Inbred humans live to a ripe old age
Inbreeding is not usually mooted as the key to longevity, but Giuseppe Passarino of the University...
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Author: Colin
Is information essential for life?
We are used to thinking about how evolution selects for a wide range of physical traits, but the idea that natural selection could favour a quality as abstract as information content takes some getting used to. It’s something that physicist William Bialek at Princeton University takes in his stride, by thinking about organisms as computers. Image: Matthew Fang
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Computer decodes dog communication
Barking dogs might be better communicators than we thought, according to a new study. Computer software can distinguish individual dogs by their barks, and also suggests that certain barks act as a “universal language”, carrying information about the dog’s mind-set that is readily understood by their fellow pooches. Image: Rennett Stowe
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News from the pit
It could be a scene from a James Bond movie. But this action shot of two intrepid abseilers was...
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Begging chicks reveal family ties
It’s one thing to give up food for a starving sibling, quite another for a stranger. The volume at which barn swallow broods beg is usually around 11 decibels. But mixed broods, containing eggs swapped between nests, reached 14 decibels. Image: mikebaird
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