A new paper out today says that increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere cause soil microbes to produce more carbon dioxide, accelerating climate change.

Two Northern Arizona University researchers led the study, which challenges previous understanding about how carbon accumulates in soil. Increased levels of CO2 accelerate plant growth, which causes more absorption of CO2 through photosynthesis.

Until now, the accepted belief was that carbon is then stored in wood and soil for a long time, slowing climate change. Yet this new research suggests that the extra carbon provides fuel to microorganisms in the soil whose byproducts (such as CO2) are released into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.

If Facebook were around 1,400 years ago, the ancient Maya might have been big fans of the virtual self.

The Maya believed that part of your identity could inhabit material objects, like a courtier's mirror or sculptor's carving tool. Maya might even name these objects, talk to them or take them to special events. They considered these items to be alive.

The practice of sharing your identity with material possessions might seem unusual in a modern context.

But is it that different from today's selfie-snapping, candy-crushing online culture, where social media profiles can be as important to a person's identity as his or her real-world interactions? Even money is virtual now, as digital currency such as Bitcoin gains popularity.

NEW YORK, N.Y. (April 24, 2014) – A new study from investigators with the Autism Genome Project, the world's largest research project on identifying genes associated with risk for autism, has found that the comprehensive use of copy number variant (CNV) genetic testing offers an important tool in individualized diagnosis and treatment of autism.

Ellen's (not her real name) adoptive parents weren't surprised when the school counselor suggested that she might have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Several professionals had made this suggestion over the years. Given that homework led to one explosion after another, and that at school Ellen, who is eleven, spent her days jiggling up and down in her seat, unable to concentrate for more than ten minutes, it seemed a reasonable assumption. Yet her parents always felt that ADHD didn't quite capture the extent of Ellen's issues over the years. Fortunately the school counsellor was familiar with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

During the 2012 US Presidential election, both political parties were tripping over themselves to claim they cared about small business, either by sabotaging them with more costs in the way of health care on one side or by constantly giving breaks to giant multinational corporations that small businesses could not get on the other.

Nothing is more antithetical to baseball culture than apple slices and kale chips - fans want crackerjack and beer and hot dogs.

For events, that's okay, but it is also a recurring part of youth sports, according to researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. An observational study (naturally) published in Childhood Obesity found that high-calorie snacks and sugar-sweetened drinks dominate the youth baseball scene.