new [...]

Staphylococcus aureus.
Globalisation and industrialisation are causing diseases to spread from humans to animals, a study has shown.

Naked mole rats.
Despite a 30-year lifespan that gives ample time for cells to grow cancerous, a small rodent species called a naked mole rat has never been found with tumors of any kind — and now biologists at the University of Rochester think they know why.

Researchers have identified a cellular pathway that may explain the link between alcohol consumption and cancer.

Alcohol consumption has long been linked to cancer and its spread, but the underlying mechanism has never been clear. Now, researchers at Rush University Medical Center have identified a cellular pathway that may explain the link.

When two populations of a species become geographically isolated from each other, their genes diverge from one another over time.
Cornell researchers have discovered a genetic mechanism in fruit flies that prevents two closely related species from reproducing, a finding that offers clues to how species evolve.

Top: Scanning electron micrograph of the optomechanical crystal. Bottom: closer view of the device’s nanobeam.
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have created a nanoscale crystal device that, for the first time, allows scientists to confine both light and sound vibrations in the same tiny space.

Ancient port city of Caesarea, Israel.
“There is a likely chance of tsunami waves reaching the shores of Israel,” says Dr. Beverly Goodman of the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences at the University of Haifa following an encompassing geo-archaeological study at the port of Caesarea. “Tsunami events in the Mediterranean do occur less frequently [...]

BYU business prof Katie Liljenquist led a study that found that clean scents lead to more ethical behavior.
People are unconsciously fairer and more generous when they are in clean-smelling environments, according to a soon-to-be published study led by a Brigham Young University professor.

International domain names or addresses that can be written in non-English characters are expected to be approved this week.  This will spark one of the biggest changes to the internet in its four-decade history.
 

Body hair difference is more pronounced between chimpanzees and humans than within our own species.
Spend a little time people-watching at the beach and you’re bound to notice differences in the amount, thickness and color of people’s body hair. Then head to the zoo and compare people to chimps, our closest living relatives.

The great diversity of male sexual traits, ranging from peacock’s elaborate train to formidable genitalia of male seed beetles, is the result of female choice.
The great diversity of male sexual traits, ranging from peacock’s elaborate train to formidable genitalia of male seed beetles, is the result of female choice. But why do females choose among [...]

A mantis shrimp takes a peep from it’s burrow in the Sulu sea.
The remarkable eyes of a marine crustacean could inspire the next generation of DVD and CD players, according to a new study from the University of Bristol published today in Nature Photonics.

The acoustic hyperlens is fashioned from 36 brass fins arranged in the shape of a hand-held fan.
Ultrasound and underwater sonar devices could “see” a big improvement, thanks to development of the world’s first acoustic hyperlens. Created by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), the acoustic hyperlens provides an [...]

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have used gene therapy to safely improve vision in five children and seven adults with a rare form of congenital blindness
Born with a retinal disease that made him legally blind, and would [...]

For Jessica Gwozdz, a professional photographer and mother of two, Flickr was a blessing. It allowed her to share photos of her children, Grace and Henry, with distant, tech-averse relatives for whom a username and password would have been too great an obstacle. It even allowed potential clients to freely browse her gallery.
Then a friend [...]

The human ear
A clever structure in the ear of a tropical butterfly that potentially makes it able to distinguish between high and low pitch sounds has been discovered by scientists from the University of Bristol.

Cambrothyra fossil.

The fossil remains of some of the first animals with shells, ocean-dwelling creatures that measure a few centimeters in length and date to about 520 million years ago, provide a window on evolution at this time, according to scientists. Their research indicates that these animals were larger than previously thought.

Microscopic image of a human cell (green cytoplasm, blue nucleus) loaded with mini-magnets (red).
Microscopic magnetic particles have been used to bring stem cells to sites of cardiovascular injury in a new method designed to increase the capacity of cells to repair damaged tissue, UCL scientists have announced.

This is a false-color scanning electron microscope image of the zigzag nanowires in which the straight sections are separated by triangular joints and specific device functions are precisely localized at the kinked junctions in the nanowires.
Taking nanomaterials to a new level of structural complexity, scientists have determined how to introduce kinks into arrow-straight nanowires, transforming [...]

Soybean sprouts struggling in dry conditions. Biologists have now solved the structure of a critical molecule that helps plants survive during droughts.
A team of biologists in California led by researchers at The Scripps Research Institute and the University of California (UC), San Diego has solved the structure of a critical molecule that helps plants survive [...]

In a small study of 54 young adults, UF researchers found eating more plant-based foods, which are rich in substances called phytochemicals, seems to prevent oxidative stress in the body, a process associated with obesity and the onset of disease
The cheeseburger and French fries might look tempting, but eating a serving of broccoli or leafy [...]

UCI scientist Sheryl Tsai and colleagues have discovered what triggers a cancer-causing toxin to form on nuts and grains, which could lead to methods of limiting its production
A toxin produced by mold on nuts and grains can cause liver cancer if consumed in large quantities. UC Irvine researchers for the first time have discovered what [...]

Tomato seeds exposed to carbon nanotubes (right) sprouted and grew faster than unexposed seeds (left).
With potential adverse health and environmental effects often in the news about nanotechnology, scientists in Arkansas are reporting that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) could have beneficial effects in agriculture. Their study, scheduled for the October issue of ACS Nano, found that tomato [...]

The World of Goo is a physics-based puzzle game released in October of 2008.  It was favorably received by the gaming community, receiving many awards.
On the one-year anniversary of the product’s release, the developers decided to undertake an e-commerce experiment.  They offered to sell the game (previously retailing at $20) to anyone for whatever price [...]

Use Foursquare to find friends when you want to meet
Twitter and Facebook ask users to answer the question: What are you doing right now?  But for many urbanites in their 20s and 30s, two other questions are just as important: Where are you, and can I come join you?