Bullied kids

Most kids are bullied at some point in their lives, but overweight children are more often the targets of bullies. Now researchers at University of Florida say this frequently leads overweight children to avoid situations where they have been picked on before, such as gym and sports. This may make it more difficult for them to shed weight, the researchers write in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology.

Rain impact

The erosion caused by rainfall directly affects the movement of continental plates beneath mountain ranges, a University of Toronto geophysicist says. The finding, reported in the journal Geology, has for the first time raised the possibility that human-induced climate change could affect the deep workings of the planet.

Anthrax enemy

Researchers at Rockefeller University suggest that a newly discovered protein could be used to fight anthrax infections and even decontaminate areas in which anthrax spores have been released. The protein, called PlyPH, kills anthrax bacteria by exploding their cell walls, the researchers report in the Journal of Bacteriology.

Galactic cradle

A study of Spitzer Space Telescope data suggests that unseen dark matter ? which emits no light but has mass ? has had a major effect on the formation and evolution of galaxies, according to Cornell University scientists. They also say that bright active galaxies are only born within dark matter clumps of a certain size in the universe, the Astrophysical Journal Letters reports.