Queuing up for food
What’s hot and what’s not in the world of science and technology.
Exemplary baboon behaviour
YOUNG, shy and low- ranking baboons queue up patiently for their food, a new study of the University of Cambridge shows.
Observations of two baboon groups in Namibia reveal that these creatures would wait in line according to their rank and social bond, while the elder eats in the food patch.
Apart from being far more ordered than scientists previously thought, baboons may not be able to use the information even though they can access it, based on the food scenario.
This pattern of information flow is similar to that of birds and fish, a scientist says.
See: http://bit.ly/1WoQxjm
Superthin skin
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed an electronic- skin that’s thinner than human hair.
Equipped with an organic light- emitting diode ( OLED) display, the e- sensor, similar to a temporary tattoo, can show you your vital signs.
And unlike many other e- skins, the new type has a special coating that protects it from oxygen and water vapour in the air.
This allows it to last for more than a day, compared with the other types that work for a few hours. The increasing resilience of these patches means they may soon replace current monitoring electronic devices, the team says.
See: http://bit.ly/1TbdUu0
Seedy survival
Seeds are why feathered theropod dinosaurs – the “ancestors’ of birds today – survived the mass extinction.
The new study by the University of Toronto shows that while food ran out for meat and plant eaters alike, seeds were abundant in soil and lasted for awhile.
The toothless theropods, with their beaks, then fared better than other dinosaurs who ate with teeth, the scientists say.
Although there are other reasons some creatures lived through the extinction, this finding adds “another little chunk of data” to the story, they add.
See: http://bit.ly/1T3pu7A
Space cycle
Long term birth control may be the best replacement for hygienic pads or tampons for women astronauts.
Analysis from King’s College London reveals that intrauterine ( IUD) devices or implants, by working to halt menstruation, could be more convenient than ( short term) pills or hygienic products.
Also, menstruating in space is no different from menstruating on Earth, the scientists write.
Based on accounts given by previous women astronauts, blood does not stay in the body despite the zero gravity in space and lead to infections, as stated in a myth.
See: http://bit.ly/1Tb2ynl
Hidden lake
A huge lake may be hidden under the East Antarctic ice sheet, scientists from the Durham University, UK, have discovered.
The lake, estimated to be 100 kilometres long and 10 kilometres wide, could contain unique life that evolved on their own for millions of years.
It’s astonishing that a lake this size has avoided being detected for so long, the team says.
“This is a region of the Earth that is bigger than the UK and yet we still know little about what lies beneath the ice,” they add.
See: http://bit.ly/1SO1z2g
Mandy thoo loves to write about science and lives in Kuala Lumpur. tweet her at @ techhead_