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Friday, December 9, 2011

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


77,000-year-old evidence for 'bedding' and use of medicinal plants uncovered at South African rock shelter

Posted: 08 Dec 2011 12:12 PM PST

An international team of researchers has discovered the earliest evidence for the intentional construction of plant "bedding." The 77,000-year-old evidence for preserved plant bedding and the use of insect-repelling plants was discovered in a rock shelter in South Africa.

Decisions, decisions: House-hunting honey bees work like complex brains

Posted: 08 Dec 2011 11:19 AM PST

Researchers have found a signal, overlooked until now, that plays a role when honey bees split off from their mother colony and go scouting for a new home. Called the "stop signal," it is a very short buzz delivered by a scout bee while butting her head against a dancing honey bee, and is similar to signals that occur between neurons in the brains of monkeys making decisions.

Helping your fellow rat: Rodents show empathy-driven behavior, evidence suggests

Posted: 08 Dec 2011 11:19 AM PST

The first evidence of empathy-driven helping behavior in rodents has been observed in laboratory rats that repeatedly free companions from a restraint, according to a new study by University of Chicago neuroscientists. The observation, published today in Science, places the origin of pro-social helping behavior earlier in the evolutionary tree than previously thought.

Neuroscientists boost memory in mice using genetics and a new memory-enhancing drug

Posted: 08 Dec 2011 09:57 AM PST

When the activity of a molecule that is normally elevated during viral infections is inhibited in the brain, mice learn and remember better, researchers report.

Patterns seen in spider silk and melodies connected

Posted: 08 Dec 2011 06:26 AM PST

Using a new mathematical methodology, researchers have created a scientifically rigorous analogy showing the similarities between the physical structure of spider silk and the sonic structure of a musical composition, proving that the structure of each relates to its function in an equivalent way. The comparison begins with the primary building blocks of each item and explains that structural patterns are directly related to the functional properties of silk and a melodic riff.

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