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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for January 20, 2014:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Anti-protest law changes Twitter users' behavior, but not network structure, physicists show- Researchers find reactions occur faster in micro-droplets
- Researchers demonstrate proof of creation of a mirror by optical matter
- Air pollution tied to exports: Study finds blowback causes extra day per year of ozone smog in LA
- Promising new drug targets for cocaine addiction found
- Dispersal patterns key to invasive species' success
- Rosetta сomet-chasing probe wakes up, signals Earth
- Scientists directly image brown dwarf for the first time at Keck Observatory
- Milky Way may have formed 'inside-out': Gaia provides new insight into Galactic evolution
- Silicon Valley sees shortage of EV charge stations
- Frog fathers don't mind dropping off their tadpoles in cannibal-infested pools
- Schizophrenia in the limelight: Film-industry technology provides insights
- Milky Way shaken... and stirred
- Forget about forgetting: The elderly know more and use it better
- Cocaine users enjoy social interactions less
Astronomy & Space news
With 10 years as Martians, rovers unveil true grit
In the 10th year of a 90-day warranty, the Mars rover Opportunity begins its second decade of exploration and still traverses the oxidized terrain to answer crucial questions of cosmic exploration.
Rosetta: To chase a comet
Comets are among the most beautiful and least understood nomads of the night sky. To date, half a dozen of these most heavenly of heavenly bodies have been visited by spacecraft in an attempt to unlock their secrets. All these missions have had one thing in common: the high-speed flyby. Like two ships passing in the night (or one ship and one icy dirtball), they screamed past each other at hyper velocity—providing valuable insight, but fleeting glimpses, into the life of a comet. That is, until Rosetta.
TheSkyNet acquires new target as astronomers reach for the stars
A program using the computers of everyday people to process data from signals from distant galaxies has marked its second anniversary and has bigger plans for its future.
What is a solar sail?
I'm Fraser Cain, and I'm a sailor. Well, okay, I've got a sailboat that I take out on the water when its warm and the weather's nice here on Vancouver Island. I think it's one of the reasons I absolutely love the idea of a solar sail.
First 360-degree color panorama from China's Chang'e-3 lunar lander
Chinese space officials have at last released much higher quality versions of the 1st color imagery captured by China's first spacecraft to soft land on the surface of the Earth's Moon; Chang'e-3.
Opportunity rover starts second decade by spectacular mountain summit and mineral goldmine
NASA's long-lived Opportunity Mars rover has accomplished what absolutely no one expected.
Scientists hope comet-chaser spacecraft wakes up (Update)
Europe's Rosetta probe is due to wake up from years of hibernation Monday, but scientists face an agonizing wait of several hours until the first signal reaches Earth and they can celebrate a new milestone in their unprecedented mission to land a spacecraft on a comet.
Rock appears mysteriously in front of Mars Opportunity rover
(Phys.org) —The lead scientist for NASA's Mars rover exploration team (Steve Squyres) has announced that recent images beamed back by the Opportunity rover show a rock sitting in a place nearby where there wasn't one just twelve days prior. The image, he says, has caused quite a commotion with the rover team as possible explanations for the sudden appearance of the rock are bandied about. The announcement was part of a meeting at California Institute of Technology to celebrate a decade of service by the tiny rover.
Image: Hubble sees a star set to explode
(Phys.org) —Floating at the center of this new Hubble image is a lidless purple eye, staring back at us through space. This ethereal object, known officially as [SBW2007] 1 but sometimes nicknamed SBW1, is a nebula with a giant star at its center. The star was originally twenty times more massive than our sun, and is now encased in a swirling ring of purple gas, the remains of the distant era when it cast off its outer layers via violent pulsations and winds.
Milky Way shaken... and stirred
A team of scientists headed by Ivan Minchev from the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), has found a way to reconstruct the evolutionary history of our galaxy, the Milky Way, to a new level of detail. The investigation of a data set of stars near the Sun was decisive for the now published results.
Milky Way may have formed 'inside-out': Gaia provides new insight into Galactic evolution
A breakthrough using data from the Gaia-ESO project has provided evidence backing up theoretically predicted divisions in the chemical composition of the stars that make up the Milky Way's disc – the vast collection of giant gas clouds and billions of stars that give our Galaxy its 'flying saucer' shape.
Rosetta сomet-chasing probe wakes up, signals Earth
Waking up after almost three years of hibernation, a comet-chasing spacecraft sent its first signal back to Earth on Monday, prompting cheers from scientists who hope to use it to land the first space lander onto a comet.
Scientists directly image brown dwarf for the first time at Keck Observatory
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers led by Justin R. Crepp, the Freimann Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Notre Dame, has directly imaged a very rare type of brown dwarf that can serve as a benchmark for studying objects with masses that lie between stars and planets. Their paper on the discovery was published recently in Astrophysical Journal.
Technology news
Some Obama spy changes hampered by complications
Legal experts warn that several of the key surveillance reforms pushed by President Barack Obama face complications that could muddy the proposals' authority, slow their momentum in Congress and saddle the government with heavy costs and bureaucracy.
Arab bloggers aim to boost cyberactivism
Arab bloggers on Monday discussed ways to boost cyberactivism at a meeting in the Jordanian capital, faced with new challenges three years after the start of Internet-fuelled revolts in their region.
Two nabbed at Texas border in credit card fraud case
Police in South Texas say account information stolen during the Target security breach is now being divided up and sold off regionally as evidenced by the arrest of two Mexican citizens in connection to 96 fraudulent credit cards.
Vietnam's 'cyber troops' take fight to US, France
Working on her blog in California one day, Vietnamese democracy activist Ngoc Thu sensed something was wrong. It took a moment for a keystroke to register. Cut-and-paste wasn't working. She had "a feeling that somebody was there" inside her computer. Her hunch turned out to be right.
Microsoft angles for exposure with NFL partnerships
Of course the Seattle Seahawks' winning season is great for the Seahawks brand. But it's also been a boon to another big hometown name: Microsoft Corp.
Sprint shares climb on T-Mobile merger financing rumors
Shares in Sprint Corp. rose, then fell Friday after a report that the company has received proposals from at least two banks on how it could finance a takeover of T-Mobile US Inc.
SKorea credit card data theft highlights lapses
A massive theft of customer data from three major credit card firms in South Korea has shown security lapses in the financial industry.
What price our fascination with cheaper 3D printing?
The future of 3D printing is firming up as it moves from do-it-yourself tinkerers to key players selling complete consumer solutions. This shift brings important ecological and socio-economic implications.
Safer train journey by space tech
Good train brakes are crucial for safe rail journeys. In Germany, they are now checked daily using advanced technology that helps spacecraft return safely to Earth.
And the award for the safest airline in 2013 goes to ...
At the beginning of each year an array of awards are given in numerous industries to the top performers of the prior year. In the arts, Cate Blanchett won a Golden Globe last week for her performance in Blue Jasmine, and in sport, Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or – awarded annually to the best performing soccer player – after a fantastic year with Real Madrid and Portugal.
Boeing, Etihad to develop aviation biofuels
Aircraft maker Boeing Co., Etihad Airways, the oil company Total and others say they will work together on a program to develop an aviation biofuel industry in the United Arab Emirates.
Overstock.com sees new market in Bitcoins
Salt Lake City-based Overstock.com says it's the first major retailer to accept digital Bitcoins as payment for goods.
Island channel could power about half of Scotland, study shows
Renewable tidal energy sufficient to power about half of Scotland could be harnessed from a single stretch of water off the north coast of the country, engineers say.
Your robot helper is on the way now it can learn from its friends
January is a time when many of us seek to better ourselves. We want to learn a new skill or improve an existing one. A network designed especially for robots, RoboEarth, is being tested in the Netherlands to help them with their attempts at self-improvement. Soon our mechanical friends will be able to swap tips on how to best care for us and learn about their worlds.
Silicon Valley sees shortage of EV charge stations
An increasing number of electric-vehicle driving employees at Silicon Valley companies are finding it hard to access car-charging stations at work, creating incidents of "charge rage" among drivers.
Medicine & Health news
Challenge rises to Pakistan's breast cancer taboos
In Pakistan, a country where breast cancer kills more women than terrorist attacks, an awareness group couldn't even say the word "breast" while talking at a university about mammograms and how to check for lumps.
Smoking pot no more dangerous than drinking, Obama says
President Barack Obama says smoking pot is no more dangerous than drinking but calls it a "bad idea," amid a push for legalization in several states.
Chinese come out against sexuality change therapy
A wire connected to his genitals, a Chinese man says doctors administered repeated electric shocks as he watched a pornographic film—part of treatment he hoped would eliminate his sexual attraction to men.
Focus on undiagnosed HIV
A new study that aims to identify rates of undiagnosed HIV in Australia's gay community will offer free testing across six states and territories, including at Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
Nepal doctor strike leaves thousands without care
A strike by doctors in Nepal left tens of thousands of patients with access only to emergency care Monday as physicians demanded sweeping changes to the country's medical education system.
Genotyping of Aldehyde dehydrogenase2 (ALDH2) solves the mystery of Fanconi anemia
Kyoto University research group led by Prof. Minoru Takata has found the deleterious impact of the ALDH2 variant genotype in human Fanconi anemia (FA) patients. This finding strongly suggests the important role of endogenous aldehydes in the pathogenesis of FA.
Better allocation of donated livers in transplants
Researchers at the University of Cordoba (Spain) have developed a system that measures compatibility between donors and the most serious receivers in liver transplants. This is a mathematical method that includes the experience of almost 1,500 donations registered in transplant units in Spain and the United Kingdom.
Modified proteins as vaccines against peach allergy
A research conducted by the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (UPM-INIA) and led by Araceli Díaz Perales has studied the allergy to peach, the most common food allergy, and the Pru p 3 protein. As a result of this research work, they have developed three hypoallergenic variants of this protein. All can be good candidates for the usage of specific immunotherapy for peach allergy and also can be used as a vaccine.
Melatonin may lower prostate cancer risk
Higher levels of melatonin, a hormone involved in the sleep-wake cycle, may suggest decreased risk for developing advanced prostate cancer, according to results presented here at the AACR-Prostate Cancer Foundation Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research, held Jan. 18-21.
Researchers identify possible explanation for link between exercise, improved prostate cancer outcomes
Men who walked at a fast pace prior to a prostate cancer diagnosis had more regularly shaped blood vessels in their prostate tumors compared with men who walked slowly, providing a potential explanation for why exercise is linked to improved outcomes for men with prostate cancer, according to results presented here at the AACR-Prostate Cancer Foundation Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research, held Jan. 18-21.
Secondhand smoke exposure increases odds of hospital asthma readmission for children
A new study shows that exposure to secondhand smoke at home or in the car dramatically increases the odds of children being readmitted to the hospital within a year of being admitted for asthma.
NHL teams pay more than $650 million to injured players over three years
Most successful businesses would not accept spending $218 million on lost time, but that's the amount NHL owners pay out every year to players who miss games due to injury, according to new research.
Shanghai reports two deaths in China bird flu outbreak
Two people have died from the H7N9 strain of bird flu in China's commercial hub Shanghai, including a medical doctor, the local government said Monday, the city's first fatalities from the virus this year.
Lifestyle disorders top health issues in Arab world
Heart disease and stroke have replaced infectious disease as the top causes of early death in the Arab world, tracking the West in a trend towards lifestyle disorders, The Lancet reported Monday.
Language a hurdle as Germany seeks foreign doctors
Germany is relying more on foreign doctors to fix a crunch in its healthcare system but a notoriously daunting language barrier is complicating patient care, with potentially disastrous results.
Walk, but stay safe: tips for pedestrians
(HealthDay)—Walking is a great way to get exercise, but it's important to follow certain safety rules to protect yourself from cars and other hazards, experts say.
Prozac during adolescence protects against despair in adulthood, study finds
Adolescents treated with the antidepressant fluoxetine - better known by its commercial name, Prozac - appear to undergo changes in brain signaling that result in changed behavior well into adulthood, says a new study.
Mayo Clinic wins FDA approval to test stem-cell heart therapy
A decade-long Mayo Clinic research project on using stem cells to repair damaged heart tissue has won federal approval for human testing, a step that could have implications for millions of Americans with heart disease.
GP health checks have impact on risk factors
(Medical Xpress)—New research from the University of Adelaide suggests there are ongoing benefits in managing risk factors from annual GP health checks, amid growing international concern that such check-ups do not improve patients' health.
Distrust of ethnic minorities 'cancelled out' by positive contact
(Medical Xpress)—A study reveals that the level of distrust felt by white British people towards ethnic minorities rises in line with the diversity of their local area. Yet the more day-to-day contact they have with each other, the less threatened they feel and this effectively 'cancels out' the distrust.
People who enjoy life maintain better physical function as they age
People who enjoy life maintain better physical function in daily activities and keep up faster walking speeds as they age, compared with people who enjoy life less, according to a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
FAK helps tumor cells enter the bloodstream
Cancer cells have something that every prisoner longs for—a master key that allows them to escape. A study in The Journal of Cell Biology describes how a protein that promotes tumor growth also enables cancer cells to use this key and metastasize.
'Force strength' could indicate bone health in ballet dancers
Ballet dancers' bone health is under investigation in an attempt to understand the long associated risk of bone stress injury—responsible for shattering the careers of many talented performers.
Cheap genome tests to predict future illness? Don't hold your breath
Sydney's Garvan Institute is this week promoting its acquisition of an Illumina machine which it says can sequence the whole human genome for $1,000. The institute hopes genomic sequencing will become widely available in the near future, so Australians can understand and reduce their personal risk of certain diseases.
Childhood obesity can only be tackled with broad public health interventions
(Medical Xpress)—Public health researchers from The University of Manchester have found single dietary interventions are not effective at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among overweight children and will not halt the global epidemic in childhood obesity.
Spirituality, religion may protect against major depression by thickening brain cortex, study finds
A thickening of the brain cortex associated with regular meditation or other spiritual or religious practice could be the reason those activities guard against depression – particularly in people who are predisposed to the disease, according to new research led by Lisa Miller, professor and director of Clinical Psychology and director of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Standardised cigarette packs trigger 'rise in Quitline calls'
(Medical Xpress)—Plain, standardised tobacco packaging sparked a 78 per cent increase in calls to an Australian stop-smoking helpline just one month after its introduction, figures in the Medical Journal of Australia show.
Middle-school girls continue to play soccer with concussion symptoms, study shows
Concussions are common among middle-school girls who play soccer, and most continue to play with symptoms, according to a study by John W. O' Kane, M.D., of the University of Washington Sports Medicine Clinic, Seattle, and colleagues.
Access to guns increases risk of suicide, homicide
Someone with access to firearms is three times more likely to commit suicide and nearly twice as likely to be the victim of a homicide as someone who does not have access, according to a comprehensive review of the scientific literature conducted by researchers at UC San Francisco.
Uninsured patients less likely to be transferred between hospitals, research finds
Uninsured patients with a variety of common medical diagnoses are significantly less likely to be transferred between hospitals for treatment, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in collaboration with researchers at the University of Iowa and University of Toronto. They also found that women, insured or not, are less likely to be transferred between hospitals. The findings, published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine, suggest that non-medical factors, including patients' sex and insurance coverage may influence care decisions and lead to potential health disparities.
Soccer fans get FFITer and lose weight
An initiative that helps male football [soccer] fans feel better and live a healthier lifestyle by losing weight, taking more exercise, and improving their diet has been a resounding success, according to new research published in The Lancet and BMC Public Health.
US children's hospitals vary widely in tonsillectomy care
(HealthDay)—A tonsillectomy is one of the most routine surgeries for children, but what medication kids get during and after the procedure varies widely among U.S. hospitals, a new study finds.
Discrepancies found in spine surgeon financial disclosures
(HealthDay)—There are considerable discrepancies between spine surgeons disclosures and payments reported by industry, according to a study published in the Dec. 1 issue of The Spine Journal.
AMA launches online resource to guide HTN management
(HealthDay)—An online resource has been developed for improving the detection and management of high blood pressure. The resource is part of the American Medical Association's Improving Health Outcomes Initiative which aims to improve outcomes around heart disease, starting with the 30 million people who have uncontrolled hypertension.
Anatomic, not ischemic, burden predicts poor outcomes in CAD
(HealthDay)—For patients with coronary artery disease treated with optimal medical therapy (OMT), anatomic, but not ischemic, burden predicts poor outcomes, according to a study published online Jan. 15 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions.
Doctor urges colleagues to disclose conflicts of interest
(HealthDay)—A campaign to encourage physicians to disclose potential conflicts of interest has sparked ire from doctors despite evidence that openness improves the doctor-patient relationship, according to a personal view piece published online Jan. 15 in BMJ.
Ingredients in chocolate, tea and berries could guard against diabetes
Eating high levels of flavonoids including anthocyanins and other compounds (found in berries, tea, and chocolate) could offer protection from type 2 diabetes - according to research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and King's College London.
Inconsistent? Good: Once viewed as a flaw in the motor system, variability now appears critical to some learning
Anyone who has ever stepped on a tennis court understands all too well the frustration that comes with trying to master the serve, and instead seeing ball after ball go sailing out of bounds in different directions.
Study: Brain interactions differ between religious and non-religious subjects
(Medical Xpress)—An Auburn University researcher teamed up with the National Institutes of Health to study how brain networks shape an individual's religious belief, finding that brain interactions were different between religious and non-religious subjects.
Activation of a single neuron type can trigger eating
Activation of a single type of neuron in the prefrontal cortex can spur a mouse to eat more—a finding that may pinpoint an elusive mechanism the human brain uses to regulate food intake.
Boosting vitamin D could slow progression, reduce severity of multiple sclerosis
For patients in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), low levels of vitamin D were found to strongly predict disease severity and hasten its progression, according to a new study led by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) investigators in collaboration with Bayer HealthCare. The findings suggest that patients in the early stages of MS could stave off disease symptoms by increasing their vitamin D intake.
Cocaine users enjoy social interactions less
Regular cocaine users have difficulties in feeling empathy for others and they exhibit less prosocial behavior. A study at the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Zurich now suggests that cocaine users have social deficits because social contacts are less rewarding for them. Social skills should therefore be trained during the treatment of cocaine addiction.
Forget about forgetting: The elderly know more and use it better
What happens to our cognitive abilities as we age? If your think our brains go into a steady decline, research reported this week in the Journal Topics in Cognitive Science may make you think again. The work, headed by Dr. Michael Ramscar of Tübingen University, takes a critical look at the measures usually thought to show that our cognitive abilities decline across adulthood. Instead of finding evidence of decline, the team discovered that most standard cognitive measures, which date back to the early twentieth century, are flawed. "The human brain works slower in old age," says Ramscar, "but only because we have stored more information over time."
Schizophrenia in the limelight: Film-industry technology provides insights
The first 30 seconds of a social encounter is crucial for people with symptoms of schizophrenia for establishing contact with people, according to new research carried out at Queen Mary University of London.
Promising new drug targets for cocaine addiction found
Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified a new molecular mechanism by which cocaine alters the brain's reward circuits and causes addiction. Published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Dr. Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the preclinical research reveals how an abundant enzyme and synaptic gene affect a key reward circuit in the brain, changing the ways genes are expressed in the nucleus accumbens. The DNA itself does not change, but its "mark" activates or represses certain genes encoding synaptic proteins within the DNA. The marks indicate epigenetic changes—changes made by enzymes—that alter the activity of the nucleus accumbens.
Biology news
Statistics highlight need for action against rhino poaching
The South African government today revealed that a record 1004 rhinos were killed by poachers during 2013 across the country, the equivalent of nearly three animals a day. World famous safari destination Kruger National Park continues to be the hardest hit with 606 rhino deaths.
Climate change: A promising future for cotton in Cameroon?
While climate change threatens most crops in Africa, its impact could be less on cotton cultivation in Cameroon. A new study by researchers from IRD and its partners shows that the expected climate change over the coming decades should not have a negative effect on Cameroonian plantations. Against all odds, their productivity should even improve significantly by 2050, thanks in particular to conservation agriculture practices adopted by the country. These projections, made according to six climate scenarios based on different farming techniques, are optimistic for Cameroonian producers, for whom cotton is the leading cash crop and often the only alternative.
Climate-resilient wheat
JIC scientists have discovered that changing temperatures can have a big effect on resistance to yellow rust, one of the most serious diseases of wheat.
Impact of climate change on tea quality
Climate change is reportedly affecting the cultivation of tea in China, with changes in temperatures and rainfall altering not only the taste, aroma, and potential health benefits of the popular beverage but also the lives of farmers who grow tea for a living.
Conservationists, big oil join forces to help whales
Conservationists have joined forces with a company working on one of the world's largest oil and gas projects to help limit the impact of seismic surveys on endangered whales.
What you need to know about GMOS and GM crops
Genetically modified (GM) crops and foods and ingredients made available with the techniques of modern biotechnology have recently been dominating food and agriculture news coverage in the United States. Food Technology magazine contributing editors Bruce Chassy, PhD, University of Illinois and Wayne Parrott, PhD, University of Georgia, and John Ruff, CFS, past IFT president dispel myths and clarify common consumer questions when it comes to GMOs.
Helping hawks weather the storm
A team of researchers at a University of Alberta institute is helping endangered prairie hawks weather the storm of climate change.
Quality control of mitochondria as a defense against disease
Scientists from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital in Canada have discovered that two genes linked to hereditary Parkinson's disease are involved in the early-stage quality control of mitochondria. The protective mechanism, which is reported in The EMBO Journal, removes damaged proteins that arise from oxidative stress from mitochondria.
Birds prove willing to cross the road for dining choices
Two local researchers spent four months watching birds cross a major thoroughfare to discover how many species of birds in Kings Park were able to cross the adjacent Thomas Road to reach nearby urban gardens.
Male honey bees more susceptible than females to widespread intestinal parasite
Gender differences in nature are common, including in humans. A research team from Bern, Switzerland has found that male European honey bees, or drones, are much more susceptible than female European honey bees, known as workers, to a fungal intestinal parasite called Nosema ceranae. Originally from Asia, Nosema ceranae has rapidly spread throughout the world in recent years, and may contribute to the high number of colony deaths now observed in many regions of the northern hemisphere. These findings demonstrate the delicate nature of male honey bees, which are important to honey bee colony reproduction, to a well-distributed parasite.
Grey squirrels stop garden birds using feeders
The presence of grey squirrels at standard, hanging bird feeders cuts the number of birds visiting them by a huge 98 per cent, the latest study reveals.
Health check for Swan River dolphins
Murdoch University researchers have commenced a new study investigating the health of the dolphins inhabiting the Swan Canning Riverpark.
Rare Amur leopard killed in China
An extremely rare Amur leopard has been killed in China, state media reported Monday, as police searched for the suspected trapper.
Exposure to pesticides results in smaller worker bees
Exposure to a widely used pesticide causes worker bumblebees to grow less and then hatch out at a smaller size, according to a new study by Royal Holloway University of London.
Houston, we have ants: Mimicking how ants adjust to microgravity in space could lead to better robots, scientist says
Professor Deborah Gordon recently sent hundreds of ants to the orbiting International Space Station. By studying how the ants adjust their behavior to cope with near-zero gravity conditions, scientists could improve the algorithms autonomous robots follow to search disaster scenes for survivors.
Scientists shed some light on biological "dark matter"
Biologists have studied the functionality of a poorly understood category of genes, which produce long non-coding RNA molecules rather than proteins. Some of these genes have been conserved throughout evolution, and are present in 11 species ranging from man to frog. The research was lead at the University of Lausanne, in partnership with EPFL and the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB -SIB). It has been published today in Nature.
Frog fathers don't mind dropping off their tadpoles in cannibal-infested pools
Given a choice, male dyeing poison frogs snub empty pools in favor of ones in which their tiny tadpoles have to metamorphose into frogs in the company of larger, carnivorous ones of the same species. The frog fathers only choose to deposit their developing young in unoccupied pools when others are already filled with tadpoles of a similar size as their own. These are seemingly counterintuitive decisions, given how often cannibalism involving a large tadpole eating a smaller one takes place in natural pools, writes Bibiana Rojas of the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. Her findings are published in Springer's journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.
Dispersal patterns key to invasive species' success
In 1859 an Australian farmer named Thomas Austin released 24 grey rabbits from Europe into the wild because it "could do little harm and might provide a touch of home, in addition to a spot of hunting."
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