My picks from ScienceDaily

Voters In Battleground States More Ambivalent About Presidential Candidates:

Heavy advertising by both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates may actually make voters in battleground states more confused about which candidate to vote for, a new study suggests.

Amphibian Diversity Decreases Chances Of Parasitic Disease, Study Shows:

American toads who hang out with gray tree frogs reduce their chances of parasitic infection, limb deformation.

Earth In Midst Of Sixth Mass Extinction: 50% Of All Species Disappearing:

The Earth is in the midst of the sixth mass extinction of both plants and animals, with nearly 50 percent of all species disappearing, scientists say.

Grades In College Directly Linked To Health-related Behaviors:

Lack of sleep, excessive television/computer screen time, stress, gambling, alcohol and tobacco use and other health-related issues are taking a toll on college students' academic performance, according to a study released by the University of Minnesota Boynton Health Service.

Scientific Hunch Poised To Save Thousands From Toxic Fish Poisoning:

A neuroscientist at UQ's Queensland Brain Institute has found a way to combat a debilitating illness that affects an estimated 50,000 people a year in tropical regions. Ciguatera poisoning - which often results in acute nausea, vomiting and painful gastrointestinal episodes - is caused by eating fish that have fed on a micro algae that are toxic to mammals and often associated with large algal blooms known as red tides.

Out Of Mesopotamia: Evolutionary History Of Tuberculosis:

The evolutionary timing and spread of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), one of the most successful groups of bacterial pathogens, remains largely unknown. Here, using mycobacterial tandem repeat sequences as genetic markers, we show that the MTBC consists of two independent clades, one composed exclusively of M. tuberculosis lineages from humans and the other composed of both animal and human isolates.

Ballet Dancers Are Fitter Than International Swimmers:

As Mark Foster swaps his swimming trunks for his dancing shoes on the BBC television show Strictly Come Dancing, results of a study from the University of Hertfordshire have just revealed that the overall fitness of ballet dancers is greater than that of international swimmers.

Respiratory Rhythms Can Help Predict Insomnia:

The breathing and heart rates and cortisol levels of women with metastatic breast cancer can be used to predict if they'll suffer from chronic insomnia and sleep disruptions, a common complaint from patients who want to maintain their quality of life, according to a study by scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Fitness In A Changing World: Genetics And Adaptations Of Alaskan Stickleback Fish:

The stickleback fish, Gasterosteus aculeatus, is one of the most thoroughly studied organisms in the wild, and has been a particularly useful model for understanding variation in physiology, behavior, life history and morphology caused by different ecological situations in the wild.

New Hope For The Red Squirrel:

A new study says free-living red squirrels are mounting an immune response to the squirrelpox viral disease. A number of red squirrels are immune to squirrelpox viral disease, which many believed would lead to the extinction of the species, scientists have discovered.

Searching For Rare Ladybugs, With Unusual Spots:

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and cooperators are seeking the public's help in surveying for once-common ladybug species that are now hard to find.

Group Bragging Betrays Insecurity, Study Shows:

From partisans at a political rally to fans at a football game, groups that engage in pompous displays of collective pride may be trying to mask insecurity and a low social status, suggests new research led by University of California, Davis, psychologists.

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