BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Climate link to mockingbird songs

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Climate link to mockingbird songs: "Unpredictable weather seems to stimulate chatter among birds - as well as humans - according to researchers.

A team of US scientists has found that mockingbirds living in variable climates sing more elaborate songs.

Complex tunes, sung by males to impress females, are likely to signal the birds' intelligence.

Published in Current Biology, the findings suggest that females seek mates with superior singing skills - smart enough to survive harsh climes."

Op-Ed Columnist - In Praise of Dullness - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - In Praise of Dullness - NYTimes.com: "The traits that correlated most powerfully with success were attention to detail, persistence, efficiency, analytic thoroughness and the ability to work long hours."

Very interesting.

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Scientists hail stunning fossil

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Scientists hail stunning fossil: "The beautifully preserved remains of a 47-million-year-old, lemur-like creature have been unveiled in the US.

The preservation is so good, it is possible to see the outline of its fur and even traces of its last meal.

The fossil, nicknamed Ida, is claimed to be a 'missing link' between today's higher primates - monkeys, apes and humans - and more distant relatives."

Chemist Shows How RNA Can Be the Starting Point for Life - NYTimes.com

Chemist Shows How RNA Can Be the Starting Point for Life - NYTimes.com: "An English chemist has found the hidden gateway to the RNA world, the chemical milieu from which the first forms of life are thought to have emerged on earth some 3.8 billion years ago.

He has solved a problem that for 20 years has thwarted researchers trying to understand the origin of life — how the building blocks of RNA, called nucleotides, could have spontaneously assembled themselves in the conditions of the primitive earth. The discovery, if correct, should set researchers on the right track to solving many other mysteries about the origin of life. It will also mean that for the first time a plausible explanation exists for how an information-carrying biological molecule could have emerged through natural processes from chemicals on the primitive earth."

Evolution is slowing snails down

BBC - Earth News: "Natural selection is favouring snails with reduced metabolic rates, researchers in Chile have discovered.

It is the first time that evolution has been shown to select for this trait in individuals of any species.

Snails with lower metabolisms are at an advantage because they have more energy to spend on other activities such as growth or reproduction, the researchers say in the journal Evolution."

Gives new meaning to the term "snail's pace".