Lab Notes: 14th January 2011

Lab Notes: a round-up of some of the top science stories in the past few days.

 'Pint-sized' dinosaur discovered
A team of Argentinian and US paleontologists and geologists have discovery a new species of dinosaur that lived in South America some 230 million years ago.
Erodromaeus (meaning "dawn runner") weighed just 10-15 lbs and measured 4 feet from nose to tail. It is believed that it was one of the first all meat-eating dinosaurs and probably a ancestor of the famous Tyrannosaurus.
“Who could foretell what evolution had in store for the descendants of this pint-sized, fleet-footed predator?” said Paul Sereno of the University of Chicago.
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 New EU rules on animal experiments
The EU are to make the first major changes to Europe's animal testing rules for a quarter of a century. The union wants to enhance the quality of the research being conducted by industry and the scientific community, while at teh same time setting the world's highest welfare standards for such experiments.
The rules will come into force from the start of 2013 and ensures that any future testing must comply with the three R's: replacing, reducing and refining animal testing.
According to EC figures, 12 million animals were used for scientific purposes in Europe in 2008. Rodents made up 80% of that figure; mice making up 59% and rats 17%.
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Young science
The BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition continues in Dublin today. The event, in its 47th year, showcases the best science projects from second-level students from all around the country, with 100 awards up for grabs including the BT Young Scientist of the Year and the oppurtunity to represent Ireland in the EU Young Scientist Competition.
Interestingly, the first ever winner of the competition, John Monaghan has recently retired as Chief Executive Officer of Avigen, a US Biotech company. So, there is much in store for this year's overall winner who will be announced this evening.
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The above image is adapted from an original by BlueRidgeKitties and used under a Creative Commons  license.