Spookfish uses mirrors for eyes

Tweet

A remarkable new discovery shows the four-eyed spookfish to be the first vertebrate ever found to use mirrors, rather than lenses, to focus light in its eyes.

Professor Julian Partridge from the University of Bristol, said: "In nearly 500 million years of vertebrate evolution, and many thousands of vertebrate species living and dead, this is the only one known to have solved the fundamental optical problem faced by all eyes – how to make an image – using a mirror."

Avian flu becoming more resistant to antiviral drugs, says University of Colorado study

Tweet

A new University of Colorado at Boulder study shows the resistance of the avian flu virus to a major class of antiviral drugs is increasing through positive evolutionary selection, with researchers documenting the trend in more than 30 percent of the samples tested.

Unique skeletal muscle design contributes to spine stability

Tweet

The novel design of a deep muscle along the spinal column called the multifidus muscle may in fact be key to spinal support and a healthy back, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Their findings about the potentially important "scaffolding" role of this poorly understood muscle has been published on line in advance of the January issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

Director experience with acquisitions improves firm performance

Tweet

Orlando, FL – January 7, 2009 – A new study in Strategic Management Journal examines how the nature of outside directors' prior experience, and resulting expertise, will influence the performance of a firm's performance. Results show that this past experience and expertise will have positive effects on the firm's acquisitions.

Martian rock arrangement not alien handiwork

Tweet

At first, figuring out how pebble-sized rocks organize themselves in evenly-spaced patterns in sand seemed simple and even intuitive. But once Andrew Leier, an assistant geoscience professor at the U of C, started observing, he discovered that the most commonly held notions did not apply.

And even more surprising, was that his findings revealed answers to NASA's questions about sediment transport and surface processes on Mars. Those results are published in this month's edition of Geology.

Risk management critical to corporate strategy

Tweet

Dedham, MA – January 7, 2009 – With the consequences of the current financial crisis spreading to the real economy, lawmakers are exploring new regulations to govern the financial markets. The concern among market participants is that policy-makers do not fully understand how risk management does and should work, and how derivatives can be beneficial.

Restoring trust harder when it is broken early in relationship

Tweet

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In relationships built on trust, a bad first impression can be harder to overcome than a betrayal that occurs after ties are established, a new study suggests.

While betraying trust is never good for a relationship, the results show that early violations can be particularly devastating, and plant seeds of doubt that may never go away, said Robert Lount, co-author of the study and assistant professor of management and human resources at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business.

You can look -- but don't touch

Tweet

YOU CAN LOOK -- BUT IF YOU TOUCH, BE PREPARED TO BUY; CONSUMERS WILLING TO PAY MORE FOR PRODUCTS THEY TOUCH

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Consumers are often told that if they break an item, they buy it. But a new study suggests that if they just touch an item for more than a few seconds, they may also end up buying it.

China's food economy benefits small, poor farmers

Tweet

Beijing, China – January 7, 2009 – One of the most significant changes in China's agricultural economy over the past fifteen years has been the rise of horticulture. During this same time period, modern supply chains have also emerged. A new study in the Review of Agricultural Economics reveals that the recent changes in China 's food economy have contributed to an improvement in poverty reduction and betterment of small farmers. However, there exists a great challenge to ensure delivery of a safe product.

Absence of CLP protein can be indicative of oral cancer

Tweet