After analyzing the structure of these grains the researchers suggested that the associated plants werepollinated by insects most likely beetles as bees did not evolve until about 100 million years later.
The tablets also contained starch pine resin beeswax and a mix of plant-and animal-derived fats perhaps including olive oil.
However about 60 percent of this pollen came from plants that are pollinated by insects such as bees suggesting they may inadvertently have hitched along in a bee product such as beeswax instead of getting intentionally added to the medicine.
How Peafowls Do it Peacocks and peahens ogether known as peafowls are world famous for the peacock's enormous flashy train
which it uses to woo females. But what else does the mating behavior of peafowls involve?
Outside of the breeding season peafowls roam around in small groups that typically consist of five or six peahens and one or two peacocks.
But during the five-month-long breeding season the birds'social organization completely changes said Jessica Yorzinski an evolutionary biologist at Purdue University in Lafayette Ind.
Peacocks set themselves up in individual display areas that are fairly spread out hey remain in acoustic contact with each other
When a peahen enters the peacock's area he will direct his display at her
To further entice his prospective mate the peacock will conduct a rattling display where he shakes his quills causing them to make a sound.
Recently Yorzinski and her colleagues discovered that peahens ignore most of a peacock's display train
and symmetry which could yield clues about the peacock's age and fitness. The upper portion of the train on the other hand may help peahens spot peacocks across large distances or over dense foliage.
If the peahen accepts the peacock's advances she will crouch down on the ground.
The peacock will then perform a hoot dash where he rushes toward the peahen while making a really loud call.
Yorzinski previously found that this copulation hoot might function to attract other females. Finally the peacock will climb onto the peahen's back and transfer sperm by pressing his cloaca (waste and reproductive orifice) against her cloaca.
Mating complete the pair departs ways to mate with other peafowls. Â Follow Joseph Castro on Twitter.
#Antarctic Mission to Feature Robot Subs & Seals with Sensors A team of British scientists is preparing for a mission to Antarctica an ambitious journey that will involve sensor-carrying seals seafaring robots
seals. Fifteen seals with small sensors temporarily glued to their fur will help the scientists collect data
while the ocean surface is covered by sea ice making much of the region inaccessible for research ships.
The sensors attached to the Antarctic seals will gather information on ocean temperature and salinity or salt content.
when the seals molt their fur the scientists said. The observations may also help the researchers understand how changing Antarctic conditions are affecting seal populations in the region.
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Honeybees Are'Righties 'When bees are forced to interact with only their left antennas they have trouble bee-having:
and relate more positively to each other for instance by extending their tongue or proboscis. When they interact only with their left antennas on the other hand they are much more likely to respond negatively arching their body into A c-shape
Honeybee Scouts Find Food To conduct the research the results of which were published today (June 27) in the journal Scientific Reports the scientists first randomly cut off a honeybee's right or left antenna.
They then placed pairs of bees into a small container and filmed their interactions. Surprisingly bees with only their right antenna behaved almost identically to those with both antennas intact the researchers found.
Remarkable abilities This is just the latest finding to hint at the remarkable abilities of honeybees
 In addition honeybees can recognize human faces navigate complex mazes and teach each other where to find food by dancing (have fun trying that one at the next club you visit!).
But in the last 20 years however research has shown this asymmetry of function in many different animals from mammals to reptiles and fish he added.
And now honeybees. Â The result is interesting as it provides provocative information to suggest that there might be lateralization in the bee brain as there is in vertebrate brains said Gene Robinson a researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who wasn't involved in the study.
Both humans'right-handedness and honeybees'right-antenna-preference are byproducts of asymmetries in the brain meaning the left and right side of the brain do different things Vallortigara said.
This asymmetry could have evolved in vastly different animals due to similar evolutionary struggles to survive (finding food
and Asian nations embroiled in the illegal trade of ivory have agreed to take urgent action to crack down on poaching in an effort to protect vulnerable populations of elephants across Africa.
The pact was made at the African elephant Summit held this week in Botswana which was hosted in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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#Anti-Science Riders Lurk in Pending Farm bill (Op-Ed) Celia Wexler is a senior Washington representative for the Scientific Integrity Initiative at UCS.
The provisions were prompted by the EPA's inadvertent disclosure of the private information of thousands of farmers in response to a request from three environmental groups about confined animal feeding operations (CAFOS.
#Apes Have Temper Tantrums, Too Chimpanzees and bonobos have temper tantrums when their decisions don't play out as they'd hoped hinting that humans aren't the only species to let emotions influence their choices.
These nonhuman apes pout whimper scratch themselves and bang on things when a risky choice fails to pay off
or when they have to wait for a desired reward according to new research published Wednesday (May 29) in the journal PLOS ONE.
Even though animals don't engage in economic behavior like humans with money the psychological skills that humans bring to the table
when making economic decisions seem to be shared with animals said study leader Alexandra Rosati a postdoctoral researcher in psychology at Yale university. 8 Humanlike Behaviors of Primates Emotional choices Humans have the power of logic
As humans'closest living relatives chimps (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (Pan paniscus) were the perfect places to look.
Evidence of emotional decisions in these apes would suggest humans share this tendency with other primate relatives.
If the apes were unemotional decision-makers however it might suggest emotional decision-making evolved later in the human lineage.
The researchers set up two experiments at the Tchimpounga Sanctuary for primates in the Republic of congo and Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of congo.
Both sanctuaries care for chimps and bonobos orphaned by the illegal bushmeat and pet trades. In the first experiment 23 chimps and 15 bonobos were given the choice between immediately getting a small reward (bananas for the chimps apple slices for the bonobos)
or waiting one to two minutes to get a reward three times the size. See Video of a Bonobo's Decision-making Angst Both species chose to wait more often than not though chimps exhibited more patience the researchers found.
In one-minute-delay trials chimps chose to wait and receive the larger option 64 percent of the time;
in two-minute-delay trials they picked the larger option almost 55 percent of the time.
Bonobos waited for the larger option 55 percent of the time when they knew it would only take one minute
and chose it 47 percent of the time in the two-minute-delay trials. Both species however exhibited emotional behaviors while waiting:
Chimps were more vocal in their impatience than the bonobos whimpering screaming and moaning 46 percent of the time compared with only 5 percent of the time in bonobos.
The animals could leave the experiment whenever they wanted so their participation was voluntary.)Risks and regret In the second experiment 24 chimps and 13 bonobos were shown a small pile of food under an overturned bowl
and then given the choice to eat either that pile or another unknown pile under a second bowl.
The foods varied in deliciousness at least from a primate perspective. The researchers determined that chimps preferred bread and bananas above all else while bonobos loved apples and bananas.
Chimps were excited least by papaya and cucumber while bonobos cared least about peanuts and lettuce.
The visible bowl contained middle-of-the-road foods for both species: peanuts for chimpanzees and papaya for bonobos.
The apes could chose this so-so food or decide to take a risk and pick the unknown food under the second bowl
which might be a delicious banana or a boring scrap of lettuce. The results revealed that chimpanzees were bigger risk-takers than the bonobos.
Chimps picked the unknown risky option 65 percent of the time compared with 39 percent of the time for bonobos.
Again both species got irritated when those risky choices failed to pay off with a favorite food.
They banged vocalized and scratched. The apes even showed a behavior that looked a bit like regret.
After choosing the unknown bowl and finding a disliked food the animals frequently tried to change their choice to the other bowl.
Primate psychology These findings confirm that humans aren't the only primates that get upset
when their decisions don't pan out Rosati said. The discovery that chimps were more willing to wait than bonobos
and that they took more risks is also important she said. In the wild chimpanzees tend to live in areas where food is seasonal and hard to find
while bonobos have an easier time foraging. The difference could explain why chimps are more patient
and more willing to take risks for a good payoff than are their bonobo cousins.
The kind of economic biases we see in different species including humans might really have a biological basis in terms of these species being prepared for different environments Rosati said.
Now that researchers know the apes do show emotional reactions to unwanted outcomes scientists hope to find out how those emotions might influence decisions Rosati said.
The study turned up a few hints that this kind of influence does indeed operate in apes.
For example bonobos who tried hardest to switch their choice after an unwanted outcome in the food bowl experiment were also the least likely to take risks in the first place.
That finding is very similar to the observation that people who most regret gambling losses take fewer risks Rosati said.
Apes seem to have a really rich set of psychological skills for making their foraging decisions she said.
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#Are Crocodiles Secret Fruit-Lovers?(Op-Ed) This article was published originally atâ The Conversation. Â The publication contributed the article to Livescience'sâ Expert Voices:
Seed dispersal by animals is important for plants to help them occupy new areas of land.
Usually bugs birds or intrepid kittens do that job. Now we can add crocodiles to that list.
A new study reviewed the diets of crocodiles and showed that 13 of 18 species ate fruit of some sort and a wide variety of plants.
Using animals as a method of seed dispersal is actually a useful form of mutualism the plants get to spread their genes
and animals get a healthy snack. In other reptiles seed dispersal is a well-known activity
although not as well understood as for insects mammals birds and even in snakes. The recent study published in the Journal of Zoology shows that for crocodiles almost a quarter of the fruits consumed were of the oefleshy kind.
However none of the recordings were of direct observations of fruit eating so exactly how
or why they did is still a bit of a mystery. Most of the evidence come from dissection of crocodiles'stomachs and their faeces.
So there is some chance that these crocodiles are indirect eaters of fruit who feast on fruit-eating animals.
But direct observations (see video) have been made many times to believe that they might actually like eating fruits.
Why do it? First researchers that crocodiles learnt this behaviour from alligators in captivity. But the review makes note of observations in the wild.
Perhaps it is similar to why dinosaurs consumed stones (gastroliths) to help with grinding food in their stomachs
Perhaps this odd phenomenon might help in part explain why crocodiles are such successful animals.
Crocodiles are obligate carnivores their primary diet is meat and as such fruits are classed often as anomalous food items
That the review study picked up so many independent instances of crocodiles feeding on fruit and having ingested seeds is solid evidence for this.
#Are Grapes Toxic for Dogs? They're small and sweet so they may seem harmless.
But for mysterious reasons grapes can be deadly for dogs. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
      Recently vets and dog owners noted that eating grapes
or raisins can cause fatal kidney failure in some dogs. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ASPCA first noticed the danger in 1999.
Scientists still don't know what it is about grapes that causes the reaction but they're continuing to work on discovering the root of the problem.
Dogs that eat grapes will often vomit usually within a few hours. They may also suffer from diarrhea abdominal pain lethargy
or not at all due to the effects the grapes have on dogs'kidneys. Even a small amount of the fruit can cause a serious reaction
so dogs need immediate treatment if they ingest grapes. If you know your dog has eaten grapes
or raisins and the animal has thrown not yet up induce vomiting using hydrogen peroxide. Ask your vet about the proper procedure.
Whether or not your dog vomits immediately take it to the vet's office where additional treatments may include activated charcoal to absorb the toxin IV fluid treatment and dialysis.
Even with treatment some dogs don't survive. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
                   Â
or size of dog but vets still don't know why certain dogs seem to have no reaction at all.
#Are Pigs as Smart as Dogs, and Does It Really Matter?(Op-Ed) Marc Bekoff emeritus professor at the University of Colorado Boulder is one of the world's pioneering cognitive ethologists a Guggenheim Fellow and cofounder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals. This essay is adapted from one that appeared in Bekoff's column Animal Emotions in Psychology Today.
He contributed this article to Livescience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Recently an essay by Associated press reporter David Crary caught my eye.
With the catchy title Pigs smart as dogs? Activists pose the question it attracted almost 2000 comments as of this writing.
As a scientist who has studied the cognitive and emotional capacities of a variety of nonhuman animals (animals) and as an advisor to The Someone Project on which that article focuses
but comparing dogs to cats or dogs to pigs says little of importance. I always stress that intelligence is a slippery concept
because some people claim that supposedly smarter animals suffer more than supposedly dumber animals and that it's okay to use the dumber individuals in all sorts of invasive and abusive ways.
After 2500 Studies It's Time to Declare Animal Sentience Proven (Op-Ed) Lori Marino founder of the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy Inc. who also works on The Someone Project says it well:
The point is not to rank these animals but to re-educate people about who they are.
They are sophisticated very animals. I've emphasized the word who because these animals are sentient beings whos not whats.
So it's a matter of who we eat not what we eat when they wind up in our mouths.
Emotionally complex versus emotionally sophisticated In discussions of the emotional lives of animals the phrases emotionally complex
which to make the claim that dogs for example are emotionally more complex than pigs or other food animals.
Thus the claim that it's okay to slaughter pigs for example rather than dogs because dogs would suffer more is misleading and vacuous
and there are no data to support that conclusion. All of these mammals and all other mammals are sentient beings who share the same neural architecture underlying their emotional lives
and who experience a wide spectrum of emotions including the capacity to feel pain and to suffer.
All one has to do is look at available scientific literature to see that millions upon millions of mice
and other rodents are used in a whole host of studies to learn more about pain in humans.
Yet despite the fact that we know that mice rats and chickens display empathy and are very smart
and emotional they are protected not by the United State's Federal Animal Welfare Act. Would you do it to your dog?
Mr. Crary's essay does raise some important points that are worth noting. Research shows that many people who eat meat are concerned indeed with the level of intelligence of the animals who find themselves in their meal plan
so discussions about the comparative intelligence of other animals are indeed important. Also of interest in the question:
Why do some people have radically different views about other animals? Indeed the titles of two very interesting books raise this question the first by Psychology Today writer Hal Herzog called Some We Love Some We Hate Some We Eat:
Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals (Harper Perennial 2011) and the second by Melanie Joy called Why We Love Dogs Eat Pigs and Wear Cows (Conari Press 2011).
Answers to questions such as these are being sought by researchers interested in anthrozoology. I always like to ask people
if they would do something to a dog that would cause them prolonged and intense pain
and suffering such as that endured by food animals and the most usual answer is marked no with surprise and incredulity about why
I would ask that question in the first place. Claiming other animals are smart or are deeply emotional beings is not humanizing them.
Some of the comments by opponents of The Someone Project also need some further discussion.
For example David Warner of the National Pork Producers Council claims While animals raised for food do have a certain degree of intelligence Farm Sanctuary is trying to humanize them to advance their vegan agenda an end to meat consumption.
which meat consumption is reduced drastically is among the goals of many people claiming that other animals are intelligent
and we're not inserting something human into these animals that they don't already possess.
Along these lines the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness underwritten by world-renowned scientists notes that available scientific data clearly show that all mammals
and some other animals are fully conscious beings. It's clear that the time is right for a Universal Declaration on Animal Sentience that involves people personally taking responsibility for the choices they make
when they interact with other animals. The time is now to shelve outdated and unsupported ideas about animal sentience and to factor sentience into all of the innumerable ways in
which we encounter other animals. When The Cambridge Declaration was made public there was a lot of pomp champagne and media coverage.
Janeen Salak-Johnson a professor in the University of Illinois Animal Science Department claims she favors a'happy medium
'and contends that campaigns such as The Someone Project go too far in trying to equate'production animals'with household pets.
Furthermore according to Professor Salak-Johnson We can't let all these animals roam free it's not an economically sustainable system...
Yes we have to fulfill our obligations to these animals but is it fair for us to starve the world?
The Someone Project is simply raising consciousness about who food animals are and stays well within the bounds of available scientific evidence.
or vegan diet believes that food animals will roam free if they're not eaten.
The way in which we could fulfill our ethical obligations to these animals would be to stop factory farming right now
and allow those animals who find themselves in these horrific places to have a good life.
and suffering of other animals Who we eat is on the minds of many people
and the conclusion of a recent essay in the New york times by Nicholas Kristof called Can We See Our Hypocrisy to Animals?
when in the future they reflect uncomprehendingly on our abuse of hens and orcas appreciate that we are good and decent people moving in the right direction and show some compassion for our obliviousness.
This article appeared as Are Pigs as Smart as Dogs and Does It Really Matter?
in Psychology Today. More of the author's essays are available in Why Dogs Hump
and Bees Get Depressed (New world Library 2013). The views expressed are those of the author
These dogs were trained like to kill; trained to hurt and viciously attack people she said.
But do pit bulls deserve their reputation as vicious attack dogs? An overwhelming amount of evidence suggests they do.
and Reconstructive Surgery found that almost 51 percent of the attacks were from pit bulls almost 9 percent were from Rottweilers
In other words a whopping two-thirds of the hospital's dog-attack injuries involved just two breeds pit bulls and Rottweilers.
and Pathology revealed that pit bulls Rottweilers and German shepherds were responsible for the majority of fatal dog attacks in the state of Kentucky.
See What Your Dog's Breed Says About You And a 2011 study from the Annals of Surgery revealed that attacks by pit bulls are associated with higher morbidity rates higher hospital charges
and a higher risk of death than are attacks by other breeds of dogs. The authors of that 2011 study go on to say Strict regulation of pit bulls may substantially reduce the U s. mortality rates related to dog bites.
Pit bulls and the law Some states and cities have acted on the research: The state of Maryland has determined that pit bulls are inherently dangerous and all owners are liable for any injuries they cause according to the Baltimore sun. Even the U s army has acknowledged that pit bulls are high-risk dogs;
they are prohibited therefore in some military housing units. Pit bulls join several other breeds on the list of dogs that are recognized as more likely to attack
and cause significant injury: The Centeres for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data and found the following breeds are implicated in a majority of dog-bite fatalities:
Rottweilers generally rank a distant second. Paying the price for pit bulls As a result of the overwhelming evidence against pit bulls home owners and landlords often must pay significantly higher insurance premiums
if they have a pit bull or other recognized bad dog breed on their property.
Dog bite Incidents Fans of pit bulls are quick to assert that a dog's propensity for attack depends in large part on its owner
and other high-risk dogs are themselves high-risk people. A 2006 study from the Journal of Interpersonal Violence revealed that owners of vicious dogs were significantly more likely to have criminal convictions for aggressive crimes drugs alcohol domestic violence crimes involving children and firearms.
These findings were confirmed in a 2009 report published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences. The authors of that report wrote Vicious dog owners reported significantly more criminal behaviors than other dog owners
and they were ranked higher in sensation seeking and primary psychopathy. And a 2011 study also in the Journal of Forensic Sciences found that vicious dog owners reported significantly higher criminal thinking entitlement sentimentality and super-optimism tendencies.
Vicious dog owners were arrested engaged in physical fights and used marijuana significantly more than other dog owners.
What exactly is a'pit bull'?'The term pit bull is a general term encompassing three distinct though related breeds:
the American pit bull terrier the American staffordshire terrier and the Staffordshire bull terrier. They were bred originally as catch dogs for hunting
and attacking large animals like wild boar for herding livestock and for pit fighting. There's a myth that pit bulls have locking jaws that seize up when biting.
Though pit bulls have strong jaws and like most dogs will hold onto their prey after biting it there is no evidence that a pit bull's jaws are anatomically different from those of other breeds.
Even fans of pit bulls acknowledge the breed is different from other dogs. I tell people right off the bat
if you want a dog-park-type dog a dog you can just run off-leash please do not get a pit bull Ami Ciontos founder
and president of the Atlanta Underdog Initiative a pit bull rescue group told CNN. com. I want to make sure that whomever
I adopt to is educated about the breed Ciontos said. We want to make sure they understand the stigma about the breed
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