Morsels For The Mind – 17/04/2015
Every day we provide you with Six Incredible Things Before Breakfast to nibble away at. Here you can fill your brain with the most intellectually stimulating “amuse bouches” from the past week – a veritable smorgasbord for the cranium. They’re all here for you to load up your plate – this week’s “Morsels for the mind”. Enjoy!
If you do nothing else, make sure to check out the “Reads / views / listens of the week”.
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Feather, fur & fin – birds, beasts, fishes, and the things they do
Wonderful wildlife. Captivating creatures, shared in a gallery, by Eric Hilaire.
Secret to a good night's sleep? Apes know it, as Matt Walker explains.
Taking a stab at evolution. Female chimps that hunt gives anthropology pause for thought. James Gorman considers the discovery.
Getting to the point? Female chimps appear to use spears to hunt. Implications? Bob Holmes looks into it.
Breeding discontent. Implications of gorilla genetics. Superb exchange, started by Anne Buchanan and Ken Weiss, joined by Aylwyn Scally (read the comments).
Monkey business. New primate identified by penis & scrotum. Paula Park looks into it.
Known by nethers. New macaque species distinguished by its genitalia. Michelle Douglass on the discovery.
Gray matter. 22.5k km, 172-day, epic journey of gray whale. Longest mammal migration. Great story, by Laura Geggel. Read of the week.
Tremendous travels. Gray whale's stunning migration, considered by Jane Lee.
Beautiful minds. Remarkably complex brains of dolphins & elephants. Great profile by Mary Bates.
"Oh my, what the heck is that?!" Only a whale. 700m under the sea. Posing for a movie. Great video, shared by Kyle Hill.
Whale of a show. Rare sperm whale deep under sea. Cool video with great back story, shared by Becky Oskin. View of the week.
So lonely it Hertz? Is the whale singing at 52Hz the loneliest in the world? Fascinating story, by Chris Baraniuk. Read of the week.
Glorious glider. Sunda flying lemur. Lovely profile, by Bec Crew.
City sickers. Coyotes take to urban living when ill, reveals Elizabeth Preston.
Sit. Stay. Read this great feature on dog domestication, by David Grimm. Read of the week.
The look of love? Bond-reinforcing action of oxytocin when dogs & humans gaze eye-to-eye. David Grimm looks at the cool new experiment.
The eyes that bind. Reciprocal oxytocin release when dogs look us in eye creates strong bond. Zoe Gough considers the evidence.
Look into my eyes.. Oxytocin enhances our bond with dogs via gazing, as Michael Slezak explains.
Canine companions' chemical coupling. Oxytocin builds bond between dogs & humans, explains Ian Sample.
Seeing eye to eye. Creates dog-human oxytocin bond. Superb story, by Ed Yong. Read of the week.
Never cry wolf. Do oxytocin results really show why wolves weren't domesticated? Excellent critical assessment, by Clive Wynne.
Nothing to sniff at. Maybe your dog or cat is allergic to you, as Liz Langley found.
Ahead by a nose. Dogs sniff out prostate cancer with >93% reliability. Implications? James Meikle considers.
Entertainment tonight? How network press coverage harassed a wild cougar. Ridiculous. Important story, by Jason Goldman.
The purr-fect crime? Tracking a thieving cat..with a penchant for undergarments. Fun story, by Lea Shell.
A whole other stripe. Striped ribbon seals.
A walk on the wild side. Birds (& others) seen on a stroll. Nice photo essay, by Sean McCann.
Oh nothing. Just a hummingbird snoring, shared by GrrlScientist.
Fabulous flyers. Hummingbirds. Great profile by Russell McLendon.
Air traffic control. Blue lights could help reduce collisions between birds & aircraft, reveals Ian Randall.
Toxically timid. Mercury-exposed song birds are detrimentally cautious, explains Roberta Kwok.
Go with the flow? Not "lost" turtles, they swim with purpose. Great story, by Jonathan Webb.
It's got dinner licked. Chameleon tongue grabs meal in slo mo.
Escape claws. Clawed frog scrapes its way from extinction. John Platt has a (sort of) good news story.
Don't believe everything you read. Especially when it comes to "deadly toads". Great case made by David Steen.
Love-hate relationship. The lamprey may be reviled, but it's a key part of its ecosystem. Superb article, by Brandon Keim. Read of the week.
Easy to swallow. Cichlid's amazing throat jaws. Axel Meyer looks into it.
A very moving story. How octopuses bust a move. Cool story, by Laura Geggel.
All the right moves. Nimble octopus. Great coverage of a cool story, by Victoria Gill.
A taste for fish. Chris Cesare explains how it evolved in sea snails.
Shellfish reasons. The compelling case for conducting research on shells, nicely made by Vicky Sleight.
Stupendous species. Some freaky new ones.
Able semen? Efficiency of sea urchin sperm at tipping point due to ocean acidification. Jason Goldman looks into it.
Shaping up. Animal shape-shifters. Nice profiles, by Louise Gentle.
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Bugs’ life – insects and other things that creep, crawl and otherwise delight – the arthropods
Webbed wiles. Female wolf spiders spin flirtatious silk, as Jane Lee reveals.
Hidden in plain sight. Camouflaged spiders. Wonderful photography by Nicky Bay.
Stupendous stealth. Mirror turtle ants, featuring the research of Scott Powell, by Lauren Ingeno.
Leaf it alone. The solitary lives of leaf-cutter bees, by Susan Swanberg.
Blueberry bacteria beaten back by beetles. Dung beetles could help reduce microbes on food. Nice take, by Paul Manning.
Playing favourites. Better rooms for wasp mom's fave kids, explains Elizabeth Preston.
Plot twist. The left or right turns of beetle genitalia. Great natural history, by Kip Will.
Speed demons. Ants move faster in heavy traffic, explains Chris Cesare.
Eyes on the flies. Morgan Jackson wins prize for super fly research video. Congrats!
What's eating you? If you're a bug it could be diners. Insects on the menu. Great piece, by J.R. McConvey.
It's all cricket. The new protein source on the rise. Excellent feature, by Brooke Borel. Read of the week.
Walloping websnappers! Hearts repaired by spider silk scaffold. Cool technological advance, nicely shared by Madeleine Stone.
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Fossil finds – organisms of times past – palaeontology, archaeology, anthropology, history and the like
Telling tails. Dinosaur tails may reveal sex of the ancient animals, explains Sid Perkins.
A bone to pick. Boneworms' longtime skeletal diet. Cool story, by Becky Oskin.
The sound of terror. Terror birds likely made low-frequency infrasound calls, reveals Brian Switek.
Boneheaded battles. Remarkable fossil mammal skulls fuelled 19th century feud. Superb story, by Brian Switek. Read of the week.
You are what you eat. Brian Switek looks into two ancient rhinos' diets.
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Beautiful botanicals – wonders of the photosynthesising world – that is, mainly plants
Springing into action. How trees discern springtime. Good stuff, by Nadine Ajaka & Robinson Meyer.
Big things, small packages. Tiny regulatory peptides emerge unexpectedly in plants, as Ian Street explains.
Shady business. Why plants & animals are a darker hue near equator. Cool story, by Jason Goldman.
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Microscopic marvels – smaller than the eye can see, but big in action – bacteria, fungi and viruses
Only human? Actually, epidemics of deadly disease impact all animals. Good overview, by Shreya Dasgupta.
"If the goats die, the children don't go to school." Ewen Callaway considers the challenge of eradicating goat plague.
Crystalline entity. Made by microbial tornadoes. Cool discovery, nicely described by Emily Conover.
All aboard! High school students help reveal subway's microbial passengers. Awesome story, by Bethany Brookshire.
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Molecular machinery – the toils of the macromolecules of life – nucleic acids and proteins (and others) – from molecules to cells to organs to organisms (including genetics, genomics & epigenetics)
Something for nothing? Might some genes predispose you for placebo susceptibility? Penny Sarchet considers the evidence.
Criminal intent? Could there be a genetic predisposition to committing sex crimes? Hmm. Emily Underwood takes a critical look.
Chalk it up to this. Chalk-making coccolith's genome. Cool story, by Sedeer el-Showk.
A mother's love. Shaped by oxytocin, in mice. Interesting discovery on the mechanism of oxytocin action, nicely considered by Virginia Morell.
Making moms. Oxytocin shapes maternal behaviour in mice. Great take, by Ed Yong.
Dampening enthusiasm! New discoveries of cool things water does. Great review, by Philip Ball.
Nailed it! Measuring the passage of time by fingernail growth. Excellent, via Seriously, Science.
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Forces of nature – big-ticket items – ecology, evolution & extinction
All creatures great & small. Could there be 200 million species on Earth? Fantastic piece, by Rob Dunn. Read of the week.
Can no longer be counted on one hand. Emergence of the 6th great extinction. Nice feature, by Eric Hand.
Origins of the species. Redux. Excellent take on Brontosaurus & taxonomical churn, by Megan Garber. Read of the week.
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Earth, wind and fire – planet shaping – geology, meteorology, oceanography, the environment & climate
Have you heard? Charles Choi listened in on the oceanic source of Earth's hum.
Explosive impact. 200 years ago, Tambora volcano had huge effect. What if it happened today? Superb feature, via Ananyo Bhattacharya. Read of the week.
Lasting legacy. Frankenstein, famine poetry, polar exploration. Tambora eruption lingers. Great story, by Sarah Zielinski.
Hot stuff! Magnificent volcanic eruption, explored by Ethan Siegel.
Phenomenally fascinating forms. Geological features we still don't fully understand. Nice feature, by Mika McKinnon. Read of the week.
When it rains.. It's seen globally. Great visualisation, by Horace Mitchell.
Not cool. Rapid thinning of antarctic ice shelves. Tom Yulsman has the grim news.
Where there's smoke..there's radiation. Forest fires near Chernobyl pose new threat. Rachel Nuwer on the latest concern.
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Star attractions – the final frontier, space
Illuminating the dark. Cosmic map of dark matter. Cool data, nicely contextualised by Davide Castelvecchi.
Illuminating discovery. Gamma rays may shed light on dark matter. Excellent feature, by Kate Becker. Read of the week.
A star is born. Creating stellar jets.
Dying on the inside. How galaxies come to an end, explored by ESO.
Imperial star destroyer. The things that kill galaxies. Great explainer, by Amanda Bauer, Tanya Hill & Sarah Brough.
Death Star. White dwarf shredded passing planet. Discovery shared by Chandra Observatory.
Gravity of the situation. Remarkable object that survived a black hole encounter. Cool story, by Phil Plait.
Ghosts in the dark. Ghostly galaxies drift in coma cluster. Ken Croswell took a look.
We had joy, we had fun..we have seasons on the sun. Fascinating discovery, nicely explained by Melissa Hogenboom.
Any bright ideas? Looking for insights into growing mystery of Ceres's shiny bright spots. Great story, by Alexandra Witze. Can't wait to see what the final answer may be!
Spot, the difference. Ceres's shiny spots not alike. Jacob Aron takes a look.
Nice to see hue. First colour images of Pluto & Charon, shared by Nadia Drake.
Bountiful bounces. Philae lander's bouncing on 67P reveals comet has no magnetic field, as Quirin Schiermeier reveals.
Not so attractive. Comet lacks magnetism. Jonathan Amos on the evidence.
Tip of the hat. Cassini spies Sombrero Galaxy from Saturn. Great image and contextualisation, by Jason Major.
Something in the water. Saturn's stunning superstorms likely due to aqueous convection, as Mary Beth Griggs explains.
Saturn's seething storms. Preston Dyches considers why they happen.
The answer is blowing in the wind? Methane sandstorms may explain Titan's mysterious dunes, explains Peter Kelley.
No place like home. Despite their differences, Venus may give insights into life on Earth, as Robin McKie explains.
Around it goes. Martian water cycle. Cool discovery, nicely explained by Rachel Feltman.
Now you see it, now you don't. Martian water appears & disappears in cycles, as Jacob Aron explains.
What lies beneath? Sarah Scoles on the water just below Martian surface.
What goes around, comes around. The evaporative water cycle on Mars. Paul Rincon takes a look.
Go with the flow. Understanding a solar system awash in water. Ours. Great feature, by Preston Dyches & Felicia Chou.
Blue by hue. Azure Martian outcroppings, shared by Stuart Gary.
Lovely lowlands. Martian Cydonia region, shared by DLR Portal.
Smack dab in the middle. Earth core's origins in cosmic collision with Mercury-like planet. Mike Lemonick looks at the evidence.
Sister act. Moon likely emerged by Earth colliding with close sibling planet, explains Adam Levy.
The great beyond. Looking to & from space. Great gallery, compiled by Jane Lee.
What's cooking? Microwave ovens source of mysterious signals seen by radio telescopes. Nadia Drake on the discovery.
Embracing the dark side. Astrotourists seek the darkest skies. Great story, by Jamie Doward.
Astronomical highs & lows. Great insights into Hubble telescope's life, at age 25 yrs, reported by Alexandra Witze. Read of the week.
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Getting physical – physical sciences – cosmology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, computing, engineering, and technology
A matter of time. Planets move in 4 dimensions. One is sort of like time. Excellent physics, nicely explained by John Carlos Baez.
Things that go bump in the dark. When four galaxies collided, dark matter interacted, as Paul Rincon reveals.
Noodling about. Neutron stars dish out servings of nuclear pasta. Cool discovery, well described by Jennifer Ouellette.
Life, the universe, and everything. Is one, all encompassing, theory possible? Great take, by Katie Silver.
A wrinkle in the theory? Actually, there's a new theory in the wrinkle. Fascinating physics, nicely explained by Sarah Lewin.
Periodically challenged. Exotic atom, lawrencium, struggles for periodic table place, as Davide Castelvecchi reveals.
Alien invaders. Primordial building blocks for life could have been meteorite-delivered. Anthony King considers the evidence.
Cheers! Determining optimal wine glass without wasting a drop. Cool technological approach, nicely explained by Jennifer Newton.
Apocalypse now. Then what? Could civilisation be rebuilt without fossil fuels? Lewis Dartnell considers the possibility in this great piece.
Over versus under sorted! 124 year old loo roll patent settles it. Fun look at technology, featuring Seth Wheeler, by Megan Willett.
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A dose of medicine – science in practice in a medical setting, and health-, nutrition-, and exercise-related stories
Too little, too late? The second Ebola vaccine trial. Important insights via Kai Kupferschmidt.
Shot heard around the world. It's the 60th anniversary of the polio vaccine. Great interview of vaccine pioneer John Sever, by Maryn McKenna.
Familiar foe. After 30 years, research again focused on Ras as cancer treatment target. Excellent feature, by Heidi Ledford. Read of the week.
Best offence is a good defence? Cancer-beating vaccine built on basis of tumour mutations. Good story, by Heidi Ledford.
Risky business? Of glyphosate, cancer, GMOs, & risk assessment. Great take, by Michael Specter.
Mistaken mutations. Cancers' root causes often misidentified in clinic, finds Heidi Ledford.
Putting a finger on the solution. Mystery of why knuckles crack solved, explains Ian Sample,
Fat chance? Being overweight in middle age may decrease dementia risk. Surprising find, nicely explained by James Gallagher.
Star power. A good, critical look at "The Angelina Effect" on cancer risk knowledge, by Rachel Ehrenberg.
Oh boy! Shouldn't just be girls who are vaccinated for HPV. Value for boys. Important insights, by Helen Branswell.
Short odds. Genetic-related heart health risk higher in shorter people, reveals James Gallagher.
Dealing with crap. Helping folks dig through excrement addresses health challenge of poverty. Great story, by Matt Shipman.
Stepping it up. Monitoring foot-strike by an in-shoe sensor. Interesting research, nicely explained by Alex Hutchinson.
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Matters of mind – how we, and other animals, perceive our world and our place in it – neuroscience, mental health, psychology, sociology & human interest stories
Of mice & men. Alzheimer's discovery with mouse exciting, but beware extraordinary claims warns Alok Jha.
Caveat emptor. Alzheimer's & immune system tie is encouraging but it's in mouse model. Hannah Devlin has a sensible take on this story.
Oh, as if. Brain's "sarcasm centre" found. NeuroSkeptic looks into it.
No feelings about this. Acetaminophen may dull emotional pain also, reveals Allison Aubrey.
You must remember this. Of earliest memories of pets, & later life attitudes. Great take on some recent research, as usual, by Zazie Todd.
Abracadabra! Why magic fascinates babies (& maybe all of us). Susana Martinez-Conde (Illusion Chasers) considers why.
Tuning in. Why folks like music, even if it's bad. Intriguing insights, by Jim Davies.
Berry good? Could blueberries help combat PTSD? Rebecca Rupp looks at the latest for a "wonder food".
Look at life from both sides now. Tiptoeing about Joni Mitchell's condition is not good. Great critical assessment, by Russell Smith.
Ever had your head explode? It's a thing. For real. Interesting story, by Helen Thomson.
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Behind the scenes – the workings of life’s museum of natural history – discovery, communication, and education
Happy anniversary! Some worthy scientific milestones to celebrate this year. Tom Siegfried has a great selection.
A force of nature. The 81 year evolution of Jane Goodall. Great profile, by Melissa Cronin.
"Gender balance in science is fixed!" Um, no. Great critical assessment, by Marie Claire Shanahan.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt. How self doubt & subtle biases undermine women in science. by Ulli Hain
Accidents will happen. In science, mistakes occur. How we deal with them is crucial. Excellent take, by Brian McGill, via Dynamic Ecology.
Sad to learn of Eduardo Galeano passing away. In the 80s, his "Memory of Fire" trilogy changed my whole worldview.
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