My picks from ScienceDaily

Unprecedented Data On Circadian Rhythms Revealed:

Fluctuations in light intensity allow restoring the regularity of circadian rhythms. This is the main conclusion of the work carried out by Javier Buceta, group leader of The.Si.M.Bio.Sys. Group(Theoretical and In Silico Modelling of Biological Systems) from the Co.S.Mo Lab -based at the Barcelona Science Park- and Antoni DÃez-Noguera, dean at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Barcelona and group leader of Chronobiology at the Department of Physiology of the said faculty.

Scientists Surprised By Unexpected Emergence Of Periodical Cicadas -- Four Years Early:

Periodical cicadas, insects best known for their 17-year long life cycle, are emerging four years early in several Atlantic states. The emergence was first noticed in Greensboro, NC, on Monday and has since been reported in Maryland.

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The cause of these early emergences is unknown, but Kritsky, in a paper to be published in the Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, has found evidence suggesting that mild winters can affect the trees that young cicadas feed upon which in turn interferes with the cicadas' timekeeping resulting in their emerging early. "This phenomenon might be another biological response to increasing temperatures," Kritsky said.

'Gecko Vision': Key To Future Multifocal Contact Lens?:

Nocturnal geckos are among the very few living creatures able to see colors at night, and scientists' discovery of series of distinct concentric zones may lead to insight into better cameras and contact lenses. The key to the exceptional night vision of the nocturnal helmet gecko is a series of distinct concentric zones of different refractive powers, according to a new study.