Frogs use brains or camouflage to evade predators
Throughout evolution, prey animals have adopted a range of strategies to evade their predators. But often these elaborate strategies come at a cost. For example, looking out for and fleeing from predators involves a great deal of cognitive capacity a.....»»
How Does ChatGPT ‘Think’? Psychology and Neuroscience Crack Open AI Large Language Models
Researchers are striving to reverse-engineer artificial intelligence and scan the “brains” of LLMs to deduce the how any why of that they are doing.....»»
Detecting odors on the edge: Researchers decipher how insects smell more with less
Whether it's the wafting aroma of our favorite meal or the dangerous fumes seeping from a toxic chemical, the human sense of smell has evolved into a sophisticated system that processes scents through several intricate stages. The brains of mammals h.....»»
Biologists discover caterpillars are able to sense electrostatic fields generated by predators
Sam England and Daniel Robert, biologists at the University of Bristol, report that at least three types of caterpillars are capable of sensing and responding to an electrostatic field generated by a predator......»»
New work extends the thermodynamic theory of computation
Every computing system, biological or synthetic, from cells to brains to laptops, has a cost. This isn't the price, which is easy to discern, but an energy cost connected to the work required to run a program and the heat dissipated in the process......»»
Dice snakes found to use a variety of techniques to more effectively fake their own deaths
A pair of biologists at the University of Belgrade, in Serbia, has found that dice snakes use a variety of techniques to fool predators into believing they have died. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, Vukašin Bjelica and Ana G.....»»
Bsal and beyond: Task force helps stave off amphibian disease threat
Amphibians—like frogs and salamanders—are the most imperiled group of animal species in the world; infectious diseases are among the greatest threats to their existence. After a decade of research, a scientific task force is poised to stave off t.....»»
Bigger brains allow cliff-nesting seagull species to survive and thrive in urban environments
Seagull species that have bigger brains are more likely to nest on coastal cliffs and may also be better adapted to breed in urban environments such as on the roofs of buildings......»»
Researcher finds that wood frogs evolved rapidly in response to road salts
When we think of evolution, we think of a process that happens over hundreds or thousands of years. In research published in Ecology and Evolution a team led by Rick Relyea, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences and David M. Darrin Senior Endowed.....»»
Fossil frogs share their skincare secrets: Analysis of 45-million-year-old soft tissues
Paleontologists at University College Cork (UCC), Ireland, have solved a hundred-year-old mystery of how some fossil frogs preserve their fleshy parts—it's all down to their skin......»»
Evolution"s recipe book: How "copy paste" errors led to insect flight, octopus camouflage and human cognition
Seven hundred million years ago, a remarkable creature emerged for the first time. Though it may not have been much to look at by today's standards, the animal had a front and a back, a top and a bottom. This was a groundbreaking adaptation at the ti.....»»
How to protect IP surveillance cameras from Wi-Fi jamming
Gone are the days of criminals cutting camera wires to evade detection: with the proliferation of affordable internet-connected cameras, burglars must resort to Wi-Fi jamming. Blocking the signal blinds the device and stalls home and business surveil.....»»
New study reveals novel approach for combating "resting" bacteria
Most disease-causing bacteria are known for their speed: In mere minutes, they can double their population, quickly making a person sick. But just as dangerous as this rapid growth can be a bacterium's resting state, which helps the pathogen evade an.....»»
What do bird dreams sound like?
For more than 20 years, researchers have known that areas of birds' brains dedicated to singing show neural patterns during sleep akin to the ones they use while awake and singing......»»
Experts determine best way to breed frogs in captivity
Frogs belong to a group of animals called amphibians—the most endangered group of species on the planet. Two out of every five amphibian species are currently threatened with extinction, and this figure is rising......»»
Greek valley that became a lake stirs drought debate
Gracefully rising above a din of croaking frogs as the sun sets, a pelican flies over Lake Karla, one the largest inland expanses of water in Greece......»»
Scientists discover new phage resistance mechanism in phage-bacterial arms race
One of the most abundant and deadliest organisms on Earth is a virus called a bacteriophage (phage). These predators have lethal precision against their targets—not humans, but bacteria. Different phages have evolved to target different bacteria an.....»»
Kids and "bad" news: How can parents safely introduce their children to news and current affairs?
While much attention has been drawn to the detrimental impact of violent video games on children's developing brains, there has been relatively little discussion regarding the negative effects of news and current affair programs children are exposed.....»»
Cybercriminal adoption of browser fingerprinting
Browser fingerprinting is one of many tactics phishing site authors use to evade security checks and lengthen the lifespan of malicious campaigns. While browser fingerprinting has been used by legitimate organizations to uniquely identify web browser.....»»
Amphibians use scream inaudible to humans for self-defense against predators, study suggests
A study reported in the journal acta ethologica has recorded the use of ultrasound by amphibians for the first time in South America. It also describes the first documented case of the use of ultrasound for defense against predators, in a distress ca.....»»
These Women Came to Antarctica for Science. Then the Predators Emerged
Jane Willenbring was the first to blow the whistle on sexual harassment and assault in Antarctica. Years later, women are still coming forward with tales of horror as a government investigation unfolds......»»