http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. In order to spot potential predators, adult meerkats often climb to a higher vantage point or stand on their hind legs. If a predator is detected, they use several different alarm calls to warn the rest of the group. New Cambridge research shows that they are more likely to exhibit this behaviour when there are young pups present, suggesting that the predator-scanning behaviour is for the benefit of the group rather than the individual. http://phys.org/news279204543.html Biology Mon, 04 Feb 2013 19:00:07 EST news279204543 Results from one of the largest surveys of school teachers undertaken in South Australia have revealed that it is high levels of student disengagement that are the real problem in schools. http://phys.org/news278929650.html Other Sciences Fri, 01 Feb 2013 08:27:37 EST news278929650 Researchers in the group of Ralf Sommer at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tuebingen, Germany, have for the first time been able to identify neuronal correlates of behaviour by comparing maps of synaptic connectivity, or "connectomes", between two species with different behaviour. They compared the pharyngeal nervous systems of two nematodes, the bacterial feeding Caenorhabditis elegans and the predator/omnivore Pristionchus pacificus and found large differences in how the neurons are "wired" together. http://phys.org/news277643326.html Biology Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:00:02 EST news277643326 Baby sharks still developing in their egg cases can sense when predators are near, and keep very still to avoid being detected, according to research published January 9 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Ryan Kempster from the University of Western Australia and colleagues. http://phys.org/news276969360.html Biology Wed, 09 Jan 2013 17:00:08 EST news276969360 It's coming up to that time of year again when people start making their New Year's resolutions, with promises to stop smoking or lose weight, and roping in their families to help. Many people rely on incentives to make their resolutions work but according to a United Kingdom study led by King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, rewarding people for changing their health-related behaviour is fine, as long as it works. http://phys.org/news276338983.html Other Sciences Wed, 02 Jan 2013 08:49:56 EST news276338983 (Phys.org)—Half of children surveyed in NSW said they had been bullied online or knew someone who had, and more than a third had been asked, or knew someone who had been asked, for a naked or sexy photo. However many were unaware of the serious criminal penalties that can apply to the practices. http://phys.org/news274603752.html Other Sciences Thu, 13 Dec 2012 06:49:26 EST news274603752 According to a European research project, cities may be able to reduce their energy consumption by 30 % by leveraging information and communication technologies (ICTs). This breakthrough was made by the ENERSIP project, which is formed by 10 partners from 5 European countries, and has received EUR 3.99 million in funding from the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) under the theme for ICT support to energy-positive buildings and neighbourhoods. Their results were presented after analysis showed how to optimise the use of residential consumption and generation infrastructures. http://phys.org/news272270282.html Technology Fri, 16 Nov 2012 06:38:10 EST news272270282 Australian children use the internet more excessively than their European counterparts, but the behaviour tails off as they grow older, researchers say. http://phys.org/news271933863.html Other Sciences Mon, 12 Nov 2012 09:11:18 EST news271933863 Worker bees have become a highly skilled and specialized work force because the genes that determine their behaviour are shuffled frequently, helping natural selection to build a better bee, research from York University suggests. http://phys.org/news269512972.html Biology Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:00:26 EST news269512972 Researchers have discovered that a form of oxytocin—the hormone responsible for making humans fall in love—has a similar effect on fish, suggesting it is a key regulator of social behaviour that has evolved and endured since ancient times. http://phys.org/news269013095.html Biology Tue, 09 Oct 2012 14:51:47 EST news269013095 (Phys.org)—Most people have an email address these days and electronic mail has superseded letters and facsimiles as the primary method of written communication between individuals, particularly in business. http://phys.org/news267259818.html Other Sciences Wed, 19 Sep 2012 07:50:32 EST news267259818 A new study is challenging stereotypes around the youth subculture whose members are often labelled as 'neds' or 'chavs'. http://phys.org/news266570861.html Other Sciences Tue, 11 Sep 2012 08:28:59 EST news266570861 UK researchers have shown for the first time that instead of fleeing randomly when faced with danger, sheep head straight for the center of the flock. http://phys.org/news262422420.html Biology Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:07:44 EST news262422420 (Phys.org) -- In order to pass on their genes, southern dumpling squid engage in up to three hours of mating with each partner, but University of Melbourne researchers have found that this results in a reduced ability to swim for up to 30 minutes afterwards. http://phys.org/news261807433.html Biology Wed, 18 Jul 2012 05:17:23 EST news261807433 Scientists at The University of Nottingham have opened the way for more accurate research into new ways to fight dangerous bacterial infections by proving a long-held theory about how bacteria communicate with each other. http://phys.org/news256473774.html Biology Thu, 17 May 2012 11:42:59 EST news256473774 Collaboration between the University of Southampton and the University of Cambridge has made ground-breaking advances in our understanding of the changes that materials undergo when rapidly heated. http://phys.org/news252236899.html Physics Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:48:33 EST news252236899 In the last century something unexpected happened: humans became sedentary. We traded in our active lifestyles for a more immobile existence. But these were not the conditions under which we evolved. David Raichlen from the University of Arizona explains that our hunter-gatherer predecessors were long-distance endurance athletes. http://phys.org/news251627232.html Biology Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:27:21 EST news251627232 (PhysOrg.com) -- Some of the earliest evidence of prehistoric architecture has been discovered in the Jordanian desert, providing archaeologists with a new perspective on how humans lived 20,000 years ago. http://phys.org/news248947963.html Other Sciences Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:12:53 EST news248947963 In the fight for survival, plants are capable of complex social behaviours and may exhibit altruism towards family members, but aggressively compete with strangers. http://phys.org/news240059976.html Biology Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:19:50 EST news240059976 The British appetite for zombies is becoming a growing trend. From computer games and films to organised zombie walks though Britain's cities, the proliferation of zombies seems to be everywhere. Yet, this high interest in zombies enables researchers to link zombie-like behaviours to current models of public attitudes and actions. http://phys.org/news238845534.html Other Sciences Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:59:09 EST news238845534 (PhysOrg.com) -- In many bird species males have a more elaborate plumage than females. This elaborate plumage is often used to signal body condition, to intimidate rivals or to attract potential mates. In many cases plumage colouration also depends on the hormone testosterone. Christina Muck and Wolfgang Goymann from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen have now investigated whether this also holds true for sex role reversed bird species. In barred buttonquails that live in Southeast Asia, females are polygamous and pair with several males that incubate the eggs and raise the young. However, not only the behaviour, but also secondary sexual ornaments that depend on the male hormone testosterone are reversed between sexes. http://phys.org/news238406322.html Biology Fri, 21 Oct 2011 08:58:55 EST news238406322 Hypothetically speaking, if someone told you that a hypothetical question could influence your judgments or behaviour, would you believe them? http://phys.org/news237115494.html Other Sciences Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:25:26 EST news237115494 In the animal world, males typically search for their female partners. The mystery is that in some species, you get a reversal -- the females search for males. http://phys.org/news236427798.html Biology Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:23:51 EST news236427798 Neanderthal cavemen supped on shellfish on the Costa del Sol 150,000 years ago, punching a hole in the theory that modern humans alone ate brain-boosting seafood so long ago, a new study shows. http://phys.org/news235281714.html Other Sciences Thu, 15 Sep 2011 05:02:17 EST news235281714 University of Alberta research has discovered a strong link between depression and risky sexual behaviours such as improper condom use, transactional sex and relationship violence among young people in South Africa. http://phys.org/news209136430.html Medicine & Health Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:00:01 EST news209136430 The evolutionary mystery of menopause is a step closer to being solved thanks to research on killer whales. http://phys.org/news197198237.html Biology Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:17:42 EST news197198237 A nose job to treat a mental health problem? Teeth whitening to overcome a severe anxiety disorder? These are just two procedures that people with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) have traditionally turned to in order to deal with body-related concerns. The excessive use of (and dissatisfaction with) cosmetic treatments, along with obsessive rituals and social isolation, is what scientists from the Fernand-Seguin Research Centre of Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital, affiliated with the University of Montreal, are hoping to fight with a novel therapy to treat BDD. http://phys.org/news196947251.html Medicine & Health Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:50:01 EST news196947251 Mating can be exhausting. When fruit flies mate, the females' genes are activated to roughly the same extent as when an immune reaction starts. This is shown in a study at Uppsala University that is now appearing in the scientific publication, Journal of Evolutionary Biology. http://phys.org/news154266738.html Biology Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:52:52 EST news154266738 (GPEARI, Portugal) -- Cooperation, despite being now considered the third force of evolution, just behind mutation and natural selection, is difficult to explain in the context of an evolutionary process based on competition between individuals and selfish behaviour. But this puzzle, that has haunted scientists for decades, is now a little closer to be solved by research about to be published in the journal Physical Review Letters. http://phys.org/news153150016.html Physics Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:40:49 EST news153150016 Non-verbal communication, in the form of facial expressions, may be impaired in people with schizophrenia. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Behavioral and Brain Functions have shown that deficits in non-verbal expressivity in schizophrenia are linked to poor social skills and an unawareness of the thoughts and intentions of others. http://phys.org/news151911329.html Medicine & Health Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:36:07 EST news151911329