The deadliest mass extinction of all took a long time to kill 90 percent of Earth's marine life--and it killed in stages--according to a newly published report.It shows that mass extinctions need not be sudden events.Thomas Algeo, a geologist at the University of Cincinnati, and 13 colleagues have produced a high-resolution look at the geology of a Permian-Triassic boundary section on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic.Their analysis, published today in the ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=122856&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click This is an NSF News item. To learn more, use the link.

Domestic cats, wild bobcats and pumas that live in the same area share the same diseases.And domestic cats may bring them into human homes, according to results of a study of what happens when big and small cats cross paths.Initial results of the multi-year study are published today in the scientific journal PLoS One by a group of 14 authors.The joint National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Ecology and Evolution of ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=123011&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click This is an NSF News item. Find out more about this topic. Go to the link.

Biologists who released lizards on tiny uninhabited islands in the Bahamas have uncovered a seldom-observed interaction between evolutionary processes.Jason Kolbe, a biologist at the University of Rhode Island (URI)--along with colleagues at Duke University, Harvard University and the University of California, Davis--found that the lizards' genetic and morphological (form and structural) traits were determined by both natural selection and a phenomenon called the founder ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=122984&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click This is an NSF News item. Find out more about this topic. Go to the link.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) along with the journal Science, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), today announced the winners of the ninth annual International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge.Illustrators, photographers, computer programmers and designers from around the world submitted visualizations to a once-a-year challenge designed to celebrate and encourage the visual communication of science for ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=123004&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click This is an NSF News item. Read more on this by following the linked text in the title above.

While researchers have long known of the incredible strength of spider silk, the robust nature of the tiny filaments cannot alone explain how webs survive multiple tears and winds that exceed hurricane strength.Now, a study that combines experimental observations of spider webs with complex computer simulations shows that web durability depends not only on silk strength, but on how the overall web design compensates for damage and the response of individual strands to continuously ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=123041&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click This is an NSF News item. Jump to this feature by clicking the title.

The National Science Board (NSB) will meet on February 2 and 3, 2012, to address science and engineering, as well as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education issues of interest to the National Science Foundation (NSF). The meeting will be webcast as well.Members of the media and the public are invited to open portions of the meeting. Please go to the NSB website for the webcast link and full agenda.Some of the ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=123008&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click This is an NSF News item. Read more about this news.

Elastic electronics offer less invasive, more convenient medical treatment Full story at http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/skinmountedelectronics.jsp?WT.mc_id=USNSF_51This is an NSF News item. To learn more, use the link.

Researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) have demonstrated how a new virus evolves, shedding light on how easy it can be for diseases to gain dangerous mutations. The findings appear in the current issue of the journal Science.The scientists showed for the first time how the virus called "Lambda" evolved to find a new way to attack host cells, an innovation that took four mutations to accomplish. This virus infects bacteria, in particular the common E. ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=122949&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click This is an NSF News item. Read the whole article for full details

NBC News' educational arm, NBC Learn, and the NBC Sports Group recently teamed up with the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Science Foundation (NSF) to release "Science of NHL Hockey"--an informative 10-part video series exploring the science behind the fastest game on ice.Made especially for students and teachers to use in the classroom, the videos will be aligned to lesson plans and national state education standards, and are available to the public cost-free on ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=122964&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click This is an NSF News item. Read more about this news.

About one in five young adults in their late 30's received a flu shot during the 2009-2010 swine flu epidemic, a University of Michigan (U-M) study released today says.But about 65 percent were at least moderately concerned about the flu, and nearly 60 percent said they were following the issue very or moderately closely.Using survey data collected from approximately 3,000 young adults during the 2009-2010 H1N1 influenza epidemic, this second of three parts in a U-M ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=122910&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click This is an NSF News item. To learn more, use the link.