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WASHINGTON (AP) — African elephants call each other and respond to individual names — something that few wild animals do, according to new research published Monday.

The names are one part of elephants’ low rumbles that they can hear over long distances across the savanna. Scientists believe that animals with complex social structures and family groups that separate and then reunite often may be more likely to use individual names.

“If you’re looking after a large family, you’ve got to be able to say, ‘Hey, Virginia, get over here!’” said Duke University ecologist Stuart Pimm, who was not involved in the study.

It’s extremely rare for wild animals to call each other by unique names. Humans have names, of course, and our dogs come when their names are called. Baby dolphinsinvent their own names, called signature whistles, and parrots may also use names.

Each of these naming species also possesses the ability to learn to pronounce unique new sounds throughout their lives — a rare talent that elephants also possess.…….

apnews.com

African elephants call each other by unique names, new study shows

New research shows African elephants call each other and respond to individual names, something few wild animals do.
apnews.com apnews.com
 
NGL won't bother reading this till after posting. Headline suffices.

www.psypost.org

Flatulence's surprising role in hormone production and women's mental health

Researchers discovered that gut bacteria produce hormones critical for pregnancy and mental health, using hydrogen gas (from flatulence) to convert steroids. This finding could lead to new treatments for postpartum depression and other hormone-related conditions.
www.psypost.org
 
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Parenting requires unique skill sets.

Mothers and fathers need to anticipate their children’s needs, and understand and care for them, often with no experience and on very little sleep.

So, it’s not surprising that parents would need to adapt to be successful in their new roles, some researchers said.


Studies have shown, for instance, that when women become pregnant and after they give birth, physical changes occur in their brains that, some researchers suspect, may help prepare women for motherhood.


And research shows that new fathers go through similar changes.

The brain changes that men experience may support “the ability to form a bond with the baby and connect sensitively to the baby because that’s important for our species’ survival,” said Darby Saxbe, a professor of psychology at the University of Southern California who has been studying structural brain changes.


Saxbe and her then colleagues in Spain conducted brain-imaging studies on 40 expectant fathers before and after the birth of their first child, she said.

The researchers discovered that while the structural changes were more subtle than what has been observed in women, men experienced a reduction in gray matter before and after they became fathers.

The researchers noted that these changes occurred primarily in the cerebral cortex, which plays a role in executive functioning, including memory, thinking, reasoning, learning, problem-solving and emotional processing.

This reduction, a type of streamlining process, is thought to help the brain process information more efficiently, Saxbe said.


Indeed, in a follow-up study, Saxbe and a colleague found that among 38 first-time fathers, those who experienced more-significant reduction in gray matter volume in the cerebral cortex reported more motivation and engagement toward parenthood…….


 
The invention of the contraceptive pill heralded the sexual revolution of the 1960s, and now scientists are looking to revolutionise wildlife control by getting animals in on the action.

Trials are under way in the UK and elsewhere in Europe of how to get contraceptives into pigeons, wild boar and grey squirrels, with scientists also proposingother rodents, invasive parakeets and deer as other target species.

As destruction from invasive and pest speciesgrows, researchers are looking to fill special feeders and bait boxes with hazelnut spreads and grains laced with contraceptives.

They believe this could be a more humane and effective way of controlling populations that have previously been poisoned, shot or trapped.

The aim is to find “creative solutions”, says Dr Giovanna Massei from York University: “The main message is that the economic and the environmental impact of wildlife are increasing worldwide, and we are running out of options.


“Traditional methods such as culling are ineffective, can be inhumane, unsustainable, environmentally harmful, and are increasingly opposed by the public,” she says.…..

www.theguardian.com

How do you put pigeons on the pill? Scientists test contraceptives to curb pest numbers

Birth control is being trialled as a humane way to limit growing numbers of grey squirrels, pigeons and wild boar
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
www.universetoday.com

New Simulation Explains how Supermassive Black Holes Grew so Quickly

One of the main scientific objectives of next-generation observatories (like the James Webb Space Telescope) has been to observe the first galaxies in the Universe – those that existed at Cosmic Dawn. This period is when the first stars, galaxies, and black holes in our Universe formed, roughly...
www.universetoday.com www.universetoday.com
 
Optimus Prime said:
The invention of the contraceptive pill heralded the sexual revolution of the 1960s, and now scientists are looking to revolutionise wildlife control by getting animals in on the action.

Trials are under way in the UK and elsewhere in Europe of how to get contraceptives into pigeons, wild boar and grey squirrels, with scientists also proposingother rodents, invasive parakeets and deer as other target species.

As destruction from invasive and pest speciesgrows, researchers are looking to fill special feeders and bait boxes with hazelnut spreads and grains laced with contraceptives.

They believe this could be a more humane and effective way of controlling populations that have previously been poisoned, shot or trapped.

The aim is to find “creative solutions”, says Dr Giovanna Massei from York University: “The main message is that the economic and the environmental impact of wildlife are increasing worldwide, and we are running out of options.


“Traditional methods such as culling are ineffective, can be inhumane, unsustainable, environmentally harmful, and are increasingly opposed by the public,” she says.…..

www.theguardian.com

How do you put pigeons on the pill? Scientists test contraceptives to curb pest numbers

Birth control is being trialled as a humane way to limit growing numbers of grey squirrels, pigeons and wild boar
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
Click to expand...
Will this work on neighborhood cats? :scratch:
 
Breaking up, as the Neil Sedaka hit goes, is hard to do. The emotional pain of a romantic split can be so severe it has its own clinical name – love trauma syndrome, or LTS.

But help could be at hand for those seeking to mend a broken heart. Research shows wearing a £400 headset for just a few minutes a day may ease the misery, negativity and depression that can accompany a failed relationship.

In a study, 36 volunteers with love trauma syndrome wore the device, which stimulates the brain with a mild electrical current.


The volunteers were split into three groups, each wearing the transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) headsets for 20 minutes, twice a day over five days. In one group, the current was aimed at the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). In another, it was aimed at the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC). In the third, the headset was switched off.

Both regions targeted are involved in voluntary emotion regulation. Previous neuroimaging studies suggest there is a neuropsychological link between breakup experiences and bereavements, and that specific prefrontal regions are involved, the study said.

LTS can cause emotional distress, depression, anxiety, insomnia, mood swings, obsessive thoughts, and a greater risk of suicide, as well as feelings of insecurity, helplessness and guilt.

The study, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, concluded that for LTS symptoms, DLPFC stimulation was more efficient than VLPFC stimulation.

“Both DLPFC and VLPFC protocols significantly reduced LTS symptoms, and improved depressive state and anxiety after the intervention, as compared with the sham group,” concluded researchers from the University of Zanjan in Iran and Bielefeld University in Germany. “The improving effect of the DLPFC protocol on love trauma syndrome was significantly larger than that of the VLPFC protocol.”

A month after the treatment stopped, volunteers still felt better. The study’s authors said: “These promising results require replication in larger trials.”……..

www.theguardian.com

Electrical brain stimulation can ease heartbreak, study finds

Researchers say transcranial direct-current stimulation can reduce ‘love trauma syndrome’
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
Microplastics have been discovered in penises for the first time, raising questions about a potential role in erectile dysfunction.

The revelation comes after the pollutants were recently detected in testes and semen. Male fertility has fallen in recent decades and more research on potential harm of microplastics to reproduction is imperative, say experts.

The researchers said the penis could be particularly vulnerable to contamination with microplastics due to high blood flow during erections. People ingest microplastics through eating, drinking and breathing and the tiny particles have been detected in blood.


The study assessed tissue taken from five men who were undergoing surgery related to erectile dysfunction. Microplastics were found in four cases, with PET and polypropylene being the most prevalent. Both are used in food and drink packaging and other everyday items.

There appears to be widespread contamination of people’s bodies with microplastics, with scientists finding them wherever they look. The impact on health is as yet unknown but microplastics have been shown to cause damage to human cells in the laboratory.……

www.theguardian.com

Microplastic discovery in penises raises erectile dysfunction questions

The contaminants have also recently been found in testes and semen, amid concerns about falling male fertility
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 

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