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Friday, April 13, 2012

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


Athletic frogs have faster-changing genomes

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 03:23 PM PDT

Physically fit frogs have faster-changing genomes, says a new study of poison frogs. Stretches of DNA accumulate changes over time, but the rate at which those changes build up varies considerably between species, researchers say.

Excessive worrying may have co-evolved with intelligence

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 12:30 PM PDT

Worrying may have evolved along with intelligence as a beneficial trait, according to scientists who found that high intelligence and worry both correlate with brain activity measured by the depletion of the nutrient choline in the subcortical white matter of the brain. According to the researchers, this suggests that intelligence may have co-evolved with worry in humans.

Endangered bats find sanctuary in Israeli 'ghost bunkers'

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 10:31 AM PDT

Abandoned army bunkers along a 60 mile stretch of land in the north of Israel have new tenants, according to a Tel Aviv University researcher -- 12 indigenous bat species, including three already designated as endangered, have moved into the shelters and are flourishing.

Caterpillars more likely to vomit alone

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 09:48 AM PDT

A type of caterpillar which defends itself by regurgitating on its predators is less likely to do so when in groups than when alone, a new study has found.

Listen up, parents: For toddlers (and chimps), the majority rules

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 09:13 AM PDT

A new study offers some news for parents: even toddlers have a tendency to follow the crowd. That sensitivity isn't unique to humans either; chimpanzees also appear more likely to pick up habits if "everyone else is doing it."

Do I look bigger with my finger on a trigger? Yes, says study

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:54 PM PDT

Anthropologists asked hundreds of Americans to guess the size and muscularity of four men based solely on photographs of their hands holding a range of ordinary objects, including handguns. The research confirmed what scrawny thugs have long known: brandishing a weapon makes a man appear bigger and stronger than he would otherwise. The findings suggest an unconscious mechanism that could misguide people about the magnitude of physical threats.

Key to new antibiotics could be deep within isolated cave

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:54 PM PDT

Researchers discovered a remarkable prevalence of antibiotic resistance bacteria isolated from Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico, one of the deepest and largest caves in the world and a place isolated from human contact for more than four million years.

Pigeons' homing skill not due to iron-rich beak: Cells cannot sense magnetic fields

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:20 AM PDT

The theory that pigeons' famous skill at navigation is down to iron-rich nerve cells in their beaks has been disproven by a new study.

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