Neanderthal Medicine.

What can dental tartar on the 50,000-year-old teeth of a Neanderthal fossil found in Spain tell us about Neanderthal culture? Actually, quite a lot. Microscopic analysis of the particles in the tartar reveals that Neanderthals liked their veggies cooked. The starch and other carbohydrates in the tartar also suggests that they ate a variety of vegetables but surprisingly little meat. Most surprisingly, however, was that the Neanderthal teeth showed that they ate herbs and plants that are known to be non-nutritious and bad tasting but which are also known to have medicinal properties. A paleontologist associated with the study pointed out that if the Neanderthals were not eating these particular plants for their taste or caloric value, they may very well have been aware of their medicinal effects.

More at National Geographic.

Online Dating Goes Zoological.

What’s a lonely river otter to do? Zoo animals have limited chances to breed and yet there is a need to ensure that certain endangered zoo inhabitants do have offspring. In Chicago, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Population Management Center may have an answer. By collecting data on hundreds of animals in zoos across the country the organization acts as a kind of “match.com” by using a computer system to match animals from different zoos where captive breeding is desired. There have been some comical failures, such as the accidental pairing of two male birds. But there have also been successes, such as a Massachusetts-California match of two otters in 2009 that has produced so far five otter offspring.

More at Global Animal.

The Complicated History of the Bear Family.

Polar bears and brown bears are distantly related. DNA evidence suggests that the two split into separate species about 4-5 million years ago and the reason for the split probably had to do with climate change. Today, there is evidence of a new mixing of the species due to the fact that polar bears are spending far more time on land in the absence of abundant sea ice. Already, some brown-polar hybrid bears have been documented in Canada, thus repeating a cycle that has a long association with climate change.

More at Discovery.

Selfish Sheep.

Think of a sheep and you think of an animal that is, well, sheepishly tied to its herd. However, the sociality of sheep is more complicated than one might think. A behavioral explanation called “selfish-herd theory” has been tested in herds of sheep. According to the theory, each sheep will use the herd to maximize its own individual chance of survival. Using GPS equipment to track each sheep second by second, experimenters from the University of London and the University of Cambridge took a close look at how each sheep responds when a predator threatens the herd. Sure enough, each sheep heads to the dead center of the herd in an apparent efforts to use its fellows as a sort of mutton-shield. If nothing else, the study offers a more nuanced understanding of herd behavior.

More at Scientific America.

How Mosquitos Herd Caribou.

In Northwest Alaska, a herd of some 300,000 caribou get together for a common purpose: avoiding mosquitoes and other insect pests, including warble flies and nasal bots. This mega-herd moves up into higher elevation to try to avoid the insects, and by coming into close contact they limit their individual exposure to the pests. The arrangement, however, is short-lived. As soon as the mosquito threat diminishes, the herd breaks down into much smaller groups.

More at Discovery.

Juvenile Gorillas Learn to Dismantle Snares.

Snares set up by poachers in the forests of Rwanda are intended to catch antelope but they sometimes catch gorillas, especially juvenile gorillas. Although observers have seen adult gorillas dismantle these snares in the past, for the first time juvenile gorillas have been spotted doing the same thing. To the surprise of one tracker from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, two juveniles helped by a third dismantled one snare and then moved on to dismantle a second in a purposeful display of learned behavior.

More at Red Orbit.

Southwest American Indians’ High Fiber Diet.

Native Americans are more prone to diabetes than other ethnic groups. To discover why, scientists have looked back in time — about 1,000 years. By studying coprolites (fossilized excrement) from the Northwest Arizona caves where the ancient tribes lived, a reconstruction of their diet was performed. By comparison to the modern American diet, these native Americans ate 20 to 30 times more fiber than is available in today’s average meal. In addition, the types of foods that were staples, such as yucca plants, prickly pears and sunflower seed, were far more slowly digested than today’s high-glycemic fare. The researchers conclude that the relatively rapid transition of Native Americans from such a healthy high-fiber low glycemic diet to today’s low fiber “pablum” foods left the population especially vulnerable to diseases such as diabetes.

More at Live Science.

Parasitic Plants Deterred By Genetic Modification of Hosts.

Animals are not the only life forms that are bothered by parasites. Parasitic plants, such as the dodder vines, attack other plants by latching onto them and then sucking out moisture, nutrition and even RNA. Using a relatively new genetic modification technique, a research team was able to adjust the host’s genome so that it interfered with the dodder vine’s ability to attack its host. Neelima Sinha, professor of plant biology at UC Davis, who participated in the research says that the technique will next be applied in Africa, where similar parasitic plants have reduced the production of important crops such as sorghum and maize.

More at UC Davis Website.

Sharks Maintain Their Pearly Whites the Old Fashioned Way.

Sharks never get cavities and their teeth remain strong and clean. Absent brushing and flossing, how do they do it? The secret lives within the tooth. Shark teeth contain an outer layer of a fluoride compound that eliminates the risk for bacterial decay. Sound familiar? It should because today most toothpastes also contain fluorides, which have a similar effect on reducing dental decay. Nature has repeated this strategy with other sea creatures — the crayfish mandible also uses the same fluoride compound even though sharks and crayfish are completely unrelated.

More at Discovery

Pot Farmers as the Newest Environmental Danger.

Fishers are small carnivores which inhabit the Pacific Northwest forests. Lately, dead fishers have been turning up in areas adjacent to national parks. Necropsies have shown that they are dying of poisoning. It turns out that illicit marijuana farmers, not particularly known for environmental awareness, are using heavy duty pesticides to protect their cash crops. The insecticides are working their way into the ecosystem and are now affecting the fishers. The problem is echoed in other areas such as Central America where illegal cocaine farms have had a similar detrimental impact on local wildlife.

More at Scientific American.

Ancient Human Fossil Hiding in Plain Sight.

It sat in the laboratory building at the Maropeng Center in Gauteng, South Africa, for years, virtually unnoticed. Then, a lab technician noticed what looked like a tooth sticking out of the three foot wide boulder. What was hiding inside the boulder turns out to be one of the most complete fossil skeletons of Australopithecus sediba, a 2-million year old branch on the human family tree. Among the treasures that lay inside the rock, as shown by CT scans, are rib bones, which usually disintegrate before fossilizing and possibly hand and foot bones. The extraction of the fossilized bones will be broadcast live over the internet.

More at National Geographic.

Genetically Engineered Apple Doesn’t Turn Brown.

A new kind of apple, the Arctic Apple, is trying to make an entry into the domestic fruit market. Scientists have tinkered with the apple’s genetics and have produced a version that does not turn brown when bruised or sliced open and exposed to the air. However, the new entry is not being received lovingly by the apple industry. Opposition is not based upon any fear of a health danger, but is grounded in fears that the new product will dilute the apple’s traditional image as an unmodified American classic. Perhaps a more significant objection is the possibility that the apple will cross-pollinate with traditional apple species, a likelihood that the makers of the Arctic apple say is remote.

More at the New York Times.

Whales Can Learn to Decrease Hearing Sensitivity.

Manmade noise, be it Navy sonar or industrial drilling, fills the oceans with loud sounds that travel hundreds of miles. The effects on sea life, especially hearing sensitive marine mammals such as whales and dolphins, has been dramatic. Hearing loss and deafness has been known to affect huge numbers of animals. New research, however, as reported in the New York Times, shows that at least whales may be able develop the ability to partially block out such sounds by selectively decreasing their hearing sensitivity. The findings are important because hearing loss in sea mammals is especially serious since these creatures rely so heavily upon their acute sense of hearing to navigate and find food.

A Formula to Count the Species on Earth.

Camilo Mora is a young biodiversity researcher at the University of Hawaii. Using natural mathematical patterns, he has developed a mathematical formula to count the number of species on earth. His formula suggests that there are 8.7 million complex cellular (which excludes viruses and some other microbes) species on earth. It is estimated that around 15,000 new species are discovered each year. However, the bad news is that around 25,000 species become extinct each year; obviously, many before they are ever discovered. Mora is passionate about preserving biodiversity, and he will next apply his counting technique to local areas so that we can know just how many species a specific area on earth contains.

More at Pacific Standard.

Mother Dolphin Photographed Carrying Dead Calf.

Chinese tourists witnessed what is being described as another piece of evidence that dolphins do in fact grieve. The photos show a mother dolphin who is carrying her dead calf on her back out to sea. The calf was apparently hit by a tourist boat — an all too common occurrence. According to observers, even though the calf slid off her back several times, the mother dove back under and raised it up again.

More at Huffington Post.

Lucky French Cows Get Two Bottles a Day.

The Japanese feed their cows beer to improve beef taste and texture. The French have decided to take a different tact. Inspired by the notion that happy cows produce better beef, French farmers have been giving their cows the equivalent of two bottles of wine a day and have called the resulting beef, “Vinbouvin.” Although the cows may well be happier now and eat with vigor, it appears that the high cost of this approach might make it cost prohibitive. In fact, the cost of feeding cows wine has tripled the daily feed cost from 6$ per cow to $18. It’s hard to say ‘cheers’ to that.

More at Discovery.

What Do Tennis Players and Neanderthals Have in Common?

Ever notice how tennis players have asymmetric arms? By exclusively using one arm for serving year after year, the dominant arm becomes much larger than its counterpart. So, too, with Neanderthals, albeit for a different reason. The average human has something like a 4-13% size differential between the dominant and subordinate arm. In Neanderthals, the difference appears to be around 50%. Paleontologists believe that Neanderthals used their dominant arm (usually the right arm, just like us) for an especially strenuous purpose. Spear thrusting was first suggested, but recent experiments with human volunteers suggests that a more mundane but extremely intense activity, such as scraping animal skins, is more likely responsible for the asymmetry.

More at Live Science.

The Survival Advantage of Big Brains.

Brain size in mammals is measured relative to body size. Overall, the ratio is predictably constant, but a recent study suggests that at least in smaller mammals, having a relatively oversized brain may confer a distinct survival advantage. Larger brained mammals seem to be more likely to develop new strategies for surviving in a changing environment such as ours. And since the chances of death is already reduced for smaller mammals because they do not as readily attract the attention of humans, it may be that these smaller brainier mammals will be the evolutionary winners in an environmentally changing world.

More at Scientific American.

The Tale of the Space Mice.

After spending a non-human record-breaking 91 days in space aboard the international space station, three mice returned to earth with some valuable information about life in space. There was some good news: it seems that the thyroid glands in the mice actually might have aged less than they would have on earth — a benefit since a slowing thyroid is one of the problems associated with aging. On the other hand, damage to blood cells and sperm from space exposure was problematic and the risks of sterility and blood diseases will have to be addressed if space travel becomes a reality. As to bone loss, some of the mice were genetically altered in an attempt to reduce bone loss — another known hazard of space travel. This seemed to work and the GM mice showed significantly less bone loss than their untreated peers.

More at New Scientist.

Mega-fires — the Modern Costs of Living Near Forests.

Nature has a way of preventing major forest conflagrations. It permits many small fires to clear away the dead growth that litters the forest floor. But when people live in and about the forests in modern developments (about one in four Colorado homes is in a fire zone), they quickly stamp out even these small beneficial fires. The result is an unnatural accumulation of forest debris so thick and dry that it leads to mega-fires that cannot be easily controlled and that in turn lead to even more death and destruction than is necessary. Volunteer action to remove forest debris from millions of acres of land is underway, but this may be too little too late.

More at CBS News.

Orangutan Kicks the Habit.

An orangutan in an Indonesian Zoo became habituated to smoking thanks to some irresponsible zoo visitors. By throwing burning cigarette butts into her enclosure, Tori picked up, literally, the smoking habit. When she wants a cigarette, Tori puts two fingers to her mouth and beckons the staff. When she doesn’t get a cigarette, she becomes quite agitated. Now zookeepers are trying to break the orangutan’s smoking habit by moving her away from the visitors. Apparently the allure of nicotine is not just for humans.

Read more at The Guardian.

Prince Charles the Frog.

Prince Charles of England is a well-known champion of the world’s vanishing rainforests. In his honor, and as a twist on the fairy tale, a new frog species discovered recently in Ecuador has been named Hyloscirtus Princecharlesi, which translates to Prince Charles Steam Tree Frog. In response, the Prince was gracious as well as witty. He quipped, “I’m very touched. It’s very nice. I have a lump in my throat—it must be a frog.”

More at NTD.

Arsenic Loving Bacteria Not As Alien As Once Thought.

In 2010, NASA scientists discovered a bacterium that lived in the arsenic-concentrated sediments in a California lake. That led to popular speculation that the species was evidence of an “alien” form of DNA. If true, the bacterium, GFAJ-1, would have been of great interest to astrobiologists who have been looking for a non-standard DNA profile that would comport with the theory that some life on earth had extra-terrestrial origins. However, the latest research indicates that the speculation was unwarranted. Now it appears that phosphorus, rather than arsenic, is the essential key to GFAJ-1’s strange existence. Moreover, the bacterium’s DNA has been linked to other clearly earth-bound bacteria.

More at National Geographic.

Controlling Mosquitoes Through Genetic Modification.

Mosquito. Photograph Credit: Flickr user Aesum via Creative Commons

Mosquitoes carry Dengue Fever, a serious viral infection that causes scores of deaths in Latin America and Asia. Oxitec, a British laboratory, has produced a genetically modified mosquito that cannot spread Dengue Fever. Although the modified insect has been released by the company in few countries and its effects have reduced Dengue Fever outbreaks, its introduction in Florida has spawned protest. A petition to bar the modified insects has gained 96,000 signatures so far. Oxitec officials have been unable to calm the fears of Floridians even though the mosquitos being released are sterilized males that cannot spread the disease and cannot pass on their modified genes.

More at Red Orbit.

Counting Fruit Flies.

Scientists believe that there exists a genetic basis for the ability to count — the most basic arithmetic skill. To test the theory on fruit flies, they used distinct flashes of light to associate with an unpleasant stimulus, violent shaking. Two and four flashes were followed by the shaking while three flashes signalled no change to the fruit flies’ peace of mind. The first batch of fruit flies could not draw an association between the number of flashes and its immediate consequences. However, scientists report that after 40 generations of the fruit flies, they gained the ability to make the distinction — in effect, they could count. Now the search is on for the genetic change in the fruit flies that might provide insight into the genes involved in arithmetic appreciation.

More at Nature News Blog.

Furry Pets Lead to Healthier Lives?

A study in Finland was constructed to compare the health effects of having contact with a dog or cat in the first year of a person’s life. Tracking 397 children who either had or lacked exposure to a pet in the first year of their lives, researchers reached the conclusion that early exposure to a pet actually decreases the incidence of respiratory illness and the need for antibiotics. (The study seems to echo findings that farm-raised children suffer from asthma at a much lower rate than city-raised children.)

More at Discovery.

Avoiding Aircraft Bird Strikes by Thinking Like a Bird.

The increased concern over bird and airplane collisions has led scientists to try to analyze why they occur in the first place. Researchers for Indiana State University and Purdue University realized that preventing bird strikes requires us to understand how differently birds see from the way people do. Birds will respond to aircraft as a threat and avoid them if aircraft are made to look the part. Using a system of lights on aircraft — a relatively easy modification — might do the trick. The right lighting systems along with a more predator-like paint scheme for aircraft might in the future radically reduce the bird strike problem.

More at Science Daily.

Do Trout Smell North?

The debate over how fish and birds can navigate by the compass took another turn as a study revealed that trout noses contain magnetic olfactory cells. When viewed under a microscope, these cells “swivel like tiny compasses to line up with a nearby magnet.” The fact that the cells contain a iron compound which is extremely sensitive to magnetic fields is the latest strong evidence that cells in the nose of navigatory creatures help them discern compass directions. Very few cells contain the magnetite, but the ones that do move and twist when exposed to a strong magnetic field. Next to be determined is exactly how the brain receives a signal from these cells.

More at Science News.

Another Feathered Dinosaur Found.

Paleontologists have unearthed another feathered dinosaur. This specimen comes from southern Germany and is one of the best preserved yet found. The dinosaur was an early carnivore from 150 million years ago named Sciurumimus albersdoerferi and it is covered with fine hair-like feathers. In real life, it would have had a bushy appearance, perhaps fluffy like a baby chick. Not only will this specimen ultimately reveal the color of its feathers, but it also contains complete bones and even bits of flesh. Since this is the first dinosaur outside of Asia to show clear evidence of feathers, some scientists are wondering if virtually all early dinosaurs had feathers.

More at Science News.

Colorado River to Run Through the Grand Canyon Once More

Earlier this year, the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved a plan to create a series of controlled floods to the Grand Canyon’s long-dry Colorado River. Large amounts of water and sediment would be released from the Glen Canyon Dam, pushing water down the Colorado River in an effort to prevent further beach erosion downstream. The floods are expected to occur about twice a year, and could begin as early as the Fall. However, the decision has been met with resistance by some hydropower companies.

More at NPR.