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Monday, March 25, 2013

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


Nature versus nurture: Better looking birds have healthier babies, finds study of great tits

Posted: 24 Mar 2013 05:18 PM PDT

A female great tits' (Parus major) appearance is shown to signal healthy attributes in offspring in a new paper. The black stripe across her breast and white patches on her cheeks correlate to a chick's weight at two weeks and immune strength respectively -- though the former seems to signal a genetic benefit and the latter can affect an 'adopted' chick's health, suggesting nurture is involved.

Venus vortices go for chaotic multi-storey strolls around the poles

Posted: 24 Mar 2013 12:21 PM PDT

A detailed study of Venus' South Polar Vortex shows a much more chaotic and unpredictable cyclone than previously thought. The analysis reveals that the center of rotation of the vortex wanders around the pole differently at different altitude levels in the clouds of Venus. In its stroll around the Pole, in layers separated by 20 km, the vortex experiences unpredictable changes in its morphology. The results of this study are published online in Nature Geoscience today.

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