By studying a habituated population of pied babblers (Turdoides bicolor) in the Kalahari Desert, researchers have discovered a surprising new way in which parent birds can extend the period of their care of offspring. The findings are reported by Andrew Radford of the University of Cambridge and Amanda Ridley of the University of Cape Town and appear in the September 5th issue of Current Biology, published by Cell Press.

A team of biologists at New York University's Center for Comparative Functional Genomics has uncovered a dual role for the gene mel-28. The gene plays a part in ensuring that chromosomes are divided properly during cell division and it is required for nuclear envelope function. The findings appear in the journal Current Biology.

The amount of a hunger-fighting hormone can be increased by eating a higher protein diet, researchers report in the September issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, published by Cell Press. The hormone, known as peptide YY (PYY), was earlier found by the researchers to reduce food intake by a third in both normal-weight and obese people when given by injection.

In a finding that broadens our understanding of primate cooperation, researchers have found that chimpanzees evaluate risk when crossing roads and draw on an evolutionarily old principle--shared with at least some other primates--of protective "socio-spatial" organization that produces flexible, adaptive, and cooperative responses by a group of individuals facing risk. The research is reported by Kimberley Hockings and James Anderson of the University of Stirling and Tetsuro Matsuzawa at the University of Tokyo and appears in the September 5th issue of Current Biology, published by Cell Press.

Scientists at the University of York are to play a pivotal role in new research aimed at averting a growing environmental problem caused by discarded liquid crystal displays (LCDs).

Researchers Mark Prausnitz and Robyn Schlicher use a confocal microscope to study cells whose membranes have been opened by the application of ultrasound. Researchers have shown how ultrasound energy can briefly "open a door" in the protective outer membranes of living cells to allow entry of drugs and other therapeutic molecules – and how the cells themselves can then quickly close the door. Understanding this mechanism could advance the use of ultrasound for delivering gene therapies, targeting chemotherapy and administering large-molecule drugs that cannot readily move through cell membranes.

The well-educated are significantly more open to the idea of "designing" babies than the poorly educated, according to a new study by psychologists at the University of East Anglia.

The growing demand by consumers for healthier and more ecological foods has driven researchers to develop new systems of packaging that prolong the useful life of the products and that are, at the same time, recyclable. Protection is currently carried out with a mixture of synthetic chemical compounds that are not completely biodegradable. One of the most popular alternatives in the last few years is the edible coating – a transparent film that covers the food item and acts as a barrier to humidity and oxygen. Moreover, these films can be used as a host for additives in the conservation of the properties of the product or simply in order to improve its appearance.

Diabetes has a detrimental effect on a person's ability to recover from a heart transplant, notes a study in the September Journal of Nuclear Medicine.