I ❤ Micaria Sociabilis

Many male spiders are thought to have made a habit of copulating with every female spider that they come across. This is not true. In over 160 laboratory experiences the male spiders have been found to murder the female spiders and consume them. This finding has lead to new discoveries on the mating methods, and daily survival of many spider species. With the astounding percent of 60% female deaths during the male-female encounters, scientists are rethinking the behaviors of spiders, and their evolutionary tendencies.




http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350369/description/News_in_Brief_Cannibalistic_spiders_may_just_be_choosy_guys

I ❤ Deep-Sea Bone-eating Worms

These bone-eating worms have made a living off of the remains of fallen fish. The real question however is how these worms are able to break down these bones into consumable products. The answer of course is acid. But this discovery reveals a second question. How do these small creatures produce such potent and effective acid? The answer to this is that these worms posses key proteins located in the root like bases that are pumped into the bone, which then secretes the nutritious collagen and fat that is hidden deep within the structure of the bone. Majestic.


http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350092/description/News_in_Brief_Deep-sea_worms_drop_acid_to_get_dinner

I ❤ Swifts and Hummingbirds

Two of the most agile birds have been found to have a common ancestor. Even though the flight patterns of swifts and hummingbirds vary vastly, they have been found by fossil records to be ancestors of Eocypselus Rowei. The wings on the Eocypselus Rowei were found to be smaller than the swifts, but larger than the hummingbirds. This fossil suggests that the bird could not hover or glide very efficiently. The lack of ability to accomplish these skills suggests that this was a turning point in evolution suggesting that hummingbirds and swifts are very closely related to this bird.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350048/description/News_in_Brief_Fossil_illuminates_ancestry_of_swifts_and_hummingbirds

I ❤ Egyptian Fruit Bats

Recent studies have uncovered very interesting uses of neurons in the Egyptian Fruit Bat brain. These neurons, otherwise known as place cells have been put to a very curious use in the daily life of the bat. They use these cells to map out 3-D landscapes. Like a dot on a road map, the cells are used to map out the rooms that they have been put in. Scientists recorded these results by strapping brain-wave reading technology onto the heads of the bats, and discovered this amazing evolutionary benefit.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/349761/description/News_in_Brief_Bats_are_3-D_cartographers

I ❤ Ceramic Fish Cookers

Ancient Japanese pottery has been found that suggests that hunter-gatherers were using vessels such as the pot found to prepare food. The chemical analysis reveals that this pot was used between 11,200 and 15,300 years ago to cook a type of fish. They found it was fish because even though fatty acids don't tend to preserve well, they found small samples that were left within the stains on the inside of the pot. This type of pottery has been questioned for years, and is now just being traced to hunter-gatherer tribes in ancient china.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/349564/description/Pottery_cooked_from_the_start

I ❤ Niumbaha Superba

There's a new genus of bat in town that appears to be striped like a badger. While conducting field research in South Sudan the team found this strange bat by accident on the Bangangai Game Reserve. Once back in America the team found that it was the same bat that had been found in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1939, and had been named under the genus Glauconycteris Superba . After some research they found that this particular bat did not fit into the genus. After hitting a dead end, the team had no other choice than to name a completely new genus of bat. This new genus has now been named Niumbaha Superba.

I ❤ Not Sound

For the first time in history scientists have been able to completely block sound waves from an object with a simple plastic cover. This discovery may lead to very important findings in sound pollution and also allowing ships and submarines to remain unseen. Because they were able to completely block a kind of waves, this opens doors to blocking other waves. This discovery is the beginning of a new innovative world that is able to block any type of wave. This can alter the entire world we see today......seriously