Wednesday, 22 May, 2013

We spend ever-more hours with TV, cellphones, tablets and computers, is it rude or necessary to always answer your phone? Does distraction make you dumb? What about multitasking?

Some people blame strandings on a noisy ocean. A new study shows that the endangered North Atlantic right whale is shouting to be heard. Another whale tale: a giant killing whale was recently discovered in Peru, with about the biggest teeth in history…

Most fireflies flash on their own schedule, but some do it all at once. In most animals, the guys try to stand out from the crowd – but these flies try to make a crowd! What’s the evolutionary advantage? What can we learn about bug-brains from the “all-at-once” display of synchronous fireflies?

How does momma croc know when to dig up the young? How do the embryos know when to start hatching? The secret’s in the song…

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!

Austrian researchers show quantum entanglement across the Danube River, providing new promise in cryptography and computing. At the smallest scale, you can throw out the usual rules of engagement. What’s up with spooky action at a distance?

Song competition among chickadees sets females’ reproductive strategy. Guys: Time to learn to sing?