My picks from ScienceDaily

Under the fold....

Marine Debris Will Likely Worsen In The 21st Century:

Current measures to prevent and reduce marine debris are inadequate, and the problem will likely worsen, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council.

Receptor Activation Protects Retina From Diabetes Destruction:

Diabetes can make the beautifully stratified retina look like over-fried bacon. A drug known for it pain-relieving power and believed to stimulate memory appears to prevent this retinal damage that leads to vision loss, researchers say.

Global Warming's Ecosystem Double Whammy:

Plants and soils act like sponges for atmospheric carbon dioxide, but new research finds that one abnormally warm year can suppress the amount of carbon dioxide taken up by some grassland ecosystems for up to two years. The findings, which followed an unprecedented four-year study of sealed, 12-ton containerized grassland plots at DRI is the cover story in this week's issue (September 18) of the journal Nature.

Face Blindness Research Shows Emotions Are Key In The Study Of Face Recognition:

Recognizing the faces of family and friends is usually an effortless process. However, a minority of people have difficulties identifying the person they are meeting or remembering people they have met before.

Internationally Adopted Children Hit Puberty Earlier, Study Finds:

Experts claim that internationally adopted children can undergo puberty at an early age making them more susceptible to a variety of health risks as adults: abdominal obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even certain cancers.

Easier-to-hit 'Targets' Could Help Older People Make The Most Of Computers:

Older people could make better use of computers if icons, links and menu headings automatically grew bigger as the cursor moves towards them.

Longevity, Cancer And Diet Connected: New Research In Worms Could Apply To Humans:

Researchers have discovered a connection between genes that could hold the key to a longer, healthier life.

Estrogen 'Flooding Our Rivers,' Montreal Study Finds:

The Montreal water treatment plant dumps 90 times the critical amount of certain estrogen products into the river. It only takes one nanogram (ng) of steroids per liter of water to disrupt the endocrinal system of fish and decrease their fertility.

New Mechanism For Cardiac Arrhythmia Discovered:

It has long been thought that virus infections can cause cardiac arrhythmia. But why has not been understood. Ulrike Lisewski, Dr. Yu Shi, Michael Radke and Professor Michael Gotthardt of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, have now discovered the molecular mechanism.

Gene Linked To Common Ailment In Labrador Retrievers Identified:

Researchers at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine have identified a gene in Labrador retriever dogs highly associated with the syndrome of exercise-induced collapse (EIC).

Nematode Genome Provides Insight Into Evolution Of Parasitism:

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, together with American colleagues, have decoded the genome of the Pristionchus pacificus nematode, thereby gaining insight into the evolution of parasitism.