Dinosaurs had pregnancies as early as age 8, far before they reached their maximum adult size, a new study finds. Scientists have identified the fossil bones of three female dinosaurs, each a different species, and it has become clear that dinosaurs exhibited rapid growth and early maturity, probably because they had a high early mortality rate.
Astronomers have announced that a mystery object orbiting a star 170 light-years from Earth might have formed from the collision and merger of two protoplanets. The object, known as 2M1207B, has puzzled astronomers since its discovery because it seems to fall outside the spectrum of physical possibility. Its temperature, luminosity, age, and location do not match up with any theory.
Fish oil supplements may help some cardiac patients while harming others, suggests a new review of evidence. In a systematic review of trials where patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators used fish oil supplements, scientists found significant differences among the trials, indicating fish oil may be beneficial to some patients while having a negative impact on others.
Think how many lives could be saved if emergency services were alerted the moment a pedestrian is run over. Think how much more fun snowboarding could be if you could emote your feelings electronically to ski-buddies. Breakthroughs in capturing and transmitting ambient intelligence could make these scenarios a reality. The My Space/Facebook phenomenon has shown how we love to share personal information. But will we take the next step and share our feelings and emotions across the ether? Whether it is sensors on our skin, in our clothing or embedded in the environment, research into ambient intelligence is advancing in leaps and bounds. We could soon be using technology in a whole new, human-centric way.
Smokers appear to have an increased long-term risk and greater progression of the eye disease age-related macular degeneration, according to a new article.
US Forest Service and U.C. Santa Barbara scientists believe they have identified the habitat needs for Pacific fishers, a rare California mammal that is a candidate for reintroduction efforts and listing under the Endangered Species Act.
The majority of 2,300 psychiatry outpatients in a new studly had more than one disorder when seeking treatment, and more than one-third had at least three disorders.
A green glow from a fruit fly is giving researchers the green light when they are on the right path in their quest to develop compounds that help prevent cancer. The glow lets researchers know when powerful cancer-prevention signals similar to those spurred by protective chemicals in broccoli, cabbage, and other foods, have been turned on in the organism.
Actual medical error reporting by doctors to hospitals seems to occur less than it should when compared to physicians' views on whether they should report such errors. An earlier, related study found a similar, although smaller, gap between physicians' attitudes and actual actions in the disclosing of medical errors to patients.
Broadway stars have understudies. Now, an increasingly popular radioactive isotope has its own stand-in. The substance might ultimately improve medical imaging, speed up clinical trials of many drugs and facilitate efforts to develop more individualized medical treatment.
Vitamin D2 supplements appear to reduce the risk of falls among women with a history of falling and low blood vitamin D levels living in sunny climates, especially during the winter, according to a new article.
NIST has issued its first reference standards for nanoscale particles targeted for the biomedical research community -- literally "gold standards" for labs studying the biological effects of nanoparticles. The three new materials are gold spheres nominally 10, 30 and 60 nanometers in diameter.
Privatizing toll roads in the US may result in significant diversions of truck traffic from privatized toll roads to "free" roads, and may result in more crashes and increased costs associated with use of other roads, according to a new study.
Astronomers have detected for the first time the molecules methanimine and hydrogen cyanide -- two ingredients that build life-forming amino acids -- in a galaxy some 250 million light years away. When combined with water, the molecules form glycene, the simplest amino acid and a building block of life on Earth.
