Both humans and macaques are able to recognize faces immediately thanks to holistic processing mechanisms, which serve the face as a whole. But this common ability only serves to recognize individuals of the own species.
In a study carried out with guppy fish, scientists in Australia have found evidence that less attractive males have better sperm quality. Research shows that the most striking and lushly colored specimens biologically "invest" in their appearance by sacrificing their fertility.
A team led by Craig Venter, father of the human genome, has managed to manufacture an artificial cell entirely in the laboratory. The finding, reported today in the journal Science, marks the official beginning of the so-called synthetic biology and opens the way to the design of microorganisms "on demand", whose DNA can be modified in theory to incorporate the properties that scientists want.
This biologist is the maximum specialist in one of the most unknown and intriguing creatures that populate the oceans: the narwhal, an arctic cetacean endowed with a long horn. Laidre has told Angela Posada-Swafford how she follows her trail in the icy waters of Canada and Greenland.
A team of Australian scientists has concluded that octopuses prefer high definition television (HDTV) to conventional television. The study has been published in The Journal of Experimental Biology.
Promiscuous females could be the key to the survival of certain species, according to a study from the Universities of Exeter and Liverpool in the United Kingdom published in the journal Current Biology. The study could solve the mystery of why females of many species have multiple partners (polyandry) even though this may be more risky on an individual level.
At the molecular level we are very simple, since all living beings that populate the Earth are made up of a small number of molecules. In fact, living matter consists mainly of long molecules in which a certain pattern repeats itself over and over again, sometimes with small variations. In addition, some of them fold in an elaborate, complex and extremely precise way. This is the case with DNA.
The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB). This year coincides with the 2010 Biodiversity Goal adopted by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and by the Heads of State and Government attending the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002.
Danni Büchner is invited to Sam Dylan's Halloween party. But the "Goodbye Germany" emigrant has no desire for many other party guests. And find clear words.
