Friday, 25 May, 2012

Mice can tell the sex, mating status and identity of another mouse — all from sniffing urine. A new study of how mice read pheromones also gives insight into the human sensory apparatus…

In the brain, dopamine carries signals that make us eat, take drugs and have sex. New research shows that dopamine plays a key role in rewarding mice for aggression.

Migration of songbirds, butterflies, turtles and seals. Where does the natural urge to move originate?

Cooperation is a classic human trait, but chimps do it too. A new study sheds light on the “what’s-in-it-for-me” angle of cooperation: It’s good for your genes.

Like doing two things at once? Then why can’t you draw a circle and a square at the same time? New insight into how the brain controls movement — except when it can’t.

Surprise: Crabs prefer fish fresh, just like you and me! Study shows that odor of rotten fish repels stone crabs; shows evolutionary reason why decay organisms make foul stench.

How do smart diners decide from an unfamiliar menu? They take advice. Ditto for bees. If they haven’t seen the flowers before, they follow the lead of another bee.

When chickadees see hawks or owls, what do they “say?” Their warning is more complex than expected. In the presence of a really dangerous predator, the warning is more alarming!

German dog learneh through fast mapping, much the same way children learn words. So why don’t other dogs have such a good vocabulary?

How does the brain change when we remember or learn? Why babies don’t remember their first year of life? What exactly is a memory?