Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical that is used in a wide variety of consumer products, such as resins used to line metal food and beverage containers, thermal paper store receipts, and dental composites. BPA exhibits hormone-like properties, and exposure of fetuses, infants, children or adults to the chemical has been shown to cause numerous abnormalities, including cancer, as well…
There is no biological cure for deafness—yet. We detect sound using sensory cells sporting microscopic hairlike projections, and when these so-called hair cells deep inside the inner ear are destroyed by illness or loud noise, they are gone forever. Or so scientists thought. A new study finds specific cells in the inner ear of newborn mice that regenerate these sensory…
Communication requires a sender, a receiver, and a message. But communication doesn’t take place in a vacuum. Often, there are unintended receivers listening in and unintentional messages getting across. Illustrating just how complicated sending a message can be is the example of the túngara frog (Physalaemus pustulosus). Male túngara frogs, native to Central and South America, gather at night in…
They went boating alone without life vests and gave no thought to shimmying up very tall coconut trees. And although they were only figments of a writer’s imagination, the fictional adventurers helped provide new insight into how humans, especially men, gauge the threat of a potential adversary. Those reading the stories — dozens of residents of a small village on…
A new study has found that species living together are not forced to evolve differently to avoid competing with each other, challenging a theory that has held since Darwin’s Origin of Species. By focusing on ovenbirds, one of the most diverse bird families in the world, the Oxford University-led team conducted the most in-depth analysis yet of the processes causing…
Lemurs can be sneaky. They’ll wait until a human’s back is turned to take a treat. But a new study shows that in the same situation, they don’t seem to realize that making a racket will draw unwanted attention. Joel Bray, Christopher Krupenye, and Brian Hare of Duke University wanted to see if ring-tailed lemurs could take the perspective of others.…