Research 2004
Recent Research 2005
Recent Research 2003
12 16 04 Homeward-bound Ants Use Angular Signposts
Trails laid down by Pharaoh’s ants (Monomorium pharaonis) always branch so that the two forks form an angle of 53 degrees, allowing ants to determine whether they’re heading toward the nest or away from it.
12 13 04 Song-learning Strategies of Songbirds
To learn the Zebra finch song—a task essential to mating—young males can employ either of two learning strategies. Some birds repeat a single song segment until they learn it, then move on to the next song segment. Other males practice the whole song at once. Both strategies are successful.
12 08 04 Sparrows learn a complete song from song snippets
A songbird can learn an entire song after hearing only overlapping snippets of tutor song, scientists report.
12 06 04 Monkey brains respond to monkey calls
Alex Martin and colleagues investigated brain activation in rhesus macaque monkeys to determine if the animals could be drawing pictures in their minds upon hearing a call. The researchers used positron emission tomography (PET) to identify which regions of the brain were activated when fully awake monkeys heard various calls.
11 11 04 Facial Quality Signal in a Wasp
Among female paper wasps, Polistes dominulus, subordinate wasps with experimentally altered facial features received considerably more aggression from dominant wasps than did sham controls.
10 02 04 Bowerbirds Destroy Neighboring Bowers
On Quirks & Quarks, Bob McDonald interviews Joah Madden, from the department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge on the tendency of Bowerbirds to destroy neighboring bowers. The Quirks page includes links to two other Q&Q stories on Bowerbirds.
Q&Q Bowerbird Bullies
Ring doves, Streptopelia risoria, use special superfast muscles to control their song, much as the rattlesnake does to operate its rattle.
08 12 04 Cricket hearing and steering
Female crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) react much more quickly and “robotically” to mating calls of males than previously supposed. New research shows that both on the ground and in flight, crickets respond to each pulse of the song signal with a rapid steering response.
Researchers recorded Richardson’s ground squirrels using ultrasonic alarm calls in the first research to demonstrate ultrasonic alarm calls in any animal.
Male zebra finches pay attention to the mating status of other zebra finches and modify their own behavior, including their song, when interacting with their female partners.
06 19 04 Indigo Birds May Speciate Based on Learned Song
African indigobirds (Vidua spp.) parasitize the nests of other bird species. But learning the songs of their host species may lead to speciation. On Quirks & Quarks, host Bob McDonald interviews Michael Sorenson, a professor of Biology at Boston University, who researches indigobirds.
Q&Q Indigo Birds Speciating Songs
04 29 04 Orcas React to Boat Noise
Members of killer whale (Orcinus orca) groups make characteristic calls to each other over distances of several kilometres. In the presence of boat noise, these calls are about 15 percent longer than in quiet conditions.
Unlike young female satin bowerbirds, experienced females pay more attention to a male’s courtship display than to his decorated bower.
03 01 04 Ant Queen Communication
An ant colony’s queen sends out a message encoded on her eggs. The surface of the queen’s eggs is coated with a pheromone that prevents worker ants from laying their own eggs.
02 26 04 The Evolution of Human Language
A special section in the February 27, 2004 issue of Science explores the evolution of human language, touching on the future of English, the special language of science, software languages, the evolution of speech, clues to the first human language, efforts to classify past languages, how Indo-European languages first spread through Europe and how changes in grammar and usage arise and spread.
02 22 04 Lion Noses Reveal Age
Mane size and coloration are unreliable indicators of age, but male lions’ noses become more freckled as they get older.
Honeybees can be induced to return to a food source simply by being reminded of its smell.
01 23 04 Cowbird Song and Dance
A male cowbird can sing, dance and breathe all at the same time. But during the most elaborate wing movements, the song ceases.
Zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) may employ either of two strategies to learn the finch song.
Photo © 2004 Wan-chun Liu
Text-only Site Navigation | Top of Page | Search
Unless otherwise noted, contents © 2007 Stephen Hart, all rights reserved.
eugraph.com | Stephen Hart, Writer and Editor | Tintin Trivia Quiz | Copyright