Tiny fish play a big role in the overall health of coral reefs, a study published in Science suggests. Researchers say these cryptobenthic fish end up providing 60% of the biomass consumed by reef inhabitants, despite their relatively small size, because the larvae of larger fish are dispersed more widely and therefore don't remain as plentiful.

High-school students in Texas recently built and raced battery-powered cars. The event included 17 teams -- up from about five when the event first launched three years ago.

Subaru of America recently donated a vehicle to the automotive program at College of the Canyons in California. Students plan to use the vehicle to gain hands-on experience, and Subaru intends to offer some training materials and guidance from its trained staff.

A tool developed by the Allen Institute for Cell Science can help scientists see what a human stem cell looks like when it's dividing. The Integrated Mitotic Stem Cell is a colorful 3D map of an average cell during various points in the cell division process.

Bacteria become resistant to drugs thanks to a membrane pump that pushes antibiotics out of a cell long enough to allow the cells to pick up drug resistance in the DNA of neighboring cells, a study published in Science suggests. Researchers made the discovery about the membrane pump in a study of E. coli.

The odorants that come together to create the smell of dark chocolate include some that smell sweet, as well as others that aren't as pleasant, according to findings published online in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Some of the 70-odd chemicals responsible for the odor of chocolate smell like vinegar or sweat by themselves, researchers say.

Emory University has parted ways with two researchers who university officials say received funding from sources in China but did not disclose it. Concerns over possible attempts by China to steal US research have been heightened recently as the NIH conducts investigations into roughly six research facilities.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has awarded a $12.5 million grant to the University of Virginia School of Medicine to study cell communication and how that might affect a number of different diseases. Research will focus on how pannexin channels within cellular membranes function.

Automotive students at an Iowa high school are working on vehicles owned by area nonprofit organizations. The work, performed for free, includes diagnostic scans, tire rotations, oil changes and other maintenance.

Scientists were surprised to find that juvenile tiger sharks dine on land-based birds fairly regularly, possibly because of the birds' migration patterns, a study published in Ecology suggests. Birds showing up in the tiger sharks' bellies included brown thrashers, marsh wrens and swamp sparrows.