“From the perch atop the viewing tower, the spiders carefully surveyed the scene
before descending the tower and climbing up a walkway. Most [Portia jumping]
spiders chose the path that led to the meal, even if this meant moving away from
the prey and passing the incorrect walkway on the way.”
Betsy Mason ,
Spiders are much smarter than you think
(Knowable Magazine ,
October 28, 2021 )
posted 8/21/2022 8:00pm ∞
“[T]he coffee it makes is good. … That grown in South Sudan had ‘notes of
raspberry coulis, figs, plums, and milk chocolate.’ It has comparable caffeine
levels to Arabica, so can be an appropriate substitute as growing conditions for
Arabica continue to decline.”
Diana Gitig ,
Your next pour-over may be Liberica or excelsa
(Ars Technica ,
December 15, 2022 )
posted 12/18/2022 8:00pm ∞
“Wolves with antibodies against [Toxoplasma gondii ] were significantly more
likely to disperse (leave their packs and set out on their own) and to become
pack leaders. Pursuing both of these courses of action constitutes aggressive
and risky wolf behavior.”
posted 12/5/2022 8:00pm ∞
“[O]ctopuses can alter the coloration of their skin, with darker colors
typically being indicative of aggression. The authors found that octopuses with
dark coloration threw debris more forcefully and were more likely to hit another
octopus.”
posted 11/26/2022 8:00pm ∞
“They also found that, in general, the size of the birds’ repertoire decreased
as anthropogenic noise increased, especially when the birds were exposed to
levels of anthropogenic noise that were above the usual noise to which they were
accustomed.”
Alejandro Portilla Navarro ,
City birds are changing their tune
(Knowable Magazine ,
November 14, 2022 ,
via Ars Technica )
posted 11/25/2022 8:00pm ∞