Singing Mice

“Mice can sing, and . . . their songs to prospective mates are nearly as complex as those of birds,” reports New Scientist. Mouse songs are at ultrasonic frequencies, that is, at a pitch too high for the human ear to hear—likely the reason they were not noticed before. Researchers in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A., found that the vocalizations of male mice “were arranged into phrases and motifs, fulfilling the definition of ‘song.’” This puts mice in an exclusive club. Other mammals known to sing are whales, dolphins, some bats and, of course, huma...

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Good Friends, Long Life!

Having a network of good friends may well increase a person’s life span, reports the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. A study of nearly 1,500 Australians aged 70 or over examined how relationships affected longevity over a ten-year period. Individuals with a strong network of friends had a mortality rate 22 percent lower than those with few friends. Active friendships also have a positive effect among the elderly when it comes to “depression, self efficacy, self esteem, coping and morale, or a sense of personal control,” says the repo...

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Nile Crocodiles Communicate Before Hatching

“Baby crocodiles talk to each other while still in the egg,” synchronizing hatching, reports The Times of London. Pre-hatch calls of Nile crocodiles in their eggs were recorded. The calls were then played to one group of eggs. The juveniles in those eggs answered the calls and made their eggs move more frequently than those not exposed to the calls. “Those hearing the noises of other unborn crocodiles synchronised their hatching to within ten minutes of each other,” says the report. Eggs that were either kept in silence or exposed to random noise failed to fine-tune their hatchi...

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Great Monsters of the Deep Sea

A monster suddenly ascends from the sea, snatches the boat, and drags the sailors down to a watery grave. This story line provides the plot for legends that have persisted through the ages. But do monsters that large really exist...

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The Amazon Once Hosted Urban Civilization

Vast areas of southern amazonia believed to be virgin forests may once have hosted urban communities "surrounded by large walls." This conclusion was reached by anthropologists working in Mato Grosso, Brazil. There they discovered "networks of walled towns and smaller villages" overgrown by tropical forest and coverling an area of perhaps 11,600 square miles [30,000 sq km]. Some of the towns occupied 150 acres [60 ha]. A report by the University of Florida, whose anthropologists made the discovery, says that the settlements "date from around 1250 to 1650, when European colonists and the diseases they brought likely killed most of their inh...

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Threat From Shrinking Glaciers

The world's lagest body of ice outside the polar regions will disapper within 40 years if the current rate of melting continues, reports The Sunday Telegraph of London. A combination of rising global temperatures and the relatively low latitude of the Himalayas threatens the region's 15,000 glaciers. The Gangotri glacier, which is one of the sources of the Ganges River, has shrunk by almost one third if its length in the past 50 years. Syed Hasnain, a scientist who monitors the glaciers, warns that if the current rate continues, "rivers such as the Ganges, the Indus and the Brahmaputra, which recieve about 70 to 80 per cent of their water from...

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Wind Turbines, Kill Bats

In Alberta, Canada, the bats found dead at the foot of wind turbine towers, reported the magazine Scientific American. Investigators puzzled because bats have sonar and an amazing flying abilities. However, the researchers discovered the existence of internal bleeding in 92 percent of the bat, so they concluded that the respiratory systems of bats are fragile, unable to overcome the air pressure decreases dramatically due to the turbine blades. The end of this propeller can achieve speeds of 200 kilometers per hour. The main victims are migrating insectivorous bats, and dikwawatirkan that wind turbines can interfere with the stability of e...

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Useful to Read Before Bed

When parents read to their children before bed, they not only lull children. According to the researchers, these activities enhance children's language skills, help develop motor skills by teaching them hold and turn the page, and sharpens their memory. "But the most important thing is that reading aloud is a time to share attention and emotion between parent and child," said The Guardian newspaper. "This confirms that reading is fun." and, according to professor Barry Zuckerman, who led the study, "the children eventually learn to love books because they use it together with their loved one...

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Cow Has a Name, Produce More Milk

"A cow that is named generate more cases than not have a" say scientists at Newscastle University, UK. In fact, by treating the cows individually, cow's milk production could increase to almost 280 liters a year. Why? "Just like humans are more pleased with the personalized approach, the cows are also more comfortable and more relaxed if they are given more personal attention." said Dr.Catherine Douglas, from the faculties of agriculture, food and rural development. "Our research shows what has long been believed by many farmers of good and caring", he explained. by providing more individual attention, like calling a cow with her name or more...

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In What Language a Baby Crying?

"From the age of two days, a baby crying in his mother tongue tone," said the researchers from the University of Wurzburg, Germany. The researchers record the cries of 30 infants from the French, and 30 infants from germany, and analyze the frequency, patterns of melodies, and high-low tone. The crying baby from the french often start with low and then rising tone, while the baby from germany, often starting with high tones and then the lower. Both groups of infants are imitating the typical pattern of the language of their parents. Thus, it is believed that language development begins in the womb and infant language began with his first c...

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Human vs. Nature

Actually a lot of imitating human designs from nature to create a product that was created for the benefit of man. But whether humans can exceed the work of nature? Here we will compare, the work of man-made with nature. FIBER: Human: Kevlar is a strong man-made fibers used to make bulletproof vests, racing car body, and many more. To make kevlar required high temperatures and hazardous solvents. Nature: Spiders spinners can produce seven types of silk. The strongest, is called a silk noose, lighter than cotton. However, with the same weight, silk is stronger than steel and kevlar. And if enlarged to the size of a football field, made of silk...

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