Fossils of at least five species of vegetarian birdlike dinosaurs known as caenagnathids have been found from West Texas to Canada with wide variation in their beak shapes and body size, giving scientists clues about how the small creatures could coexist by carving out different dietary niches.

Charlesby natural selection was famously inspired by the diversity ofon the Galapagos Islands, which he took as a sign that the birds had somehow adapted to the specific environments where they lived. More recent research has shown that Darwin's finches can evolve quite quickly. For instance, one speciesto better compete with another bird for small seeds in a mere two decades. []

Millions of years ago, different species of caenagnathids may have similarly adjusted their beak size across western North America.

"Each species has a different beak structure. You could have a lot of different species in one environment, because they ate different kinds of foods, which is how different species of Darwin's finches coexist," Nicholas R. Longrich, a postdoctoral researcher at Yale University, said in a statement. "So, in a way, the evolution of modern dinosaurs birds provides insight into ancient, extinct dinosaurs."

Fossil collectors in Texas recently found a new species of the turkey-sized dinosaur, dubbed Leptorhynchos gaddisi, in the Aguja Formation near Big Bend National Park. The 75-million-year-old remains of this species suggest it had a more rounded chin and a less upturned beak than its Canadian relative, Leptorhynchos elegans. The short deep mandible of the new species also suggests it ate tougher, more fibrous plants than its neighbors known as Chirostenotes and Caenagnathus, researchers say.

"These are subtle differences, but they mean we're dealing with different species," Longrich said. "If you look at modern birds, one of the things that distinguishes a crow from a raven, or two types of albatrosses from each other, is the beak proportions. We can do the same thing with dinosaurs that we do with modern birds, and identify them using beak shapes."

Considering that small dinosaurs have a poor fossil record in North America, having at least five known specialized species of caenagnathids some of them living side-by-side suggests the group had relatively high diversity, the researchers say.

The findings were detailed April 26 in the Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History.

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Ahmed Maher, a founder of the April 6 movement that used social media to kindle the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak in 2011, is the latest in a series of activists detained by Egypt's new Islamist rulers.

He was returning to Egypt, via Austria, after speaking as a panelist at a conference on May 6 by the New America Foundation, entitled "Egypt in Transition".

"Airport security arrested him and said he was wanted by the General Prosecution on accusations of inciting demonstrations in front of the Interior Minister's home," a security source said, adding that the case will be transferred to the prosecution for investigation.

Hundreds of members of the April 6 movement staged a demonstration in front of the Interior Minister's home in March demanding the release of activists who were arrested in a security crackdown.

Four of the movement's members were arrested after the demonstration, said Amal Sharaf, the movement's spokesperson.

"I think they are punishing us and trying to stop us from what we are doing but of course they will not succeed because we will continue," she said.

Egypt, which has undergone more than two years of political instability, faces regular protests by opponents of the Islamist leader Mohamed Mursi who came to power in June.

Another prominent activist, Ahmed Douma, was detained late last month over accusations of insulting the president in a case that activists said highlighted a crackdown on dissent by the Islamist government.

Douma was one of five activists served with arrest orders in March based on accusations that included inciting aggression during street clashes near the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters.

The United States, which supplies $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt each year, expressed concern in March over reports that arrest warrants had been issued for political activists.

Dozens of cases of "insulting the president" have been brought since Mursi took office. Activists say the government is using the courts to target its liberal and secular opponents.

Last month Egyptian prosecutors summoned a television satirist over allegations of insulting the president and Islam.

Bassem Youssef, whose programme has been compared to The Daily Show of U.S. satirist Jon Stewart, was released on bail of 15,000 Egyptian pounds after he turned himself in.

His arrival had turned a drop-by at a Houston lumber yard into a virtual campaign rally.At an earlier stop near Austin at a gun manufacturer that churns out AR-15 rifles cheering fans crowded next to employees, and one held a sign reading "Ted Cruz rocks!"

The new troublemaker of the U.S. Senate was home again, and savoring nothing short of a victory lap.

In just seven weeks on the job, the insurgent Republican elected with the tea party's backing and bankroll has run afoul of GOP mainstays, prompted Democrats to compare his style to McCarthyism and has voted against nearly everything of significance that came before him.

"My view is simple: Washington is a rough-and-tumble place. If folks want to attack me personally, they're welcome to it," Cruz said during a visit this week to a Houston lumber wholesaler. "Texans elected a senator to go to Washington and speak the truth."

His approach was unusual for a freshman in Washington, and its effectiveness long-term far from certain, but the reaction at home so far is effusive.

Other Texas politicians are celebrating him, and supporters have turned his constituent visits during the congressional recess into revivals.On Twitter, Texas' popular attorney general Greg Abbott, a rumored candidate for governor next year, is among those beaming about the "Cruz Missile."

"He's been a terrific partner," declared the state's senior senator, Republican John Cornyn. "What he's finding is there's a lot of critics in Washington when you try to change the status quo."

As the lone tea party candidate to win a Senate seat in last year's election, the brash 42-year-old Harvard-trained attorney has aimed to become a force the GOP and Democrats must deal with. Having beaten a heavily favored establishment candidate in the Texas primary, he's made good on promises to be combative, uncompromising and absolute in his adherence to conservative principles.

His profile as an Cuban-American in a party struggling to appeal to Hispanics, and his pedigree as a top Ivy League debater and former clerk to Chief Justice William Rehnquist have made him the freshman to watch in Washington.

Yet Cruz's transition from the campaign trail to the Senate has been anything but smooth.

His sharp questioning of Defense Secretary-nominee Chuck Hagel during his confirmation hearing and public challenges to Hagel's integrity drew a sharp rebuke from Democrats and even a Republican. In pressing for more documents about Hagel's speechmaking in the private sector, Cruz suggested that Hagel, a former Republican senator, had received money from radical sources and possibly was hiding it.

While some Republicans attempted damage control, in Houston this week, Cruz didn't back down.

"The flurry of attacks on me has had their intended effect, which was to shift the conversation away from Chuck Hagel," Cruz said. "Away from his record, away from his refusal to provide financial disclosures, and toward the direct, nasty, personal attacks leveled at me."

Privately, some Republicans expressed surprise that Cruz was barely on the job five minutes before he was saying no to a Cabinet choice.As the latest iteration of "Senator No," he voted against Senate rule changes to modestly curb filibusters, aid for victims of Superstorm Sandy and the Violence Against Women Act.

The attention Cruz received has cast a spotlight on Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the leadership, who hasn't strayed far from Cruz on those votes as he looks ahead to his own re-election in 2014 and the possibility of a challenge from the tea party. The only votes against Sen. John Kerry to be the next secretary of state came from Cruz, Cornyn and Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma.

Cornyn called it a "phony construct" that Cruz is pulling him farther to right in an act of political self-preservation.

Not all Republicans have been as comfortable with Cruz. After Cruz's rough treatment of Hagel, Sen. John McCain defended his fellow Republican and Vietnam veteran.

"I just want to make it clear Senator Hagel is an honorable man. He served his country. And no one on this committee at any time should impugn his character or his integrity," McCain said.

At Hagel's confirmation hearing, Cruz employed charts and a scratchy tape from an Al-Jazeera interview with Hagel to challenge the nominee. But it was his guilt-by-association line of questioning that surprised several in the Senate, particularly when Cruz tried to link Hagel to Charles Freeman, a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia who resigned in March 2009 as chairman of the National Intelligence Council. Freeman was undone by congressional criticism over his comments about the Israel government and alleged ties to foreign governments.

Cruz cited media reports that Hagel traveled with Freeman to China. Hagel said he had never been on a trip with Freeman and hadn't spoken with him in years.

Cruz shifted the questioning.

"Is he someone whose judgment you respect?" he asked.

Cruz's questioning raised the specter of 1950s communist-hunter Joe McCarthy, the former Wisconsin senator. He has dismissed those suggestions, and conservatives have come to his defense.

In Texas this week, those who came to meet Cruz at stops like Lodge Lumber and La Rue Tactical in Leander took no issue with his line of questioning.

At the end of a tour at Lodge Lumber, Cruz was met by a supporter who carried in his billfold several fake dollar bills bearing Obama's face, including one that read, "The People's Republic of Hollywood." He said it was the president he wanted Cruz to keep in his sights.

Owner John Lodge said he felt that for the first time in a long while, someone in Washington was on his side.

"He gets with them. He's gotten down to business," Lodge said. "He's the man."

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Cassata reported from Washington.

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Follow Paul J. Weber on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pauljweber

Officials with the Texas Thunder Festival on Monday announced next month's performances will benefit emergency responders and schools in West, where 14 people were killed in a blast on April 17.

Performers include the Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen, the Casey Donahew Band, the Josh Abbott Band and Stoney LaRue. The festival will be held May 17-19 in Gardendale, near Odessa.

Ten first responders were among those killed in the explosion that left about 200 people hurt. Two others killed fighting the fire were posthumously memorialized as first responders.

Country great Willie Nelson performed Sunday in the Austin area to benefit the West Volunteer Fire Department. Nelson grew up in nearby Abbott.

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Online:

http://www.texasthunderfest.com/

Players can square off against Alfred I. Wordsworth (call him AI for short) while they wait for their friends to send back turns. With three levels of difficulty, AI will be a challenge no matter which board a player picks. No turns from your friends? No friends to challenge? It's not a problem since AI Wordsworth is always there.

After players get an understanding of Word Off! under their belt, they can spend their victory coins in the newly created Word Off! store. Players are now able to customize their game to suit personal play styles.

The Word Off! 6.0 Update Features:

-->Computer opponent - Play a game of Word Off! without waiting a second.

-->Shop customization - Personalize Word Off! with new tiles, backgrounds and more.

-->Redesigned menus - Get into games faster with more ease.

-->Retired game boosts - Word score multipliers are out to better balance the game.

-->New boards - New ways to play with friends or the computer.

-->Play real-time - No need to exit to the main menu for game updates.

is a game where players challenge their friends to a word battle that has been described as Boggle meets Risk. With two ways to win, players will constantly figure out if scoring more points is better than trying to capture their opponent’s base.

Word Off! is created entirely in HTML5 by mobile and social game developer Toy Studio.

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Find the Word Off! update at the following App Stores:

iOS:

Google Play:

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For other supported platforms and more information, visit the Word off! website.

###

About Toy Studio

Toy Studio is founded on the idea of connecting people through games that encourage meaningful social interaction with friends. Toy Studio designs games on three core principles: quality, innovation and community. Just as impressive as the care put into design, is the tech behind the scenes. Toy Studio is pioneering HTML5 development all from a comfy studio in the heart of Chicago. Toy Studio also partners with fellow developers of high-quality, innovative apps to publish new and exciting titles on mobile marketplaces.

Ryan Olsen17734359747

"She did check into the rehab (center) and I will still be going through a vetting process," Santa Monica City Deputy Attorney Terry White, the prosecutor in the June 2012 car crash case, told Reuters in an email on Friday.

White did not name the rehab center, but celebrity news website site TMZ.com said Lohan, 26, had entered the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, 120 miles east of Los Angeles, early Friday morning.

Lohan must complete 90 days in a locked rehab center by July 31 to comply with a March plea bargain. Under the deal, she avoided jail by pleading no contest to reckless driving and lying to police in the seaside town of Santa Monica when she said she was not driving a car that smashed into a truck.

The "Mean Girls" star, who has spent at least five stints in rehab in the past six years, threw prosecutors into confusion earlier this week when she switched her choice of rehab from the New York area to a center in Newport Beach in Southern California.

She spent only minutes at the Newport Beach facility, White said on Thursday, before disappearing from public view.

Lohan, whose troubles began in 2007 with a drunk driving and cocaine possession arrest, spent several weeks at the Betty Ford Center in late 2010 after failing a court-ordered drug test.

White has until May 10 to decide whether the rehab program meets the requirements of Lohan's plea bargain.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Vicki Allen)

WHEN:

MoneyDesktop takes the stage Tuesday, May 14 at around 3 p.m. PST

WHERE:

FinovateSpring 2013, San Francisco Design Center, San Francisco, Calif.    

WHY:

"Finovate is one of the most compelling and beneficial events in the industry for both financial institutions and solution providers that are driving true revolutionary change,” said Ryan Caldwell, CEO and founder of MoneyDesktop. “The unique ‘speed demo’ presentation format allows us to engage the audience and show what is actually game-changing about the products and tools MoneyDesktop creates. Presenting at Finovate is a near perfect way to highlight our disruptive products, and we are thrilled to unveil our latest batch of ground-breaking products at FinovateSpring 2013.”

About FinovateSpring

FinovateSpring is a demo-based conference for innovative startups and established companies in the fields of banking and financial technology.Held in San Francisco, the event offers an insight-packed glimpse of the future of money via a fast-paced, intimate and unique format.FinovateSpring is organized by The Finovate Group. For more information on the event or to view videos of previous demos, please visit

About MoneyDesktop                                    

MoneyDesktop (MD) is redefining the way millions of people interact with their finances by developing software technologies that drive the financial engagement between account holders and financial institutions. Through its award-winning PFM, MD is the leading provider of online and mobile money management solutions and has become the fastest-growing provider of its kind. By integrating directly into online banking, core, and payment platforms, MD positions banks, credit unions and payment providers as financial hubs and offers tools that dramatically impact loan volume, user acquisition and wallet-share. MD currently partners with more than 400 financial institutions and 27 Online Banking/Core/Payment Network providers.

Michael GraulMoney Desktop678.781.7227

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court justices on Monday signaled reluctance to issue too broad a ruling about patents on human genes, and some indicated they might seek a compromise distinguishing between types of genetic material.

The biotechnology industry has warned that an expansive ruling against Myriad Genetics Inc could threaten billions of dollars of investment.

In weighing the question of whether any human genes can ever be patented - meaning the holders have exclusive rights to their intellectual property for a defined period - the nine justices asked tough questions about isolated genes that Myriad holds patents for.

But the justices also appeared to be inclined to draw a line between synthetically produced genetic material and natural genes.

A court ruling along those lines, suggested by the Obama administration, would have less impact on Myriad. Some of the latest research using human genes involves a synthetic form of DNA called recombinant DNA, or rDNA.

Shares of Myriad were up $1.43 or 5.4 percent at $27.53 on midday trading on the Nasdaq. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 1 percent.

The Myriad patents in dispute will all expire by 2015. A ruling is due by the end of June this year.

In probing the limits of what can be patented, the justices cited a wide range of products in raising hypothetical questions, including chocolate-chip cookies and baseball bats.

A group of medical researchers, associations and patients say human genes, including synthetically produced material, should not be patented. They sued in 2009, challenging seven patents owned by or licensed to Myriad on two human genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer. A federal judge said the patents were invalid. An appeals court overruled that decision, and the case landed at the Supreme Court.

Under the federal Patent Act, an inventor can obtain a patent on various new processes and products but "laws of nature, natural phenomena and abstract ideas" are not patentable. The broad legal question is whether the genes Myriad patented, called BRCA1 and BRCA2, are a product of nature. The appeals court said they were not.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted patents on at least 4,000 human genes to companies, universities and others that have discovered and decoded them.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND BASEBALL BATS

Lawyers from both sides and the Obama administration probed the limits of what can be patented. Justices cited examples of more familiar products, including chocolate-chip cookies and baseball bats.

It was Sotomayor who brought up the chocolate-chip cookies, wondering whether if it was possible to get a patent on an isolated human gene, it would be possible to do the same for salt, eggs and other cookie ingredients.

Separately, both Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts seized upon the suggestion made by Myriad lawyer Gregory Castanias that a baseball bat doesn't exist until it's isolated from the tree.

Roberts said a baseball bat was "quite different" because "you have to invent it" and not just "cut it off" from the tree.

Alito raised an even more extreme hypothetical question by asking whether a baseball bat that was naturally crafted after a piece of wood was tossed about in the ocean before washing up on shore could then be patented.

Several of the justices also ruminated at length on another colorful hypothetical question, also offered by Alito, concerning under what circumstances a company could claim a patent on material from a plant found in the Amazon jungle that can help treat cancer.

Others on the bench, such as Justice Elena Kagan, indicated concerns about the impact a broad ruling could have on companies that invest in such research.

"Why shouldn't we worry that Myriad or companies like it will just say, 'well, you know, we're not going to do this work anymore'?" she asked Christopher Hansen, the lawyer representing the challengers.

Alito appeared most concerned about the court issuing a sweeping ruling on what he described as a "very difficult" question.

"Why should we do that?" he asked.

POSSIBLE COMPROMISE?

Hansen sought to defuse concerns among the justices that he was asking for too broad a ruling. He said he was not asking for patents on rDNA to be invalidated, something industry groups had raised concerns about.

"Recombinant DNA is in fact what all the major innovations in the industry are doing these days," he said. "There is nothing in our position that would prevent recombinant DNA from being patented."

The Obama administration, which intervened in the case in support of neither side, has urged a compromise position, which several justices probed during the hour-long argument.

Government lawyers say that "synthesized genetic materials" can be patented because they are human-made inventions. But simply removing, or isolating, human DNA does not substantively change it and so it should not be eligible for a patent, the administration says.

If the court were to adopt that approach, which neither the plaintiffs nor Myriad accept, some of Myriad's patents, concerning synthetic molecules called cDNA, could survive, although the parties disagree on that point as well.

A majority appeared inclined to find that cDNA could be patented.

Emphasizing a need to tread carefully, Justice Stephen Breyer noted that patent law often involves "uneasy compromises."

Justice Anthony Kennedy asked Castanias directly whether a ruling based on the government position would give industry "sufficient protection" relating to innovation and research.

"I can't tell you for a certainty whether it would hurt the industry," Castanias said.

The case is Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-398.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Howard Goller, John Wallace and Sofina Mirza-Reid)

As the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on gay marriage, Yahoo asked readers and contributors to share what one cultural issue absorbs their interest. Here's one perspective.

COMMENTARY | Standardized testing is taking our children and our teachers hostage. A teacher in Ohio's public schools myself, I was recently told by an administrator: "Sure, creative projects are nice, but the reality is we need to prepare kids for the test."

Translation: You need to do more worksheets, more practice bubbletrons with your students. Creativity doesn't count here.

However, in real reality, creativity solves problems much bigger than "choose the best answer."

Intelligent, out-of-the-box thinking students regularly tell me how stupid they feel because they can't "figure out" what the test wants from them.

It breaks my heart when my daughter -- a fun-loving, passionate animal lover -- cries after school because her 2nd grade teacher spent 2 hours on Math test prep at school and now she has another 45 minutes of homework.

The biggest social concern of our age is to take the school-as-prison mentality and turn it into school as-invention-studio. We start by training teachers in alternative practices such as , , and . Then, like , we bring these alternative practices into the public sphere.

As parents, we have toand say to our legislators and administration: no more testing, no more industrialization of education. Bring creativity and love of learning out of the privilege of private schools and into the public school realm where everyone has access.

. Creativity for teachers and students counts -- it's about educating for life, not for a test.

Mohammed Sohel Rana was arrested in Benapole in western Bangladesh, just as he was about to flee into India's West Bengal state, said Jahangir Kabir Nanak, junior minister for local government. Rana was brought back by helicopter to the capital Dhaka where he faced charges of negligence.

Rana's capture by the Rapid Action Battalion brought cheers and applause when it was announced on a loudspeaker at the site of the collapsed building in the Dhaka suburb of Savar, where search and rescue operations were continuing through the night.

At least 377 people are confirmed to have died in the collapse of the 8-story building on Wednesday. Three of its floors were built illegally. The death toll is expected to rise but it is already the deadliest tragedy to hit Bangladesh's garment industry, which is worth $20 billion annually and is a mainstay of the economy. The collapse and previous disasters in garment factories have focused attention on the poor working conditions of workers who toil for as little as $38 a month to produce clothing for top international brands.

Rana was presented before the media briefly at the commando force's headquarters in Dhaka. Wearing a printed shirt, an exhausted and disheveled Rana was sweating as two security officers held him by his arms. A security official helped him to drink water after he gestured he was thirsty. He did not speak to the media during the 10-minute appearance after which he was taken away. He is likely to be handed over to local police who will have to charge him and produce him in court within 24 hours.

A small-time politician from the ruling party, Rana had been on the run since Wednesday. He last appeared in public in front of his Rana Plaza on Tuesday after huge cracks appeared in the building. However, he assured tenants, including five garment factories, that the building was safe, according to witnesses.

A bank and some shops on the first floor shut their premises on Wednesday after police ordered an evacuation, but managers of the garment factories on the upper floor told workers to continue their shifts.

Hours later, Rana Plaza was reduced to rubble, crushing most victims under massive blocks of concrete and mortar. A garment manufacturers' group said the factories in the building employed 3,122 workers, but it was not clear how many were inside it when it collapsed. About 2,500 survivors have been accounted for.

On Sunday, rescuers were supposed to start using heavy equipment to drill a central hole from the top to look for survivors and dead bodies. But the operation was delayed after rescuers located a woman inside the building, and were trying to pull her out.

Army Maj. Gen. Chowdhury Hasan Suhrawardy, the coordinator of the rescue operations, said so far rescuers have been manually shifting concrete blocks with the help of light equipment such as pickaxes and shovels.

The next phase will involve manual efforts as well as heavy equipment, including hydraulic cranes and cutters to bore a hole from the top of the collapsed building, he told reporters.

The purpose is to "continue the operation to recover both survivors and dead bodies. In this stage, we have no other choice but to use some heavy equipment. We will start it within a few hours. Manual operation and use of small equipment is not enough," he said.

The work will be carried out carefully so as not to mutilate bodies, he said. All the equipment is in place, "from a small blade to everything. We have engaged many private sector companies which supplied us equipment, even some heavy ones."

In rare good news, a female worker was pulled out alive on Sunday. Hasan Akbari, a rescuer, said when he tried to extricate a man next to the woman, "he said his body was being torn apart. So I had to let go. But God willing, we will be able to rescue him with more help very soon."

On Saturday, police arrested three owners of two factories. Also under detention are Rana's wife and two government engineers who were involved in giving approval for the building design. Local television stations reported that the Bangladesh High Court has frozen the bank accounts of the owners of all five garment factories in the collapsed building.

Rana was a local leader of ruling Awami League's youth front. His arrest, and that of the factory owners, was ordered by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also the Awami League leader.

The disaster is the worst ever for the country's booming and powerful garment industry, surpassing a fire five months ago that killed 112 people and brought widespread pledges to improve worker-safety standards. But since then very little has changed in Bangladesh, where low wages have made it a magnet for numerous global brands.

Bangladesh's garment industry was the third largest in the world in 2011, after China and Italy, having grown rapidly in the past decade. The country's minimum wage is the equivalent of about $38 a month.

Among the garment makers in the building were Phantom Apparels, Phantom Tac, Ether Tex, New Wave Style and New Wave Bottoms. Altogether, they produced several million shirts, pants and other garments a year.

The New Wave companies, according to their website, make clothing for several major North American and European retailers.

Britain's Primark acknowledged it was using a factory in Rana Plaza, but many other retailers distanced themselves from the disaster, saying they were not involved with the factories at the time of the collapse or had not recently ordered garments from them.

Wal-Mart said none of its clothing had been authorized to be made in the facility, but it is investigating whether there was any unauthorized production.

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AP writers Farid Hossain and Gillian Wong in Dhaka contributed to this report.