A Blog Around The Clock

Hissing Cockroaches Are Popular, But They Also Host Potent Mold Allergens:

Their gentle nature, large size, odd sounds and low-maintenance care have made Madagascar hissing cockroaches popular educational tools and pets for years. But the giant insects also have one unfortunate characteristic: Their hard bodies and feces are home to many mold species that could be triggering allergies in the kids and adults who handle the bugs, according to a new study.

Tiny Wasp Used To Wipe Out Major Agricultural Pest In Tahiti:

A research team led by Mark Hoddle, a biological control specialist at UC Riverside, has nearly eradicated the glassy-winged sharpshooter, a major agricultural pest, from the island of Tahiti and several other French Polynesian islands in the South Pacific Ocean. To achieve total pest suppression, the researchers used biological control, an inexpensive method that provides permanent control and can be applied to areas where the sharpshooter has become a nuisance.

Turtle Nesting Threatened By Logging Practices In Gabon, Smithsonian Warns:

Endangered sea turtles are victims of sloppy logging practices in the west central African country Gabon, according to a study led by William Laurance, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

Heart-healthy Yak Cheese:

In a finding likely to get cheese lovers talking, researchers in Nepal and Canada report that yak cheese contains higher levels of heart-healthy fats than cheese from dairy cattle, and may be healthier.

Clovis-age Overkill Didn't Take Out California's Flightless Sea Duck:

Clovis-age natives, often noted for overhunting during their brief dominance in a primitive North America, deserve clemency in the case of California's flightless sea duck. New evidence says it took thousands of years for the duck to die out.

First 'Rule' Of Evolution Suggests That Life Is Destined To Become More Complex:

Researchers have found evidence which suggests that evolution drives animals to become increasingly more complex.

Gecko's 'Active' Tail Key To Preventing Falls And Aerial Maneuvers:

How useful is an animal's tail? For the gecko, unlike most animals, it could be a matter of life or death, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley.

Time Isn't Money: Study Finds That We Spend The Resources Differently:

Economists usually treat time like money -- as another scarce resource that people spend to achieve certain ends. Money is used to pay for things like furniture and plane tickets; time is spent assembling the do-it-yourself bookshelf or searching for cheap flights on the Internet. But despite the old adage that time is money, the two are far from psychologically equivalent, reveals a new study -- particularly when it comes to consumer spending decisions.

Does Touch Affect Flavor? Study Finds That How A Container Feels Can Affect Taste:

Does coffee in a flimsy cup taste worse than coffee in a more substantial cup? Firms such as McDonalds and Starbucks spend millions of dollars every year on disposable packaging, but a new study suggests that trying to skimp in this area might not be worth it -- and may negatively impact consumers' perceptions of taste and quality.