Some birds, it seems, hold funerals for their dead.
When western scrub jays encounter a dead bird, they call out to one another and stop foraging. The jays then often fly down to the dead body and gather around it, scientists have discovered. The behaviour may have evolved to warn other birds of nearby danger, report researchers in California, who have published the findings in the journal Animal Behaviour 
.The revelation comes from a study by Teresa Iglesias and colleagues at the University of California, Davis, US. |  |
Crime and punishment, chimpanzee-style
It seems like every time scientists ask whether great apes are capable of an advanced cognitive ability, the answer is yes. Chimpanzees
, in particular, seem to push the limits of what we think non-human primates are capable of: they plan ahead, they exhibit altruism, and some have incredible memory skills.
Most recently, researchers asked whether chimpanzees exhibit a sophisticated social behavior called “third-party punishment.” This behavior occurs when one individual punishes another individual for a transgression that did not directly harm the punisher. So in a chimp's case, it might involve an individual punishing a fellow group-member for stealing food from a different group member.
, in particular, seem to push the limits of what we think non-human primates are capable of: they plan ahead, they exhibit altruism, and some have incredible memory skills.Most recently, researchers asked whether chimpanzees exhibit a sophisticated social behavior called “third-party punishment.” This behavior occurs when one individual punishes another individual for a transgression that did not directly harm the punisher. So in a chimp's case, it might involve an individual punishing a fellow group-member for stealing food from a different group member.
Have Three Little Photons Broken Theoretical Physics?
Seven billion years ago, three cosmic travelers set out together on an epic journey to Earth. They just arrived, and the trio has a surprising tale to tell about the structure of the universe. Their story could overturn decades of work by theoretical physicists.
But first, an introduction: Scientists have long wondered about the nature of space and time. Albert Einstein envisioned the two concepts as an interwoven fabric that extends smoothly and continuously throughout the universe, warping under the weight of the matter it contains. The smoothness of this stretchy "space-time" fabric means that no matter how closely one inspects it, no underlying structure emerges. The fabric is completely pure even at infinitesimal scales. |  |
Was Jack the Ripper a cart driver from Bethnal Green?
It has been the subject of macabre speculation for more than 100 years but now two Jack the Ripper
experts believe they have found the identity of the Whitechapel serial killer.Authors Christer Holmgren and Edward Stow believe the most likely suspect for Jack The Ripper is Charles Cross, a cartman who claimed to have found the first victim prostitute Polly Nichols on August 31 1888. Cross was discovered crouching over the body by a witness Robert Paul. He told police he had been walking through Bucks Row on his way to Pickfords’ depot in Broad Street at around 3am when he found the body of Nichols. |  |
Catching a Dinosaur by the Tail
How big was Spinosaurus? The croc-snouted, sail-backed theropod was heralded as being even bigger and more menacing than Tyrannosaurus rex thanks to Jurassic Park III, placing Spinosaurus among the ranks of Giganotosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus as challengers to the vaunted title of the biggest flesh-eater to ever walk the earth. Depending on who you ask, Spinosaurus was about 41 to 59 feet long, making it as large as–if not larger than–old T. rex.
Asking “Which dinosaur was the biggest?” isn’t very helpful, though. “Bigness” isn’t something scientists actually measure. Consider the contemporaneous sauropods Apatosaurus louisae and Diplodocus carnegii.
Asking “Which dinosaur was the biggest?” isn’t very helpful, though. “Bigness” isn’t something scientists actually measure. Consider the contemporaneous sauropods Apatosaurus louisae and Diplodocus carnegii.
Fresher ocean water can boost hurricanes
There are two things coastal residents nervously look for in hurricanes (more generally, “tropical cyclones”). First, where will the storm make landfall? Second, how strong will it be? Tropical cyclones are fueled by warm water, so sea surface temperatures have a lot to do with how a storm plays out.
Normally, a tropical cyclone traveling over warm water will cause the water to cool as the strong winds stir up the water, which brings cooler water to the surface. This helps limit the growth of the cyclone, because it effectively diminishes its own fuel source. However, that doesn’t always happen, and the storm can continue to grow as a result.
Normally, a tropical cyclone traveling over warm water will cause the water to cool as the strong winds stir up the water, which brings cooler water to the surface. This helps limit the growth of the cyclone, because it effectively diminishes its own fuel source. However, that doesn’t always happen, and the storm can continue to grow as a result.
Wetlands the primary source of Amazon Basin methane
The Amazon basin is an important sink of carbon dioxide, but it is also a substantial source of atmospheric methane. Tropical wetlands, including those in the Amazon, are one of the largest sources of biogenic methane and globally represent roughly 13 percent of annual emissions of the greenhouse gas. Other sources of methane include fossil fuel or biomass burning. Through two intensive atmospheric methane sampling campaigns, Beck et al. determine the sources of Amazonian methane.
Surveying Rome’s forgotten frontier
The Roman Gask Project will be undertaking an extensive survey of a fort on the Gask Ridge Frontier at Stracathro near Brechin in Angus. This fort for a short time in the late 80s AD represented the northernmost permanent outpost of the entire Roman empire.
Along with the frontier fort, the team will survey a Roman camp and look for evidence of a church which played a brief but important part in the shaping of Scottish history in the late 13th century.
Along with the frontier fort, the team will survey a Roman camp and look for evidence of a church which played a brief but important part in the shaping of Scottish history in the late 13th century.
Early neolithic figurines discovered at Tel Motza
Two figurines dating to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) – eighth millennium BCE – were discovered during excavations carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority and currently under-way at Tel Motza, prior to construction work on the new Highway 1 from Sha’ar HaGai to Jerusalem.
According to Anna Eirikh and Dr. Hamoudi Khalaily, directors of the excavation, “The figurines, which are 9,000-9,500 years old, were found near a large round building whose foundations were built of fieldstones and upper parts of the walls were apparently made of mud brick.
According to Anna Eirikh and Dr. Hamoudi Khalaily, directors of the excavation, “The figurines, which are 9,000-9,500 years old, were found near a large round building whose foundations were built of fieldstones and upper parts of the walls were apparently made of mud brick.
Green tea extract 'eradicates cancer tumours'
The University of Strathclyde team made 40 per cent of human skin cancer tumours disappear using the compound, in a laboratory study.
Green Tea 
has long been suspected of having anti-cancer properties and the extract, called epigallocatechin gallate, has been investigated before.However, this is the first time researchers have managed to make it effective at shrinking tumours. Previous attempts to capitalise on its cancer-fighting properties have failed because scientists used intravenous drips, which failed to deliver enough of the extract to the tumours themselves. |  |
Baldness cure could be for sale in just two years
A lotion that cures male-pattern baldness could be for sale in as little as two years. University of Pennsylvania dermatologist George Cotsarelis says the lotion works by inhibiting a single enzyme, prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), which he says is the "major" enzyme connected to hair loss.
And the cure would also extend to men of all ages who have already lost their hair. "We really do think if you remove the inhibition, you get longer hair," Cotsarelis told the journal Science Translational Medicine. |  |
Eyeless goby fish 10,000km apart share common ancestor
A pair of eyeless, cave-dwelling fish species, separated millions of years ago, have turned up on either side of the Indian Ocean.
A study published in PLoS One showed that blind Madagascan and Australian cave fish share a common ancestor. Their forebears probably lived in caves on the prehistoric southern super-continent Gondwanaland. Then continental drift tore this family apart - transporting them to their current locations. |  |
Microbe-Free Beaches, Thanks to Dogs
If you spent time at the beach this summer, you probably encountered seagulls screeching overhead and eating trash. You probably also encountered their poop. Seagull droppings can carry disease-causing microbes like Escherichia coli and Enterococcus, which can contaminate beaches and water. Now scientists have found a way to fight back: Release the hounds. In a new study, researchers show that unleashing dogs keeps the seagulls away—and the water at the beach free of microbes.
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A new species of bee that survives solely by invading other beehives
It would now appear that cuckoo birds are not the only animal that has the nasty habit of laying its eggs in another animal's nest. A newly discovered species of bee has been observed to invade the nests of other bees while they're out collecting pollen. It's during this opportune time that the female members of these newly dubbed "cuckoo bees" lay their eggs in the hive. And because invader eggs hatch early, the immature bees are able to get rid of the host bee eggs — leaving the pollen and nectar reserves for themselves.
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Richard III dig: Walls may be lost medieval church
The discovery of medieval walls shows a search for the lost grave of Richard III is "on the right track", archaeologists have said.
Richard's body was brought to Leicester after his death in battle in 1485 but the grave's location was lost. A University of Leicester team started digging in a city car park last week after research pinpointed the area. |  |
Imperial to develop “Marsquake” technology
Technology for detecting “Marsquakes” will be developed by an Imperial engineer as part of NASA’s next unmanned mission to the red planet, it was announced in August 2012.
The Imperial researcher will develop miniaturised seismometers, based on silicon-chip sensor technology, to detect Marsquakes – Martian seismic activity - on Earth’s nearest neighbour as part of the “Insight” mission. The aim of the Insight mission is to understand the formation and evolution of rocky planets by investigating the internal structure of Mars. |  |
Ancient city a victim of war
Aleppo, Syria: Ruled successively by Hittites, Greeks, Romans and Ottomans, Aleppo’s ancient city has survived violent change over thousands of years. But the modern weaponry of Syria’s escalating civil war is proving too much.
The stone walls are pockmarked with bullet holes, whole houses have fallen after air strikes, and small wooden doors decorated with metal filigree are cracked from explosions.
The stone walls are pockmarked with bullet holes, whole houses have fallen after air strikes, and small wooden doors decorated with metal filigree are cracked from explosions.
100-year battle for the iconic Egyptian bust of Nefertiti
As Germany celebrates the centennial of the discovery of Queen Nefertiti
bust on 6 December - the day when it was discovered a hundred years ago - can Egypt wrench back such a unique bust?A century later and the dispute over its ownership has stepped from one level to another with no concrete solution in sight. Although Egypt provided all the documents supporting its ownership and that its German discoverer, Ludwig Borchardt, took it by fraud, Germany refuses all restitution requests proposed. The story of the iconic bust began in 1912 at the archaeological dig of what was the workshop of king Akhenaton's court sculptor, Thuthmosis... |  |
Hong Kong Discovers 140 Million Year-Old Supervolcano
Some 140 million years after it erupted and then toppled into the sea, an ancient supervolcano in Hong Kong is making headlines.
The government announced Thursday that it had located the supervolcano—the first discovery of its kind in southeastern China—while surveying in the area in southeastern Hong Kong. The volcano is now extinct and poses no threat to Hong Kong. What makes the volcano super? When it last exploded 140 million years ago, it would have darkened the sky with 312 cubic miles of ash, enough to blanket all of Hong Kong, said Denise Tang of the government’s civil engineering & development department, which discovered the volcano. About 50 other such supervolcanos are known to exist around the world, she said. |  |
Bonobo ape Kanzi creates flint tools to prise open logs
A species of ape has been observed in captivity making and using flint tools. Kanzi, a 30-year-old male bonobo (previously known as pygmy chimpanzees) has already mastered sign language.
After some training in flint knapping, he created and used the tools to break apart logs and dig out concealed food – the first time this level of technological sophistication in tool use has been observed in non-humans.
After some training in flint knapping, he created and used the tools to break apart logs and dig out concealed food – the first time this level of technological sophistication in tool use has been observed in non-humans.
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