On:

Scientists have discovered that city birds are smarter than country birds. Global warming may already be driving some species into extinction. BUT some birds are a lot SMARTER than others, and THEY may survive. And new discoveries indicate that birds may use ley lines to navigate.

City birds seem to have an advantage over rural birds, because they are adaptable enough to survive in a much larger range of conditions. These are the birds that may make it through climate change. Biologist John Wingfield says, “Urban habitats aren’t easy, so the birds have to have developed coping mechanisms.”
read more

On:

Scientists are fascinated by left-handedness. They know that being a lefty is genetic, so there?s no use trying to change. Scientists have discovered a gene which seems to make it more likely that you’ll among the 11% of people who are lefties.

In LiveScience.com, Andrea Thompson reports that lefties currently make up about 11% percent of the population, but earlier studies showed that only 3% of people born in 1900 were left-handed. Is this because they were forced to write with their left hand? Or are lefties having more children and passing on their genes more than righties?
read more

On:

We recently reported that the childhood condition of autism may be able to be reversed. Now Alzheimer’s, a devastating brain disease that strikes at the end of life, may be able to be reversed as well.

Researcher have found that a special protein can be injected into the body to reverse learning problems in mice that have an animal version of Alzheimer’s disease. This protein is an antibody that grabs onto the amyloid beta protein in the brain and prevents it from changing into the toxic substance that is believed to cause Alzheimer’s disease.
read more

On:

When astronomers used to search for solar systems with planets that might harbor life, they looked for a large planet in the outer orbit, like Jupiter, because they thought these planets absorbed the blows from incoming space rocks that could kill off all life on smaller planets in interior orbits. But now they know that isn’t true.

New computer calculations show that while it is true that Jupiter keeps some comets from hitting the earth, it ALSO sends almost as many comets towards us as it deflects, because its large mass actually attracts incoming objects. In BBC News, Liz Seward quotes Jonathan Horner as saying, “Rather than it being a clear cut case that Jupiter acts as a shield, it seems that Jupiter almost gives with one hand and takes away with the other.”
read more