CAROUSEL

Welcome to “The 101,” our premiere staff-written blog for breaking news and commentary on today’s most compelling research.

Bacteria Working in the Shadows: Brevibacterium linens

Bacteria Working in the Shadows: Lactobacillus

Bacteria Working in the Shadows: Pseudomonas syringae

Bacteria Working in the Shadows: Vibrio

Bacteria Working in the Shadows: Bdellovibrio

Bacteria Working in the Shadows: Pseudomonas putida

Bacteria Working in the Shadows: Cyanobacteria

Bacteria Working in the Shadows: Deinococcus radiodurans

Bacteria Working in the Shadows: E. coli

Bacteria Working in the Shadows: Streptococcus mutans.

How textbook changes and talk of secession affect the citizen embarrassment level in Texas.

How battling Obamacare and being highlighted for corruption affect the citizen embarrassment level in Tennessee.

How former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and state corruption in general affect the citizen embarrassment level in Illinois.

How gun laws, Confederate History Month and a statue of Stalin contribute to the citizen embarrassment level in Virginia.

How rampant corruption, a governor's affair with a prostitute and the fall of "America's Cop" affect the citizen embarrassment level in New York.

How immigration laws, a state boycott and a "worst sheriff" honor affect the citizen embarrassment level in Arizona.

How a budget deficit, credit crisis and the Governator affect the citizen embarrassment level in California.

An overturned fishing boat symbolizes the plight of the world's fisheries.

Two new studies — one sociological, another using brain scans — document and help explain our lack of empathy for perceived outsiders.

Will it give European intelligence agencies access to U.S. banking records?

The emergence of a video showing pedestrians mowed down in Baghdad by U.S. gunships illustrates how traditional media's watchdog role is being usurped.

While being involved in your children’s lives and studies is intuitively (and statistically) smart, some techniques are better than others.

The Yankees look to be the dominant team in baseball for 2010, according to a New Jersey Institute of Technology mathematician (and Mets fan).