More Spring in the Double Helix's Step

The DNA's double helix--the sub-microscopic core of our life--has been the subject of intense study and scrutiny for decades.Observations and measurements at the scale of DNA are tricky. The distance between the rungs in DNA's ladder (or base pairs), for example, was thought to be barely over 3 millionths of a millimeter, or 3.4 Å (angstroms). And this ladder has been typically assumed to be very rigid.But now a team of Stanford scientists, supported in part by the ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=112482&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Building Better Kids

Is there a connection between what children believe and how they act, and how strong is the link? Researchers from four universities who studied these questions were surprised by the results."For me the biggest surprise was how the link between beliefs and behaviors changed from kindergarten to later in childhood and adolescence," said Jennifer Lansford, one of the researchers from Duke University's Center for Child and Family Policy. "Often we assume that if someone ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=112317&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Key to Function of Dinosaur Crests Found in Brain Structure

Paleontologists have long debated the function of the strange, bony crests on the heads of the duck-billed dinosaurs known as lambeosaurs. The structures contain incredibly long, convoluted nasal passages that loop up over the tops of their skulls.Scientists at the University of Toronto, Ohio University and Montana State University now have used CT-scanning to look inside these mysterious crests and reconstruct the brains and nasal cavities of four different lambeosaur ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=112409&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.