Animals’ scent posts may seem to be simply stinky, but new molecular surveys show they actually convey a veritable encyclopedia of information about the animals that left them. These intriguing findings – which could suggest a way to manipulate animal behaviour – are based on analyses of scent from groups of hyenas in Kenya. “When […]
Astronomers using NASA’s Swift X-ray Telescope have observed a spinning neutron star suddenly slowing down, a never before seen event that is expected to catalyze renewed efforts to better understand the puzzling physics of these bizarre stellar remnants. The star, known as 1E2259 586, is in the Northern Hemisphere sky in the constellation Cassiopeia. The […]
Harvard scientists say that pica (the eating of non-food items) is far more prevalent in Madagascar than previously thought and men are partaking as often as pregnant women. In the new study, Harvard’s Christopher Golden and colleagues from Madagascar Health and Environmental Research surveyed 760 people in the northeastern corner of the island nation and […]
Uncovering the individual genes that are directly influenced by testosterone and estrogen has allowed University of California, San Francisco scientists to manipulate individual behaviors in mice, such as sex drive, desire to pick fights, or willingness to spend extra time caring for their young. Explaining his work in the journal Cell, researcher Nirao Shah said […]
Rising oceanic carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are disrupting a key brain receptor in fish, causing dramatic changes in their brain chemistry, behavior and sensory abilities, say Australian researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. Their work appears in the journal Nature Climate Change. Around 2.3 billion tons of human CO2emissions dissolve […]
A study in the latest issue of The American Naturalist describes a fungal parasite that coerces ants into dying in just the right spot – one that is ideal for the fungus to grow and reproduce. Scientists have known for over a century about this parasite’s ability to turn unsuspecting ants into zombies. But Harvard […]
Bacteria can anticipate future events and prepare for them, according to new research that explores how a microorganism’s genetic networks are hard-wired to “foresee” what comes next in a sequence of events. Reporting their findings in Nature, the Weizmann Institute of Science researchers explained how E. coli bacteria, which normally cruise harmlessly down the digestive […]
In a study of 18-24 year-olds conducted over a 12 month period, an astonishing 47 percent of the individuals assessed met the criteria for substance abuse, personality disorders or another mental health condition, yet only one-quarter of those affected sought treatment. Reporting their findings in the Archives of General Psychiatry, the researchers noted that while […]
Microbes may be smarter than we think, at least that’s according to Princeton University researchers who have shown for the first time that bacteria don’t just react to changes in their surroundings – they anticipate and prepare for them. The findings, reported in Science, challenge the prevailing notion that only organisms with complex nervous systems […]
Gardeners believe that some pairs of plants get along better than others, and it now seems there may be scientific evidence to back up the notion. Researchers from McMaster University in Canada have found that plants get fiercely competitive when forced to share their pot with strangers of the same species, but they’re accommodating when […]
