Scientists say they’ve discovered a new dinosaur species in South Africa that may help explain how the creatures evolved into the largest animals on land.

From short to shaggy, nearly all the differences in dogs’ coat types result from variations in just three genes, according to researchers studying how genes work together.

When photographer Rick Guidotti started looking through medical books for information about the genetic disorder albinism, all the images he saw depicted sadness and lifelessness. People with the condition lack pigment in their hair, skin and eyes. Many grow up teased and shunned. Pictures often show them unsmiling, eyes downcast and hunched over.

It was “Dr. Rick vs. the Invaders.“ Not a science-fiction movie, but a career of battling fleas, worms, ticks and other parasites that plague pets and their owners. Armed with degrees in zoology and parasitology, including a doctorate from the Tulane University School of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, Ulrich Paul “Rick” Kalkofen began studying dog parasites and ways to combat and prevent them. He improved research methods that led to a state-of-the-art flea and tick collar and other pet products, including those made by a Richmond company.

Philip Morris wants smokers to try new things—but they’re a tough group to convince. Just this year, Philip Morris pulled the silvery packs of its Marlboro UltraSmooth cigarettes from store shelves after a three-year effort to test a complicated new filter.

As the U.S. market for cigarettes shrinks, the country’s largest manufacturer is toiling away at perfecting its products and developing other ones at its new research center in Richmond.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has online records of patents granted and patent applications at http://patft.uspto.gov.
The National Institutes of Health and National Library of Medicine have a database of medical journal abstracts at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed.

Philip Morris USA pulled research even closer to its vest this year, quietly canceling a multimillion-dollar grant program for young scientists.

Philip Morris is far and away the leader among cigarette companies when it comes to research and development. In the past two years, the company has applied for more than 70 patents, a Richmond Times-Dispatch review found.

Inside Philip Morris USA’s Research & Technology Center in downtown Richmond, the company is doing more than just scientific research.