The Rules of Attraction in the Game of Love

 Posted on December 30, 2022  |  10 minutes  |  1984 words  |  Fernande Dalal

To figure out how we pick mates, scientists have measured every shape and angle of the human face, studied the symmetry of dancers, crafted formulas from the measurements of Playboy models, and had both men and women rank attractiveness based on smelling armpit sweat. After all this and more, the rules of attraction for the human species are still not clearly understood. How it all factors into true love is even more mysterious. [Read More]

Want a Lasting Marriage? Personality Match May Not Matter

 Posted on December 30, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  575 words  |  Patria Henriques

Men and women in relationships need not be similar in personality in order to have a successful long-lasting marriage, a new study suggests. The study, which included couples who had been married for at least 40 years, found that neither personality similarities nor differences appeared to affect how happy the couples were. The findings suggest the personality matching carried out by dating websites may make little difference in a relationship's ultimate success, the researchers say. [Read More]

Want a Quick Nap? Try a Hammock

 Posted on December 30, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  469 words  |  Fernande Dalal

There's a reason that swaying gently in a hammock is so relaxing, and it's not just ocean breezes and piña coladas. A new study finds that rocking as you fall asleep actually affects your brain waves, hastening the descent into slumber. The results, which will be published in the June 21 issue of the journal Current Biology, could explain why everyone from babies to adults finds rocking soothing. They may also come in handy for people hoping to grab a quick afternoon nap, which has been shown to refresh the brain. [Read More]

Why Vivid Memories Can Feel So Real

 Posted on December 30, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  324 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

A new study found that the brain’s experience of a vivid memory closely copies the neural activity of the actual, original moment, which may help explain why our most lucid memories feel uncannily real. "When we mentally replay an episode we've experienced, it can feel like we are transported back in time and reliving that moment again," explained Brad Buchsbaum, lead author of the study and neuroscientist with Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute in Toronto. [Read More]

Zoo anteater exposed people to rabies in first-of-its-kind case

 Posted on December 30, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  704 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

An anteater infected with rabies at a Tennessee zoo potentially exposed more than a dozen people to the deadly virus, according to a new report. The unusual case marks the first time that rabies has been reported in this species, a type of anteater from South America known as the southern tamandua or lesser anteater (Tamandua tetradactyla), according to the report, published Thursday (April 14) in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a journal from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [Read More]

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake just slammed Utah, the state's largest in nearly 30 years

 Posted on December 29, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  438 words  |  Patria Henriques

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck northern Utah at 7:09 a.m. local time today, causing considerable damage in and around the towns of Magna and Salt Lake City, according to the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS). The quake is the largest temblor the state has felt since a magnitude 5.9 quake struck the city of St. George, in southwestern Utah, in 1992. No serious injuries have been reported, however there is widespread damage in the area, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. [Read More]

Ancient Native American 'Twins' Had Different Mothers

 Posted on December 29, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  794 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Native American "twins" who died 11,500 years ago in the area that's now Alaska actually had different mothers, a new genetic analysis suggests. The genetic lineage of one of the fake twin babies suggests all Native Americans can trace can trace their lineage to a single wave of migrants who crossed the Bering Strait, said study co-author Justin Tackney, a doctoral candidate in anthropology at the University of Utah. Past studies had suggested that a separate wave of migrants might have entered the continent from other regions. [Read More]

Chivalry Not Dead: Male Crickets Risk Lives to Protect Mates

 Posted on December 29, 2022  |  5 minutes  |  914 words  |  Patria Henriques

Males chivalrous enough to lay their lives down for their lovers can be found even among crickets, scientists now reveal. Male crickets are probably best known for their songs, making chirping sounds by rubbing their wings together in order to woo females. Now it appears the insects may behave romantically not just during courtship, but also in what might be their last act. "Many people probably think that 'chivalrous' behavior is exclusive of humans or closely related mammals, linking it in some way to education, intelligence or affection," [Read More]

How Big Was the Biggest Hailstone Ever?

 Posted on December 29, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  313 words  |  Trudie Dory

On June 22, 2003, chunks of ice the size of softballs rained down on Aurora, Neb. One, a jagged behemoth with a 7-inch (17.8-centimeter) diameter, entered the record books as the largest U.S. hailstone ever. Although large in size, it didn't unseat the champion by weight, which fell in Coffeyville, Kan., in 1970, according to the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). That hailstone weighed more than a pound and a half (0. [Read More]

Hunting 101: Meerkats Teach Scorpion Dismemberment

 Posted on December 29, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  670 words  |  Trudie Dory

Attention all meerkat pups: Scorpion hunting 101 is now in session. Instead of letting their young figure out how to hunt dangerous scorpions on their own, older meerkats collect and disable the prey so the youth can learn how to deal with the feisty food. The discovery, detailed in the July 14 issue of the journal Science, is one of the few examples of teaching in animals. Meerkat classroom Wild meerkats (Suricata suricatta) live in fairly barren environments in southern Africa where finding food is no easy chore. [Read More]