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Tuesday, September 3, 2013

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


Primate calls, like human speech, can help infants form categories

Posted: 02 Sep 2013 01:27 PM PDT

Human infants' responses to the vocalizations of non-human primates shed light on the developmental origin of a crucial link between human language and core cognitive capacities, a new study reports. Previous studies have shown that even in infants too young to speak, listening to human speech supports core cognitive processes, including the formation of object categories. Researchers documented that this link is initially broad enough to include the vocalizations of non-human primates.  

Frogs that hear with their mouth: X-rays reveal a new hearing mechanism for animals without an ear

Posted: 02 Sep 2013 01:27 PM PDT

Gardiner's frogs from the Seychelles islands, one of the smallest frogs in the world, do not possess a middle ear with an eardrum yet can croak themselves, and hear other frogs. An international team of scientists using X-rays has now solved this mystery and established that these frogs are using their mouth cavity and tissue to transmit sound to their inner ears.

Giant Triassic amphibian was a burrowing youngster

Posted: 02 Sep 2013 01:27 PM PDT

During the Triassic Period Krasiejów, Poland had a warm climate and was populated by giant amphibians, such as Metoposaurus diagnosticus. Like modern amphibians, Metoposaurus needed water, but an extremely long dry season drove this species to burrow underground and go dormant. This recently discovered burrowing behavior was explored in a new study examining the overall structure Metoposaurus' skeleton and the microscopic structure of its bones.

Average height of European males has grown by 11 centimeters in just over a century

Posted: 02 Sep 2013 07:17 AM PDT

The average height of European males increased by an unprecedented 11 centimeters between the mid-nineteenth century and 1980, according to a new article. Contrary to expectations, the study also reveals that average height actually accelerated in the period spanning the two World Wars and the Great Depression.

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