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2008-09-28

Mirror test shows magpies aren't so bird-brained

"... The feel of the mark on their necks did not seem to alarm them. But when the birds with coloured neck spots caught a glimpse of themselves, they scratched at their necks - a clear indication that they recognised the image in the mirror as their own. Those who received a black sticker, invisible against the black neck feathers, did not react. ..."

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14552-mirror-test-shows-magpies-arent-so-birdbrained.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news4_head_dn14552

Walnut Trees Emit Aspirin-like Chemical To Deal With Stress

"Unlike humans, who are advised to take aspirin as a fever suppressant, plants have the ability to produce their own mix of aspirin-like chemicals, triggering the formation of proteins that boost their biochemical defenses and reduce injury," says NCAR scientist Thomas Karl, who led the study. "Our measurements show that significant amounts of the chemical can be detected in the atmosphere as plants respond to drought, unseasonable temperatures, or other stresses."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080918170819.htm

Wild dolphins tail-walk on water

"A wild dolphin is apparently teaching other members of her group to walk on their tails, a behaviour usually seen only after training in captivity."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7570097.stm

The Rosy-Lipped Batfish

"Like a marine Mick Jagger, a rosy-lipped batfish pouts near Costa Rica's Cocos Island. Batfish are poor swimmers, preferring to use their strangely adapted pectoral fins like legs to crawl about the seafloor."

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/enlarge/rosy-lipped-batfish-wilms.html