from Scientific American

Toxoplasma's Dark Side: The Link Between Parasite and Suicide
By Christie Wilcox on July 4, 2012

We human beings are very attached to our brains. We're proud of them - of their size and their complexity. We think our brains set us apart, make us special. We scare our children with tales of monsters that eat them, and ( Read more... )

From the BBC

The complicated truth about a cat’s purr

By Stephen Dowling
25 July 2018

We think we know what a cat’s purr means.

It is arguably the most recognisable sign of animal contentment: a pleasurable rasp that erupts whenever a cat is tickled or petted, the ( Read more... )

Do check out today's Google Doodle. It stars Dr. Jane Goodall, talking about how she came to be doing the work she's famous for.

This entry was originally posted at https://thnidu.dreamwidth.org/1704259.html. You can comment here, or there using OpenID or your Dreamwidth ID.
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from Science News
Insect toxin detected in the world's longest animal
Date: March 26, 2018Source: Uppsala UniversityThe longest animal in the world, the bootlace worm, which can be up to 55 metres long, produces neurotoxins that can kill both crabs and cockroaches. This has been shown in a new study conducted by researchers at Uppsala ( Read more... )

From the New York Times

The Cells That Eat, Regurgitate and Eat Your Tattoos Again

By STEPH YIN MARCH 6, 2018

We think of tattoos as fixed adornments. Plunge ink deep enough into the skin and there it will sit, suspended in subterranean connective tissue forever.

But what if I told you that tattoos are actually maintained by an ever- ( Read more... )

From NPR via Quartz

The Two-Way: Breaking News From NPR
Must Reads

How Frogs Benefited From The Dinosaurs' Extinction
July 3, 2017 4:04 PM ETMerrit Kennedy ( Read more... )

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First Warm-Blooded Fish Found


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from Quora

What's the deal with the Bees?
Matan Shelomi, Entomology, Biology, Evolution, MidEast history.

I [and pretty much all entomologists on earth] have been getting a lot of questions about the honey bees. "Are they in trouble?" "Why are they disappearing?" "How can I help?" Questions are fine, but what annoys me is when I get answers. "It's ( Read more... )

( **BIG** pic! )