BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Evolution faster when it's warmer

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Evolution faster when it's warmer: "Climate could have a direct effect on the speed of 'molecular evolution' in mammals, according to a study.

Researchers have found that, among pairs of mammals of the same species, the DNA of those living in warmer climates changes at a faster rate."

Basics - Brainy Echidna Proves Looks Aren’t Everything - NYTimes.com

Basics - Brainy Echidna Proves Looks Aren’t Everything - NYTimes.com: "Monotreme sex determination also holds its allure. In most mammals, a single set of XX chromosomes signifies a girl, a set of XY specifies a boy. For reasons that remain mysterious, monotremes have multiple sets of sex chromosomes, four or more parading pairs of XXs and XYs, or something else altogether: a few of those extra sex chromosomes look suspiciously birdlike. Another avianlike feature is the cloaca, the single orifice through which an echidna or platypus voids waste, has sex and lays eggs, and by which the group gets its name. Yet through that uni-perforation, a male echnida can extrude a four-headed penis."

BBC - Earth News - Chimps mentally map fruit trees

BBC - Earth News - Chimps mentally map fruit trees: "Chimpanzees remember the exact location of all their favourite fruit trees.

Their spatial memory is so precise that they can find a single tree among more than 12,000 others within a patch of forest, primatologists have found.

More than that, the chimps also recall how productive each tree is, and decide to travel further to eat from those they know will yield the most fruit."