My picks from ScienceDaily

Desert Ants Smell Their Way Home:

Humans lost in the desert are well known for going around in circles, prompting scientists to ask how desert creatures find their way around without landmarks for guidance. Now new research shows that Desert Ants input both local smells and visual cues into their navigation systems to guide them home.

Controversy Over World's Oldest Traces Of Life:

The argument over whether an outcrop of rock in South West Greenland contains the earliest known traces of life on Earth has been reignited, in a study published in the Journal of the Geological Society. The research, led by Martin J. Whitehouse at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, argues that the controversial rocks "cannot host evidence of Earth's oldest life," reopening the debate over where the oldest traces of life are located.

New IPod Listening Study Shows Surprising Behavior Of Teens:

A new study involving iPods and teenagers by the University of Colorado at Boulder and Children's Hospital Boston indicates teenagers who receive pressure from their peers or others to turn down the volume of their iPods instead turn them up higher.

Assisted Colonization Key To Species' Survival In Changing Climate:

Species are adapting slowly to climate change and 'assisted colonisation' can play a vital role in helping wildlife to survive in a warming world. A team of researchers, led by biologists at Durham and York Universities, has shown that translocation to climatically-suitable areas can work and that butterflies can survive beyond their northern ranges if they're given a 'helping hand' to get to suitable new habitats.

How One And The Same Nerve Cell Reacts To Two Visual Areas In Flies:

In comparison to many other living creatures, flies tend to be small and their brains, despite their complexity, are quite manageable. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried have now ascertained that these insects can make up for their low number of nerve cells by means of sophisticated network interactions.

Gene Linked To Anxious Behavior In Mice:

To measure anxiety in a mouse and suggest it's similar to anxiety in a person may seem like a stretch, but the metrics sound uncannily familiar. Paralyzed by fear, afraid to leave the house or socialize with others, scared of new places, preferring the dark to the light of day.

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A version of this post was originally published on my Wordpress blog on March 15, 2010. Click the archives image to see the original post. Most animals, at some point in their day-to-day lives, face the same problem. After they've gone out in search of food, they need to find their way home. But…
New Species Of Prehistoric Creatures Discovered In Isle Of Wight Mud: In just four years a University of Portsmouth palaeontologist has discovered 48 new species from the age of the dinosaurs. Dr Steve Sweetman's discoveries, found hidden in mud on the Isle of Wight, are around 130 million years…
Two Nerve Cells In Direct Contact: For the first time, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology in Martinsried near Munich have been able to show how two nerve cells communicate with each other from different hemispheres in the visual center. This astoundingly simple circuit diagram…
In 2007, Jan Souman dropped three volunteers into the Sahara desert and watched as they walked for several miles, in an attempt to walk in a straight line. Souman was interested in the widespread belief that lost travelers end up walking in circles, a belief that has never been properly tested but…