Scientists from Oregon State University and the Natural History Museum in London have announced the discovery of the oldest known fossil of a gecko, with body parts that are forever preserved in life-like form after 100 million years of being entombed in amber.

Due to the remarkable preservative power of being embalmed in amber, the tiny foot of this ancient lizard still shows the tiny “lamellae,” or sticky toe hairs, that to this day give modern geckos their unusual ability to cling to surfaces or run across a ceiling. Research programs around the world have tried to mimic this bizarre adhesive capability, with limited success.

This gecko’s running days are over, however, as only the foot, toes and part of a tail are left in the stone. The rest might have become lunch for a small dinosaur or other predator during an ancient fight in the tropical forests of Myanmar during the Lower Cretaceous Period, from 97 million to 110 million years ago.

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, September 3 /PRNewswire/ --

- NIIT Students and IT Professionals in Vietnam and Other Asia Pacific Markets to Gain Skills in the Latest and Most Advanced Technologies

Sun Microsystems, a leading provider of advanced network computing systems, software and IT-related solutions, and NIIT, a leading Global Talent Development Corporation have announced a partnership to offer training on Sun technologies to students in Vietnam. This partnership will also be expanded to other Asia Pacific markets including Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia through NIIT's network of IT training centers in the Asia Pacific region.

Experienced Zen meditators can clear their minds of distractions more quickly than novices, according to a new brain imaging study.

ESO's Wide Field Imager has captured the intricate swirls of the spiral galaxy Messier 83, a smaller look-alike of our own Milky Way. Shining with the light of billions of stars and the ruby red glow of hydrogen gas, it is a beautiful example of a barred spiral galaxy, whose shape has led to it being nicknamed the Southern Pinwheel.

This dramatic image of the galaxy Messier 83 was captured by the Wide Field Imager at ESO's La Silla Observatory, located high in the dry desert mountains of the Chilean Atacama Desert. Messier 83 lies roughly 15 million light-years away towards the huge southern constellation of Hydra (the sea serpent). It stretches over 40 000 light-years, making it roughly 2.5 times smaller than our own Milky Way. However, in some respects, Messier 83 is quite similar to our own galaxy. Both the Milky Way and Messier 83 possess a bar across their galactic nucleus, the dense spherical conglomeration of stars seen at the centre of the galaxies.

Bacteria save energy by producing proteins that moonlight, having different roles at different times, which may also protect the microbes from being killed. The moonlighting activity of one enzyme from the tuberculosis bacterium makes it partially resistant to a family of broad-spectrum antibiotics, according to a paper published in the September issue of the journal Microbiology.

"Glutamate racemase, or MurI, is an enzyme that bacteria use to make the building blocks of cell walls," said Professor Valakunja Nagaraja from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India. "MurI from Mycobacterium tuberculosis also stops the enzyme DNA gyrase from working, which in turn stops DNA replication and cell division."

The researchers found that the two different functions work independently of one another - the enzyme's ability to make cell wall components does not affect its ability to inhibit DNA gyrase and vice versa.

CALGARY, Canada, September 2 /PRNewswire/ --

<< 50 Per Cent Interest and Operator of Gryphon Marin License Area, Adjacent to Existing Operations Offshore Gabon >>

Canada Addax Petroleum Corporation ("Addax Petroleum" or the "Corporation") (TSX:AXC and LSE:AXC), today announced that it has acquired a 50 per cent interest in the Gryphon Marin license area subject to final Government of Gabon approval. Addax Petroleum will become operator of the Gryphon Marin license area which is immediately west of the Corporation's Iris Marin and Ibekelia license areas and immediately north of the Corporation's Etame Marin license, offshore Gabon.

CARLSBAD, California, September 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- Important Studies Presented at the European Society of Cardiology Continue to Bring Attention to Innovative Technology

Ablation Frontiers, Inc., announced today that two important studies, involving its innovative atrial fibrillation ablation products were presented by Dr. Lucas Boersma of the St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein, Netherlands at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress. One of the world's most prestigious scientific meetings for cardiologists, the ESC meetings took place from August 30 - September 3 in Munich, Germany.

CALGARY, Canada, September 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- Multiple Presentations Included Resverlogix Data

- TSX Exchange Symbol: RVX

SAN RAMON, California, September 2 /PRNewswire/ --

Achievo(R) Corporation, a software outsourcing and information technology services provider, is proud to announce it is working with The InnoVest Group, LC, a US based management consulting and joint venture firm, to provide IT outsourcing (ITO) services and solutions in the Middle East, initially in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, and Jordan. Achievo offers its clients local account management and project delivery capabilities through its regional offices in Japan, North America, Europe and Greater China that are integrated with and supported by its offshore delivery centers in China and its headquarters in the United States.

WELLESLEY HILLS, Massachusetts, September 2 /PRNewswire/ --

Joseph F. Finn, Jr., C.P.A. ("Finn"), Assignee of the assets of Spherics, Inc. ("Spherics") for the benefit of creditors, announced today that all pharmaceutical intellectual property will be sold at a sealed bid auction on October 10, 2008.

With SRx-503, Spherics has developed an improved version of a first and second line treatment for Parkinson's disease. Current global sales exceed US$700 million (approx. US$600 million US only), despite a severe side-effect profile (including motor fluctuations and GI and CNS AE's) and compliance issues (3x daily dosing). SRx-503 maintains a more stable release profile, bypasses the stomach to alleviate GI side effects and requires dosing only once daily.