The fossil teeth and jawbones of two new species of tiny monkey-like creatures that lived 37 million years ago have been sifted from ancient sediments in the Egyptian desert, researchers have reported.

Stem cells are unique among human cells in that they possess the uncanny ability to develop into virtually any other cell of the body, offering a hypothetical tool kit for repairing diseased hearts, mending broken spinal cords, or correcting genetic diseases, among other hoped-for benefits. Stem cells derived from very early embryos show the most promise in research to date, but the embryo is destroyed in the process of acquiring the cells themselves. This outcome is not acceptable to individuals and institutions that believe human life at all stages of development deserves protection and should not be destroyed.

A few years ago the study of the effects of atmospheric deposition on forest ecosystems reached beyond the scientific sphere and the term "acid rain" was coined. This problem, which ignores frontiers, happens because, due to the burning of fossil fuels, the amount of sulphur and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere is greater than that derived from natural processes.

Progressive disease after HIV infection is inversely correlated with the presence of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), a subset of the dendritic cell family and the major producers of type 1 interferon in the body. High numbers of pDCs is related to successful control of HIV. In a paper appearing online on October 13 in advance of print publication of the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Nina Bhardwaj and colleagues from New York University report the mechanisms by which HIV-1 activates human pDCs.

Heavy alcohol consumption contributes to numerous problems in Russia, not the least of which is a very high death rate. In an ongoing study of 25- to 54-year-old Russian men living in an industrial city, researchers have discovered that a significant proportion consume "surrogate" alcohols, otherwise known as products containing alcohol that are not legally sold for consumption. Researchers have now analyzed the contents of these surrogate alcohol products, finding either high alcohol content or toxic contaminants. Results are published in the October issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Researchers have discovered 10 new molecular structures with pharmaceutical potential in a species of red seaweed that lives in the shallow coral reef along the coastline of Fiji in the south Pacific Ocean.

What happened to the chicken when she crossed the road is less important that what happens to what she eats when it is used as fertilizer.