Lousy with Success: Genetics Reveal Fossil Lice as Evolutionary Champions [Slide Show]

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For feathered dinosaurs the late Cretaceous period may have been a very itchy time. Lice--the tiny wingless insects that feed on dead skin, and sometimes blood--were just beginning to dig in about 100 million years ago, and the epoch's small furry mammals, early birds and dino-birds would have provided ample food. The louse fossil record is relatively sparse

Bill Gates Takes On Education’s Biggest Bureaucratic Beast With Video Games

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As states scramble to understand new educational standards, Gates eyes an opening for video games. Around the country, a new career-minded education standard is slowly edging out the old academic focus on Lord Of the Flies book summaries and five-paragraph essays. So far 42 states have pledged to adopt the (coercively) voluntary standards championed by President Obama, the National Governors Association, and billionaire education crusader, Bill Gates

Urban Birds Boast Big Brains

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Cities have a lot to offer: theater, music, restaurants, birds. Yes, birds.

Under-represented and underserved: Why minority role models matter in STEM

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A recent University of Massachusetts Amherst study found having academic contact with female professionals in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) can have positive influences on students--female students in particular. For girls and young women studying these subjects in school, being able to identify female role models helps them imagine themselves as STEM professionals. The role models enhance their perceptions of such careers and boost their confidence in studying such subjects.