Thousands of new kinds of marine microbes have been discovered at two deep-sea hydrothermal vents off the Oregon coast. The findings are the result of the most comprehensive, comparative study to date of deep-sea microbial communities that are responsible for cycling carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur to help keep Earth habitable.

  Fish consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding remains a heated topic. Fish is the dietary source with the highest levels of long-chain omega-3 essential fatty acids. However, there is concern about trace levels of methyl mercury that are present in fish. A new report recommends the consumption of a minimum of 12 ounces of seafood per week (salmon, tuna, sardines) or DHA-fortified eggs.

  Researchers have devised a means of identifying partial, distorted, scratched, smudged or otherwise warped fingerprints in just a few seconds. The unwarping technique is so effective that it also for the first time allows comparison of the position of individual sweat pores on a finger print.

  Bug Buster Kits that use over-the-counter shampoos and conditioners, rather than expensive lice killing medication, are helping to reduce social stigma and health inequalities of lice. The system is helping to reduce infestation levels throughout the communities tested.

  An unprecedented development plan to link South America's economies through new transportation, energy and telecommunications projects could destroy much of the Amazon rainforest in coming decades, according to a new study. Researchers show that IIRSA's development projects will coincide with mounting pressures on the Amazon's ecosystem and its traditional communities. These pressures include climate change; logging; deforestation for agriculture; and mineral exploitation, as well as the impending boom in biofuel crops such as sugar cane.

  A fast, inexpensive test suitable for home use could help millions of people avoid those "out of the blue"headaches that may follow consumption of certain red wines, cheese, chocolate and other aged or fermented foods. The test is designed to detect the presence of so-called biogenic amines, naturally occurring toxins that can trigger a wide range of symptoms in sensitive individuals.

  Why a pathogen is a pathogen may be answered as scientists study the recently mapped genetic makeup of a fungus that spawns the worst cereal grains disease known and also can produce toxins potentially fatal to people and livestock. The fungus, which is especially destructive to wheat and barley, has resulted in an estimated $10 billion in damage to U.S. crops over the past 10 years. The scientists who sequenced the fungus'genes said that the genome will help them discover what makes this particular pathogen so harmful, what triggers the process that spreads the fungus and why various fungi attack specific plants.

  Scientists have achieved greater understanding of telomeres -- small DNA structures which have a role in the onset of cancer. The discovery may lead in time to the development of a very early test for tumors.

  Integrating silicon microchip technology with a network of tiny fluid channels, some thinner than a human hair, researchers have developed a thumb-size micro-incubator to culture living cells for lab tests. The scientists have successfully used the micro-incubator to culture baby hamster kidney cells over a three-day period.

  Two studies in the October issue of the journal Gastroenterology may help in refining recommendations for the use of colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer.

  One of the biggest problems in the current treatment of cancer is that the agents that are efficacious in the destruction of tumorous cells are, at the same time, extremely toxic for the rest of the healthy cells and tissues of the patient.

  Fifty years after Sputnik 1 -- the first artificial satellite -- was launched into orbit, scientists looks back at the story of that particular mission and examines some of key issues of modern satellite technology, from navigation with GPS and Earth observation to the dangers of "space junk"and the potential weaponization of space.

  Engineers are finding common ground between the shaping of the brain and the heart during embryonic development.They are examining mechanical and developmental processes that occur in the folding of the brain's surface, or cortex, which gives the higher mammalian brain more surface area (and hence more intellectual capacity) than a brain of comparable volume with a smooth surface.

  People treated with the drug minocycline within six to 24 hours after a stroke had significantly fewer disabilities, according to a new study. Researchers say minocycline may be an alternative treatment for stroke because current treatments only work during the first few hours after the onset of symptoms, and many people don't get to the hospital in time to be treated.