My picks from ScienceDaily

Cyberspace May Overcome Ethical Constraints In Experiments:

Psychological experiments that stopped 40 years ago because of ethical concerns could instead be conducted in cyberspace in the future. By repeating the Stanley Milgram's classic experiment from the 1960s on obedience to authority -- that found people would administer apparently lethal electrical shocks to a stranger at the behest of an authority figure -- in a virtual environment, the UCL (University College London) led study demonstrated for the first time that participants reacted as though the situation was real.

Wolves Are Suffering Less From Inbreeding Than Expected:

Increasing levels of inbreeding is a threat against the viability of the Scandinavian wolf population. A study just coming out in the new journal PLoS ONE now demonstrates that inbreeding is not affecting the wolves as badly as expected. The results show that it is the most genetically variable wolf individuals that are recruited into the breeding population. An important consequence of this action of natural selection is that the negative effects of inbreeding are accumulating much slower than previously believed.

Squirrels Winning At Outwitting Trees' Survival Strategy:

If you look at evolutionary biology as a big game of "Survivor," it's squirrels: one, spruce trees: zero. In the Dec. 22 edition of Science, Andrew McAdam, an assistant professor of fisheries and wildlife at Michigan State University, outlines how red squirrels have figured out a way around the elaborate ruse trees have used to protect their crops of tasty seeds. The remarkable part: The squirrels are divining the arrival of bumper crops of spruce cones months before the cones ever materialize and then betting on those crops with the most expensive evolutionary collateral - a second litter of pups.

Study On Accidental Introduction Of Invasive Snails With Parasitic Flatworms May Help Mitigate Spread Of Disease:

A paper that authors are calling a "home run" study on the spread of disease is published in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study traces -- through genetic analysis -- the accidental introduction of invasive snails with parasitic flatworms. The invaders were probably transported with Japanese seed oysters imported into the waters of the Pacific Northwest over a century ago. It is the first comprehensive genetic analysis of an invasive marine host and its parasites. The study points to broad implications for identifying and mitigating spreading disease in a globalized economy.

Ho! Ho! Huh? Researchers Measure Holiday Spirit:

The holidays just wouldn't be the same without the decorations. From a single wreath or child's picture of Santa taped to a window, to displays so elaborate that they can almost be seen from outer space, the festive season seems to spur the need to express the holiday spirit to our neighbors in addition to our closest kin. But neighborhoods also vary in the vigor of their holiday displays, as anyone who tours the streets of their town or city can attest. Scientists at Binghamton University, State University of New York, have decided to measure the holiday spirit. A simple scoring system was developed that ranged from zero (no decorations whatsoever) to four (representing different categories of decorations). A high score does not require wealth; even the humble residents of a trailer can score a four if they have the holiday spirit. A special category was even created for the kind of "over the top" display.
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"We have already created GIS maps measuring the quality of neighborhoods based on survey data," Wilson reports. "Holiday decorations represent a natural expression of community spirit that we can correlate with the survey data."

According to Wilson, neighborhood-based research in other cities has shown that community spirit, which is also called "social capital," can have an important influence on everything from crime to healthy child development. Winter holiday decorations might be unduly influenced by a single religious tradition (Christianity), but Wilson and his volunteers mounted a similar effort during Halloween, a holiday with pagan roots.

"No single measure of community spirit is perfect," Wilson stresses. "So we must be careful to include multiple measurements."

Whatever it means, the GIS map of Binghamton's winter holiday decorations is aesthetically pleasing. I'm sending it to all my colleagues, friends, and relations, " Wilson smiles. "It might be the first holiday card that includes a methods section."