marine sciences
Rare corals aplenty

According to researchers from James Cook University rare coral species might not be at high risks of extinction due to small population sizes.Their tendency to hybridize saves them. The previous prediction was that small population sizes led to decreased genetic diversity, which in turn decreased their adaptive capability. However, some Indo-Pacific members of the coral genus Acropora which have a small global population, were found to be less vulnerable to extinction because of their tendency for hybridization. This, in turn, increased their adaptive potential.

life sciences
Migratory consequences

Basal Metabolic Rate (bmr) in birds is independent of the body mass, say researchers from the Universities of California, Sheffield and Pretoria. bmr represents the minimum amount of energy needed by a warm-blooded animal for maintaining a constant body temperature. It depends on lean body mass and decreases with the decrease of the same. The research says that bmr in birds varies considerably, depending mainly on their migratory tendencies. bmr of migratory species is considerably higher than that of non-migrants, which is attributed to the high energy requirement for long-distance movements. A stronger explanation is that they live in predominantly cold high-latitude areas.
technology
Paper in transistors?

Paper could be an alternative to silicon to make transistors. Researchers of New University of Lisbon, Portugal, built transistors by coating both sides of a sheet of ordinary paper with metal oxides and applied aluminium contacts onto it. The paper acted as a flexible substrate and an integral part of the semiconductor