Monogamy in the genes?
Scientists believe they now know why some animals stay with their mates and others don’t: It’s all in the genes. A research team at the University of Texas at Austin identified five monogamous species, then compared them with more promiscuous close relatives: California mice vs. deer mice, mimic poison frogs vs. strawberry poison frogs, and so on. (Monogamy was defined as staying with the mate and jointly raising offspring for at least one mating season.) After analyzing the animals’ brain tissue, the researchers discovered that males that stayed loyal to their mates bore a common genetic formula: specifically, 24 genes whose activity is consistently ramped up or dialed down. It’s not yet known whether human genes behave in a similar way, and thus whether there could one day be a genetic test for human monogamy. “There are differences among individuals and a test may have to be very individualized to be effective,” lead author Rebecca Young tells The Guardian (U.K.). “Is it impossible? I’d never say that.”
began surveying the sky in July. It monitors 200,000 of the brightest nearby stars, looking for momentary dips in light as planets pass in front of them. Its most recent discovery was exoplanet HD 21749b, which orbits a bright dwarf star about 53 light-years away, reports The New York Times. The gaseous planet, roughly three times the size of Earth, has a 36-day orbit and a surface temperature of 300 degrees Fahrenheit—surprisingly cool given its proximity to its host star. The two other newly identified planets are Pi Mensae c, a “superEarth” that shoots around its star every six days, and LHS 3844b, a rocky world that has an orbit time of just 11 hours. TESS spotted the six supernovas, or exploding stars, before they were seen by Earthbased instruments. That time advantage is useful, says Michael Fausnaugh, a TESS researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, because “some of the most interesting science occurs in the early days of a supernova.”
ous research has shown that overweight pooches are more likely to suffer from joint disease, breathing issues, and cancer, all of which can reduce longevity. Co-author Alex German, from the University of Liverpool, tells ScienceDaily.com: “Being careful about what you feed your dog could go a long way toward keeping them in good shape and enabling them to be around for many years to come.”