Science Update: The Science Radio News Feature of the AAAS

Topic: Animal Behavior

June 17, 2013	Toucans & Trees - When large animals like toucans are removed from tropical rainforests, the trees suffer.
June 12, 2013	Emotional Apes - Like humans, chimps and bonobos can be sore losers.
June 7, 2013	Unusual Species Roundup - Rare species can have a surprising impact on ecosystems.
June 5, 2013	Brainy Baby Seals - Weddell seal pups survive infancy with the help of surprisingly large brains.
June 1, 2013	Podcast for 31 May 2013 - EAT OR BE EATEN - Cannibal baby sharks, ladybugs that eat other ladybugs, and monkeys that adopt the local cuisine. Also: how baby seals learn to hunt. And, why global warming could turn snowshoe hares into easy prey.
May 31, 2013	Medicine from Animals Roundup - Some of the most useful medicines come from dangerous toxins found in nature.
May 29, 2013	A Beetle Battle - An invasive ladybird beetle kills off native species with microorganisms in its body.
May 24, 2013	Arthropod Roundup - Greater wax moths have evolved the ability to hear sounds at frequencies even their predators can't detect.
May 22, 2013	Seabirds & Pollution - Seabirds and their eggs help scientists track global pollution.
May 20, 2013	Shark Siblicide - Unborn baby sharks gobble up their brothers and sisters in the womb.
May 17, 2013	Podcast for 17 May 2013 - VISION SCIENCE - A camera modeled after the compound eyes of insects. How the brain compensates for worsening color vision as we age. And, could electrical simulation to the brain improve math performance? Also: Young people are still flocking to tanning booths, despite the risk of developing life-threatening melanoma.
May 15, 2013	Monkey Food Culture - Vervet monkeys usually adopt the food preferences of whatever social group they join.
May 13, 2013	Insect-Inspired Camera - The compound eyes of insects have inspired the design of a new camera.
May 10, 2013	Sea Creature Roundup - An invasive species could be an unexpected boon for salt marshes.
April 30, 2013	Podcast for 19 April 2013 - GIANT SNAILS & ANCIENT TREES - Giant aliens attack Florida, unsticking geckos, the worlds within carnivorous plants, and mapless migrant monarchs.
April 29, 2013	Giant Snail Invasion - Giant East African land snails are wreaking havoc in South Florida.
April 24, 2013	Zapping Cocaine Addiction - Lasers can eliminate cocaine addiction in rats, pointing to new therapies for humans.
April 23, 2013	Mapless Monarch Migration - Monarch butterflies migrate from North to South America without a mental map.
April 18, 2013	Sticky Geckos - Researchers are learning what surfaces geckos stick to best.
April 16, 2013	Carnivorous Plant Food Webs - Each carnivorous pitcher plant contains a unique food web, depending on what falls in.
April 10, 2013	Off-Road Robots - Inspired by animals, researchers have created robots that can traverse sand.
April 9, 2013	Fairy Circles - Mysterious “fairy circles” on African plains are caused by termites, which destroy patches of grass but help the surrounding grass thrive.
April 8, 2013	Reviving Extinct Species - Using frozen DNA, researchers have created early-stage embryos of an extinct frog.
April 6, 2013	Podcast for 5 April 2013 - LESSONS FROM THE DEAD - Scientists attempt to bring back an extinct frog. Mummies showing signs of heart disease make researchers rethink assumptions about lifestyle and diet. The mysterious death zone within African "fairy circles" explained. Also: a miniature laboratory under the skin monitors blood chemistry.
March 25, 2013	Electric Flowers - Low-voltage electricity may help guide bees to the right flowers.
March 22, 2013	Bird Roundup - Cliff swallows are evolving rapidly in response to an urban environment.
March 19, 2013	Arctic Camels - Camels seem perfectly suited to life in the desert, but they may have evolved those traits in the high Arctic.
March 15, 2013	Podcast for 15 March 2013 - An ancient pigment with futuristic applications, the hidden electricity between flowers and bees, and a new, improved anti-fog coating. Also: the unlikely history of camels.
March 13, 2013	Alcoholic Insects - Fruit flies sometimes marinate their young in alcohol to protect them from parasitic wasps.
March 11, 2013	Half-Asleep Seals - Fur seals sleep with one half of their brain at a time.
March 8, 2013	Podcast for 8 March 2013 - INSECTS & ALCOHOL - Insects that arm their offspring with alcohol. Drinking may have a 10 million year history. And the importance of wild insects to the worldwide food supply. Also: prosthetic ears from a 3-D printer and seals that sleep with one eye open.
March 6, 2013	Pollinators in Peril - Wild pollinators may contribute more to the world’s food supply than domesticated honeybees.
March 1, 2013	Podcast for 1 March 2013 - SWEET SCIENCE - What tomatoes can tell us about cutting back on sugar and a diabetes cure for dogs. Also, behind the mechanics of beatboxing, the evolution of whales, and writing your way to a better relationship.
February 20, 2013	Hard Labor - Other people help human mothers through the emotional and physical aspects of the birth process, which help decrease the risks of childbirth. But apes have easy births, and prefer to go it alone.
February 16, 2013	Hard Labor – 2013 AAAS Annual Meeting Coverage - Other people help human mothers through the emotional and physical aspects of the birth process, which help decrease the risks of childbirth. But apes have easy births, and prefer to go it alone.
February 15, 2013	Ape Psychopathology – 2013 AAAS Annual Meeting Coverage - Chimpanzees in captivity sometimes suffer from simian versions of psychiatric disorders.
February 7, 2013	Dung Beetle Navigation - Dung beetles use the Milky Way to roll their dung balls in a straight line.
February 2, 2013	Podcast for 1 February 2013 - LIGHT - Lightning bugs inspire LED design. A new type of light makes others look dim by comparison. And, could lightning be related to migraine headaches?
January 23, 2013	Firefly LEDs - Fireflies are inspiring the design of more efficient LED lights.
January 18, 2013	Sensitive Reptile Roundup - Some dinosaurs may have used feathers to show off, much like some modern birds.
January 17, 2013	Podcast for 18 January 2013 - HEARING & SOUND - Why hyenas are anything but funny. Can animals dance to a beat? Using sound to save the whales. And physical fitness worsens hearing, but estrogen improves it. Encore presentation from May 22, 2009.
January 15, 2013	Birdsong Bluster - Female songbirds sometimes have a hard time separating truly worthy male crooners from the fly-by-night wannabees.
January 11, 2013	Big Brain Roundup - Big brains are detrimental in some animal species.
January 10, 2013	Detachable Gecko Tails - Gecko tails fall off along pre-determined lines.
January 3, 2013	Stressed-out Scallops - Scientists can assess the health of marine ecosystems by recording the coughing sounds made by scallops.
December 21, 2012	Podcast for 21 December 2012 - THE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT - What a scallop's cough can tell us about environmental health, how melting Arctic ice may have caused the earth's last big freeze, and why climate change may have undone the Maya empire. Also: using weather forecasting techniques to predict flu outbreaks, and revisiting the apocalypse myth surrounding the fictional planet Nibiru.
	Animal Senses Roundup - Even flies can get sick from eating spoiled food.
December 11, 2012	Bird Passwords - An Australian bird thwarts nest invaders by requiring its young to sing a secret call to get fed.
December 10, 2012	Ice Melt & Ice Age - A meltdown of Arctic ice may have triggered the last deep freeze in the Northern Hemisphere.
December 7, 2012	Podcast for 7 December 2012 - ARE YOU WREN ENOUGH? Why fairy wrens require their babies to show ID, how coral reefs ask for help, and how one microscopic animal patches itself up with borrowed genes. Also: Host Bob Hirshon went down to NASA Headquarters to report on the discovery of water on the planet Mercury.