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An international research team, including scientists from Simon Fraser University, hopes its study of the vector Rhodnius prolixus--also known as the "kissing bug" and a major contributor to Chagas disease --will further the development of innovative insect control methods to curb its impact on humans.

There's more to the snap, crackle and pop of Rice Krispies than meets the ear. A recent study by San Diego State University civil engineering professor Julio Valdes used the breakfast cereal to discover a new phenomenon in materials science: highly porous, brittle materials can deform in different ways depending on compaction velocity. Put another way, the speed at which one crushes a tube full of cereal, for example, can have implications for manufacturing or even assessing the safety of snow after an avalanche.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University researchers have discovered a hormonal mechanism in hamsters that connects short winter days with increased aggression in females, and that it differs from the mechanism that controls this same response in males.

The work, which advances basic knowledge on the connection between certain sex hormones and aggression, could go on to advance research on the treatment of inappropriate aggression in humans.

PISCATAWAY, NJ - Some 15 percent of women are raped while incapacitated from alcohol or other drug use during their freshman year at college, according to new research.

The report, published in the Nov. issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, also helps to offer a clearer idea of which college freshmen are at particular risk of what's known as 'incapacitated rape.'

Research published today details the first-ever successful elimination of a fatal chytrid fungus in a wild amphibian, marking a major breakthrough in the fight against the disease responsible for devastating amphibian populations worldwide. The highly-infectious chytrid pathogen has severely affected over 700 amphibian species worldwide; driving population declines, extirpations and species extinctions across five continents.

Bottom Line: U.S. adults who used only smokeless tobacco products had higher levels of biomarkers of exposure to nicotine and a cancer-causing toxicant -- the tobacco-specific nitrosamine NNK -- compared with those who used only cigarettes.

Journal in Which the Study was Published: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research

Author: Brian Rostron, PhD, an epidemiologist in the Center for Tobacco Products at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Facebook can have positive and negative effects on teens levels of a stress hormone, say researchers at the University of Montreal and the Institut universitaire de santé mentale de Montréal. Led by Professor Sonia Lupien, the team found that having more than 300 Facebook friends increased teens' levels of cortisol. On the other hand, teens who act in ways that support their Facebook friends - for example, by liking what they posted or sending them words of encouragement - decreased their levels of cortisol. Their findings were published in Psychoneuroendocrinology.

COLUMBUS, Ohio-- A year ago, researchers discovered that fat helps coral survive heat stress over the short term--and now it seems that fat helps coral survive over the long term, too.

The study offers important clues as to which coral species are most likely to withstand repeated bouts of heat stress, called "bleaching," as climate change warms world oceans.

Researchers from the University of Exeter have discovered several new species of marine fungi inhabiting previously undescribed branches of the tree of life. Little is known about the fungi flourishing in the world's oceans and this study, which set out to investigate its diversity and abundance, revealed that many marine fungi are very different from those found on land.

The research, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, used large-scale DNA sequencing to describe the diversity of fungal microbes in a wide range of marine environments.

Getting help with baby care could keep families healthier and extend their lives, according to a new study into bird behaviour.

Research into weaver birds in South Africa, carried out at the University of Exeter and published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, found that a heavy breeding workload led to increased free radical damage to cells, which can be associated with ageing and ill health. However, where birds were in larger groups and the workload was shared, no increase in cell damage was found.

CLEMSON -- Clemson scientists Rob Baldwin and Paul Leonard have recently published a research article that examines the existing distribution of conservation easements in the Appalachian Mountains.

The article titled "Interacting Social and Environmental Predictors for the Spatial Distribution of Conservation Lands" appeared Oct. 14 in the Public Library of Science.

Tasers are increasingly being used by UK police yet recent studies suggest the health risks are greater than previously thought, reports The BMJ this week.

Of particular concern, is the frequent police use of Tasers against mentally ill patients, often within hospitals and care homes. This has prompted the UK home secretary, Theresa May, to order a review of police use of force against mentally distressed people.

21 percent. That's the amount of oxygen in the air that we breathe----with the exception of the extreme high-altitude dwellers on the Tibetan or Andean mountains.

Using some ancient DNA detective work, a new study led by University of California Berkeley postdoctoral researcher Mike D. Martin and University of Copenhagen professor Tom Gilbert has linked the culprit behind the 19th-century Irish potato famine, which was transported to Europe in the 1840s, to a fungus-like organism that originated in South America.

Although the vast majority of pediatric spine surgeries are safe, a handful of neuromuscular conditions seem to fuel the risk of cardiac arrest during such operations, according to research led by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.