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Research from the University of Pittsburgh published in the Nov. 20 edition of Heredity could finally provide evidence of the first stages of the evolution of separate sexes, a theory that holds that males and females developed from hermaphroditic ancestors. These early stages are not completely understood because the majority of animal species developed into the arguably less titillating separate-sex state too long ago for scientists to observe the transition.

It doesn't tick, it doesn't have hands, and it doesn't tell you what time of day it is. But a molecular clock does tell time -- on an epoch scale. The molecular clock, explained S. Blair Hedges, is a tool used to calculate the timing of evolutionary events.

When taking over companies, female executives get a better purchase price than their male counterparts, according to researchers at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.

University of Alberta research has yielded a way to double the output of rice crops in some of the world's poorest, most distressed areas.

(PhysOrg.com) -- A key enzyme in the biosynthesis of vitamin B1 has somehow evolved the ability to perform a complex series of some 15 to 20 steps, report two Cornell chemists.

(PhysOrg.com) -- It's an age-old question: How do you get a new acquaintance to like you? Jeff Hancock, associate professor of communication, says that he and his research team have found in two studies that what works in face-to-face communication can also work in the cyber world.

Economists at the University of Michigan confirmed today what many Americans already believe—that the nation is in the throes of recession.

(PhysOrg.com) -- Biomaterial scientists in Manchester believe they have found a new way of isolating the ‘ingredients` needed for potential stem cell treatments for nerve damage and heart disease.

For the first time it is now possible to get a comprehensive overview of which alien species are present in Europe, their impacts and consequences for the environment and society. More than 11,000 alien species have been documented by DAISIE (Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventory for Europe), a unique three year research project with more than 100 European scientists, funded by the European Union that provides new knowledge on biological invasions in Europe. Biological invasions by alien species often result in a significant loss in the economic value, biological diversity and function of invaded ecosystems.

(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Queensland deep sea research has dug up an insight into the evolutionary past of some of the earliest animals.

In decisions about where to eat, baboons don't all have an equal say, according to a report in the November 20th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. Rather, most baboons in a group will follow their leader to a dining spot of his choosing, even if it means a considerably more meager meal for themselves than they could have had otherwise.

(AP) -- Does a messy neighborhood make a difference on how people act? It sure does! Graffiti on the walls, trash in the street, bicycles chained to a fence, all resulted in a decline in how people behaved in a series of experiments.

New research could explain why females of many species have multiple partners. Published on Friday 21 November 2008 in leading journal Science, the study was carried out by a team from the Universities of Exeter (UK), Okayama (Japan) and Liverpool (UK).

Singapore researchers have developed an unlimited number of pure insulin-producing cells from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs).

Race is a powerful determinant of how whites regard a neighborhood, according to a recent study at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Michigan.

A new study in the journal Psychology of Women Quarterly examined the effects of workplace sexual harassment and found that employees who were harassed report lower levels of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job performance. Employees also experienced higher levels of psychological distress and physical problems than those who were not harassed.

When the market price of company stock falls below the exercise price, the options are considered to be "out of the money" or underwater. Many publicly traded firms have become concerned about retaining highly valued executives who hold underwater stock options, fearing that they will voluntarily leave the firm for a better position elsewhere. A new study in Personnel Psychology reveals that voluntary top executive turnover was more likely to occur as executives' stock option portfolios fell further out of the money.

Scientists have new insight into the response of human skin to radiation and what drives the most aggressive and deadly form of skin cancer. The research, published by Cell Press in the November 21st issue of the journal Molecular Cell, may be useful in the design of new strategies for prevention of malignant melanoma.

Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution grabbed center stage Wednesday as State Board of Education members heard from dozens of Texans trying to influence the panel on how evolution should be covered in science classes of the future.

In a new article in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, William H. Macey and Benjamin Schneider examine the meaning of employee engagement, which they view as leading to unusually effective employee behavior with subsequent reflection in organizational success. Employee engagement refers to the positive feelings employees have about their job as well as the motivation and effort they put into their work.