My picks from ScienceDaily

As always, comment on the studies and reporting of them in the comments....

Male Fish Turn To Cannibalism When Uncertain Of Paternity:

A study from the February issue of the American Naturalist is the first to demonstrate that male fish are more likely to eat their offspring when they have been cuckolded during the act of spawning. Moreover, the more males that are present during spawning, the more likely it is that a male will try to eat the eggs when they are laid, as it is less likely that he fertilized them.

...more under the fold....

Spider Silk Inspires Strong And Stretchy Nanocomposite Fibers:

Creating artificial substances that are both stretchy and strong has long been an elusive engineering goal. Inspired by spider silk, a naturally occurring strong and stretchy substance, MIT researchers have now devised a way to produce a material that begins to mimic this combination of desirable properties.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To Altruism: Study Explains How Costly Traits Evolve:

Darwin explained how beneficial traits accumulate in natural populations, but how do costly traits evolve? In the past, two theories have addressed this problem. The theory of hitchhiking suggests that genes that confer a cost to their bearer can become common in natural populations when they "hitch a ride" with fitter genes that are being favored by natural selection. Conversely, the theory of kin selection suggests that costly traits can be favored if they lead to benefits for relatives of the bearer, who also carry the gene.

Dead Giveaway: Odors Released From Corpses Leave Chemical Fingerprint:

Decompositional odors released from corpses in clandestine graves are providing a chemical fingerprint that could help law enforcement officials find these burial sites and provide evidence that ultimately points to the victim's killer.

Blind Mole Rats Shed Light On Diseases Caused By Lack Of Oxygen:

Blind mole rats may help humans fight diseases resulting from lack of oxygen, revealed researchers at the Institute of Evolution at the University of Haifa. "Blind mole rats live most of their lives in underground tunnels and therefore have developed special adaptation mechanisms for dealing with lack of oxygen.

Bright White Beetle Dazzles Scientists:

An obscure species of beetle could teach us how to produce brilliant white ultra-thin materials, according to a research team led by the University of Exeter. The Cyphochilus beetle has a highly unusual brilliant white shell. New research by the University of Exeter and Imerys Minerals Ltd. and published in leading journal Science (19 January), reveals the secret to this beetle's bizarre appearance.

Activation Of Brain Region Predicts Altruism:

Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered that activation of a particular brain region predicts whether people tend to be selfish or altruistic. "Although understanding the function of this brain region may not necessarily identify what drives people like Mother Theresa, it may give clues to the origins of important social behaviors like altruism," said study investigator Scott A. Huettel, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center.