My Picks From ScienceDaily

Humor Shown To Be Fundamental To Our Success As A Species:

First universal theory of humour answers how and why we find things funny. Published June 12, The Pattern Recognition Theory of Humour by Alastair Clarke answers the centuries old question of what is humour. Clarke explains how and why we find things funny and identifies the reason humour is common to all human societies, its fundamental role in the evolution of homo sapiens and its continuing importance in the cognitive development of infants.

Male Bird At Smithsonian's National Zoo Has Special Reason To Celebrate Father's Day:

How will the only male rhea at the Smithsonian's National Zoo spend Father's Day? He will spend it much like he has spent the past eight weeks: as a proud papa nurturing and caring for his four chicks born April 20. This is the first time in some 30 years that rhea chicks have hatched at the Zoo.

Protecting The Wild Cousin Of Llama, The Guanacos, In Chile:

The Wildlife Conservation Society has launched a study in Chile's Karukinka reserve on Tierra del Fuego to help protect the guanaco -- a wild cousin of the llama that once roamed in vast herds from the Andean Plateau to the steppes of Patagonia.

Complete 'Family Tree' Of All British Birds Gives Clues About Which Species Might Be Endangered Next:

A new complete evolutionary 'family tree' showing how all British bird species are related to each other may provide clues about which ones are at risk of population decline, according to new research published June 11 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

Perfect Vision But Blind To Light:

Mammals have two types of light-sensitive detectors in the retina. Known as rod and cone cells, they are both necessary to picture their environment. However, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found that eliminating a third sensor -- cells expressing a photopigment called melanopsin that measures the intensity of incoming light --makes the circadian clock blind to light, yet leaves normal vision intact.

Decision-Making, Risk-Taking Similar In Bees And Humans:

Most people think before making decisions. As it turns out, so do bees. In the journal Nature, Israeli researchers show that when making decisions, people and bees alike are more likely to gamble on risky courses of action - rather than taking a safer option - when the differences between the various possible outcomes are easily distinguishable. When the outcomes are difficult to discern, however, both groups are far more likely to select the safer option - even if the actual probabilities of success have not changed.

Coffee's Aroma Kick-starts Genes In The Brain:

Drink coffee to send a wake-up call to the brain? Or just smell its rich, warm aroma? An international group of scientists is reporting some of the first evidence that simply inhaling coffee aroma alters the activity of genes in the brain.

Age At Puberty Linked To Mother's Prenatal Diet:

A high-fat diet during pregnancy and nursing may lead to the child having an early onset of puberty and subsequent adulthood obesity, according to a new animal study. The results were presented June 16, at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

Society's Attitudes Have Little Impact On Choice Of Sexual Partner:

A unique new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institute (KI) suggests that the attitude of families and the public have little impact on if adults decide to have sex with persons of the same or the opposite sex. Instead, hereditary factors and the individual's unique experiences have the strongest influence on our choice of sexual partners.

Teen Drivers Often Ignore Bans On Using Cellphones And Texting:

Teenage drivers' cellphone use edged higher in North Carolina after the state enacted a cellphone ban for young drivers, a new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study finds. This is the case even though young drivers and their parents said they strongly support the restrictions. Parents and teens alike believe the ban on hand-held and hands-free phone use isn't being enforced. Researchers concluded that North Carolina's law isn't reducing teen drivers' cellphone use.

Eastern Independence, Western Conformity?:

While the act of selecting an everyday writing utensil seems to be a simple enough task, scientists have found that it actually could shed light on complex cultural differences.

Scenes Of Nature Trump Technology In Reducing Low-level Stress:

Technology can send a man to the moon, help unlock the secrets of DNA and let people around the world easily communicate through the Internet. But can it substitute for nature?