Researchers at the University of Sussex in Britain have discovered that cats employ a “soliciting purr” to seduce their owners into giving them more attention and food. The study, published in the July 15 edition of Current Biology journal, says the purr proves irresistible because a high-frequency element embedded within it, similar to a cry or meow, subtly triggers a sense of urgency.
The team of Sussex psychologists discovered that cats appear to be exploiting innate tendencies that humans have for nurturing their own offspring. However, in this case the felines subtly bury their “feed me” messages in an otherwise pleasant purr. Lead author Dr Karen McComb initiated the study because her own cat, Pepo, had the knack of consistently waking her up in the mornings with insistent purring.
Continue reading ‘Cats exploit humans purr-fectly’
A small fish found in streams across Europe has a human-like ability to learn, British scientists reported.
The nine-spined stickleback could be the first animal to exhibit a key human social learning strategy that allows it to compare the behaviour of others to its own experience and make choices that lead it to better food supplies.
“Small fish may have small brains but they still have some surprising cognitive abilities,” said Jeremy Kendal of Durham University.
Continue reading ‘Smart fish discovered in Europe’
A 14-year-old student from New York has apparently become the youngest person in the world to discover a supernova, the weakest-ever found in a nearby galaxy.
Astronomers have confirmed that the supernova discovered in November last year by Caroline Moore — called SN 2008ha — is a new type of stellar explosion, 1000 times more powerful than a nova but 1000 times less powerful than a supernova.
Astronomers say that it may be the weakest supernova ever seen.
Even though this explosion was a weakling compared to most supernovae, for a short time SN 2008ha was 25 million times brighter than the sun. However, since it is 70 million light years away, it appeared very faint viewed from Earth.
Continue reading ‘Peculiar, junior-sized supernova discovered by New York teen’
A pea-sized seahorse, caffeine-free coffee and bacteria that live in hairspray were among the top 10 species discovered last year, a committee of scientists said.
The International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and an international committee of taxonomists – scientists responsible for species exploration and classification -announced the top 10 new species.
The other species on the list include the very tiny (a snake just a slither longer than 4 inches or 104 millimeters), the very long (an insect from Malaysia with an overall length of 22.3 inches or 56.7 centimeters) the very old (a fossilized specimen of the oldest known live-bearing vertebrate) and the very twisted (a snail whose shell twists around four axes).
Rounding out this year’s list are a palm that flowers itself to death, a ghost slug from Wales and a deep blue damselfish. Continue reading ‘Scientists unveil top 10 newly discovered species’
Paradoxus hermaphroditus-The most expensive coffee in the world is Kopi Luwak.
To spend 25 million dollars for the Clock
Chinese scientists materialize Harry Potter’s magic
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