My Picks From ScienceDaily

Sleep Deprivation Can Threaten Competent Decision-making:

Gambling is a risky activity that can potentially result in the loss of a significant amount of money. A study published in the journal SLEEP finds that sleep deprivation can adversely affect a person's decision-making at a gambling table by elevating the expectation of gains and making light of one's losses following risky decisions.

Coral Reef Fish Make Their Way Home:

Coral reef fish hatchlings dispersed by ocean currents are able to make their way back to their home reefs again to spawn, says a groundbreaking study recently published in the journal Science. The study, whose findings are considered a major advance for fish conservation biology, was conducted by an international team of scientists from Australia, France, and the U.S. using a novel tagging method to track two populations of fish, including the endearing orange, black, and white reef-dwelling clownfish made famous in the movie "Finding Nemo."

Essential Genes Cluster Clue To Order In The Genome:

The identification of a cluster of essential genes on mouse chromosome 11 as well as similar clusters on the chromosomes of other organisms -- including humans -- buttresses the argument that there may be rules as to how genes are structured or laid out on chromosomes, said the Baylor College of Medicine senior author of a report that appears online in the Public Library of Science Genetics.

Drought Limits Tropical Plant Distributions, Scientists Report:

Drought tolerance is a critical determinant of tropical plant distributions, researchers working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama report in the journal Nature, May 3. In a novel coupling of experimental measurements and observed plant distributions across a tropical landscape, drought tolerance predicted plant distributions at both local and regional scales. This mechanism to explain a common observation will contribute significantly to models of land use and climate change.

Cincinnati Zoo's Rhino Makes History With An Unprecedented Third Calf:

Emi, the Cincinnati Zoo's world-famous critically endangered Sumatran rhino has done it again! On Sunday evening, April 29, Emi became the first Sumatran rhino in history to produce three calves in captivity, breaking her very own record. Emi delivered a healthy, 86-pound male calf at 10:59 p.m. in her indoor stall. Emi's legacy has grown as she continues to be the most prolific Sumatran rhino in history.

Amphibians In Losing Race With Environmental Change:

Even though they had the ability to evolve and survive for hundreds of millions of years - since before the time of the dinosaurs and through many climatic regimes - the massive, worldwide decline of amphibians can best be understood by their inability to keep pace with the current rate of global change, a new study suggests.

'Personality Gene' Makes Songbirds Curious: Exploratory Behavior In Great Tits:

Whether you are an anxious type, or a fearless person - such individual differences in personality could be partly due to the genes you carry. In humans, it is hard to prove the existence of such "personality genes" - there are simply too many factors that influence human behaviour and these factors are hard to control experimentally.

More Recycling On The Farm Could Reduce Environmental Problems:

Growing environmental problems resulting from farming argue for a shift toward practices that use lower inputs of pesticides and energy and more recycling of energy and materials, according to an article published in the May 2007 issue of BioScience.

Cold Sensation Gene Identified:

For years, scientists have struggled to identify the genes responsible for mammals' sensation of cold. Finally, scientists have shown that a gene called TRPM8 is responsible for the bulk of this ability in mice.