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Reason For Almost Two Billion Year Delay In Animal Evolution On Earth Discovered:

Scientists from around the world have reconstructed changes in Earth's ancient ocean chemistry during a broad sweep of geological time, from about 2.5 to 0.5 billion years ago. They have discovered that a deficiency of oxygen and the heavy metal molybdenum in the ancient deep ocean may have delayed the evolution of animal life on Earth for nearly 2 billion years.

Brain's 'Sixth Sense' For Calories Discovered:

The brain can sense the calories in food, independent of the taste mechanism, researchers have found in studies with mice. Their finding that the brain's reward system is switched on by this "sixth sense" machinery could have implications for understanding the causes of obesity. For example, the findings suggest why high-fructose corn syrup, widely used as a sweetener in foods, might contribute to obesity.

Common Aquatic Animals Show Extreme Resistance To Radiation:

Scientists at Harvard University have found that a common class of freshwater invertebrate animals called bdelloid rotifers are extraordinarily resistant to ionizing radiation, surviving and continuing to reproduce after doses of gamma radiation much greater than that tolerated by any other animal species studied to date.

Mantis Shrimp Vision Reveals New Way That Animals Can See:

Mantis shrimp can see the world in a way that had never been observed in any animal before, researchers report in the March 20th Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. The discovery--which marks the fourth type of visual system--suggests that the ability to perceive circular polarized light may lend mantis shrimp a secret mode of communication.

Elephants Without Borders: Scientists Track African Elephants By Satellite:

In many regions of Africa, elephants are frequent visitors to farms and villages as they roam the landscape searching for food and water. This often brings them into conflict with humans. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are tracking their movements through southern and eastern Africa using satellite collars in an effort to understand their ecology and help prevent these conflicts.