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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Recent studies conducted at Marshall University have demonstrated that nanoparticles of cerium oxide -- common diesel fuel additives used to increase the fuel efficiency of automobile engines -- can travel from the lungs to the liver and that this process is associated with liver damage.

A cosmic one-two punch of colossal volcanic eruptions and meteorite strikes likely caused the mass-extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous period that is famous for killing the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, according to two Princeton University reports that reject the prevailing theory that the extinction was caused by a single large meteorite.

COMO, ITALY -- Traditionally addressed through hand-weeding and/or herbicide application, controlling weeds is one of most costly operations in nursery production. Increased labor costs have made hand-weeding prohibitive as the sole method of weed control, and although herbicides may be effective and less expensive, non-target herbicide loss can be as high as 86% and can harm the environment. To address the economic and environmental impact of weed problems, nursery producers are looking for more sustainable and cost-efficient techniques to control weeds in container-grown plants.

NOVEMBER 17, 2011 – The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) have issued a new white paper on the potential role of endoscopic bariatric therapies (EBTs) in treating obesity and obesity-related diseases like Type 2 diabetes.

National Science Foundation- (NSF) funded researchers may have at last answered a 50 year-old conundrum. They may now know how Antarctica's Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains were formed, which has been a question for scientists since their discovery in 1958.

Researchers involved in a highly complex research deployment to the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, a centerpiece of the 2007-2009 International Polar Year (IPY), conclude the mountains formed as a result of multiple tectonic events, rather than a single event.

This week's journal Nature reports the findings.

BLACKSBURG, VA -- Many landscape trees are started in-ground, then sold as bare-root ''liners'' to producers who plant them in large containers to grow. To minimize wind damage and to facilitate transport from potting areas to growing beds, the liners are often buried deeper than necessary. This deep planting of liners results in "finished" container plants with deep structural roots, important foundations of root systems responsible for trees' health and stability. Deep structural roots are thought to contribute to physiological stresses resulting from oxygen deprivation.

Research from the University of Sheffield has found that people are willing to pay up to £29.91 per month, or around £360.00 per year, for greener urban spaces.

Researchers surveyed the public in the two major urban centres of Manchester and Sheffield to find out how much extra they were willing to pay in council tax or rent/mortgage payments for green spaces in their local area. They found that people were willing to pay more for greener spaces with greater tree coverage.

Organisms living on small islands are particularly threatened by extinction. However, data are often lacking to objectively assess these threats. A team of German and British researchers used satellite imagery to assess the conservation status of endangered reptiles and amphibians of the Comoro archipelago in the Western Indian Ocean. The researchers used their results to point out which species are most threatened and to define priorities for future protected areas.

NEWARK, DE -- While public gardens typically offer educational programming for adults and elementary school–aged children, the teenage audience has been largely underserved. A new study examined the institutional benefits, challenges, and strategies of offering successful programming for youth aged 13 years. The researchers hope their findings motivate staff at public horticultural institutions to create and implement positive development opportunities for teens.

DAVIS, CA -- In peach trees, as in other plants, the energy used to create carbohydrates that support growth and development comes from solar radiation through the process of photosynthesis. Peach tree productivity is therefore dependent on the tree's photosynthetic efficiency and effectiveness in distributing and using carbohydrates. A basic knowledge of carbon assimilation and partitioning concepts at the whole-tree level can aid growers in understanding how peach trees grow and help them adopt cultural practices that maximize production.

MammaCare, a revolutionary tool that has set standards for teaching women and clinicians how to perform clinical breast exams, is training professionals around the country to detect lumps earlier and save lives.

Widely-publicized statistics inform women about the importance of early detection of cancer. The Center for Disease Control reports that second only to skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American females.

Montreal, November 17, 2011 -- Colleagues who work with runny noses, sore throats and clammy skin are as seasonal as the flu. Yet are sick employees workplace troopers or are they insecure about their jobs?

A new study from Concordia University, published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, has found that presenteeism, i.e. attending work when ill, isn't always a productive option.

GUELPH, ONTARIO -- Marketable yields of organic horticultural crops frequently fall below those of conventional crops; this and other factors restrict widespread adoption of organic production. Researchers recently studied the growth and yield responses of tomatoes grown in organic substrates amended with vermicompost and compared the results with plants grown in a popular growing medium.

Thanks to a new model created by an international research group, it is now possible to predict which European countries are more likely to become united or which are more likely to break up. It does so by not only considering demographic and economic criteria but, most ingeniously of all, culture and genetics.