My picks from ScienceDaily

Male-specific Neurons Directly Linked To Gender-specific Behaviors:

New research identifies a few critical neurons that initiate sex-specific behaviors in fruit flies and, when masculinized, can elicit male-typical courtship behaviors from females. The study, published by Cell Press in the September 11th issue of the journal Neuron, demonstrates a direct link between sexual dimorphism in the brain and gender differences in behavior.

My, What Big Teeth You Had! Extinct Species Had Huge Teeth On Roof Of Mouth:

When the world's land was congealed in one supercontinent 240 million years ago, Antarctica wasn't the forbiddingly icy place it is now. But paleontologists have found a previously unknown amphibious predator species that probably still made it less than hospitable. The species, named Kryostega collinsoni, is a temnospondyl, a prehistoric amphibian distantly related to modern salamanders and frogs. K. collinsoni resembled a modern crocodile, and probably was about 15 feet in length with a long and wide skull even flatter than a crocodile's.

Computational Biochemist Uncovers A Molecular Clue To Evolution:

A Florida State University researcher who uses high-powered computers to map the workings of proteins has uncovered a mechanism that gives scientists a better understanding of how evolution occurs at the molecular level.

Math Model Helps Unravel Relationship Between Nutrients And Biodiversity:

The level of nutrients in soil determines how many different kinds of plants and trees can thrive in an ecosystem, according to new research published by biologists and mathematicians in Nature.

Teens' Failure To Use Condoms Linked To Partner Disapproval, Fear Of Less Sexual Pleasure:

Approximately one in four teens in the United States will contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts believe a major contributing factor is the failure of many teens to use condoms consistently and routinely. Now a new study provides some insight into some of the factors that influence condom use among teenagers.

Psychiatry: When The Mirror Becomes An Enemy:

A nose that's too big, hair that's too curly or a beauty mark in the wrong place - who hasn't focused on a small detail of their appearance while staring at a mirror? But when these imperfections take over our thoughts, or exist only in our heads, it's a sign that such obsessing is a disorder, according to Université de Montréal psychiatry professor Kieron O'Connor.

Brains Rely On Old And New Mechanisms To Diminish Fear:

Humans have developed complex thought processes that can help to regulate their emotions, but these processes are also linked with evolutionarily older mechanisms that are common across species, according to a study by neuroscientists at New York and Rutgers universities. The research appears in the Sept. 11 issue of the journal Neuron.

Searching In Space And Minds: Research Suggests Underlying Link:

New research from Indiana University has found evidence that how we look for things, such as our car keys or umbrella, could be related to how we search for more abstract needs, such as words in memory or solutions to problems.

Air Pollution Can Hinder Heart's Electrical Functioning:

Microscopic particles in polluted air can adversely affect the heart's ability to conduct electrical signals in people with serious coronary artery disease, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Oldest Sheep Contribute Most To Population Growth When Climate Changes Making Conditions Harsh:

Populations of wild animals face the challenge of surviving in a changing climate. Researchers at Imperial College London and Université Claude Bernard Lyon have shown how a sheep population on a remote island off the west coast of Scotland responds to two consequences of climate change: altered food availability and the unpredictability of winter storms.

DNA 'Tattoos' Link Adult, Daughter Stem Cells In Planarians:

Unlike some parents, adult stem cells don't seem to mind when their daughters get a tattoo. In fact, they're willing to pass them along.

Color-coded Bacteria Can Spot Oil Spills Or Leaky Pipes And Storage Tanks:

Oil spills and other environmental pollution, including low level leaks from underground pipes and storage tanks, could be quickly and easily spotted in the future using colour coded bacteria, scientists heard at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin.

Mad Cow Disease Also Caused By Genetic Mutation:

New findings about the causes of mad cow disease show that sometimes it may be genetic. "We now know it's also in the genes of cattle," said Juergen A. Richt, Regents Distinguished Professor of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology at Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.