Coles Science Center Blog

A new study published in the latest issue of Current Biology (call number QH301.C85) reports that chimpanzees perform better in tests of short-term memory than human adults.

photo source: Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University

Japanese researchers examined numerical recollection in 5-year-old chimps versus college students, and found that chimps were faster at recalling the sequence of numbers shown to them than the students. The chimps were also more accurate in their recall than the students when given less time to view the numbers.

This evidence puts into question the widely held belief that chimps are, across the board, cognitively inferior to humans.

Links:
Current Biology (article summary and link to full-text)
Associated Press coverage (also available via Lexis Nexis)
Primate Research Institute video

When searching for health science articles using Ovid, be sure to search each database (e.g., CINAHL, Medline, EBM Reviews, PsycINFO, etc.) separately. Otherwise, the search terms you enter will not map to subject headings. Subject headings help you to narrow your search and generate a more manageable number of results.

Two centuries ago, the platypus was regarded as an elaborate hoax. Today, it is widely recognized as an important subject of research in evolutionary biology.

Still, this unique mammal continues to elude. Few people have seen the creature in the wild and only a handful have been bred in captivity.

With this exhibit, created by Madeline Youngberg, the Coles Science Center hopes to shed some light on this familiar, yet fascinating animal. We hope that you enjoy!

photo credit: Nicole Duplaix for National Geographic

New research published in the latest issue of Nature (call number Q1.N3) finds that women have stronger, more flexible lower backs than men.

The study reports that the female lumbar curve spans three, well-connected vertebrae. The male lumbar curve, on the other hand, spans only two vertebrae, which are not as securely linked.

image source: Nature

Researchers hypothesize that the female spine has evolved to accommodate the additional abdominal load of pregnancy that women may experience in their lifetimes. With a stronger, more flexible lower spine, pregnant women are better able to lean back and balance their frontal weight.

Links:
Nature (article abstract and link to full-text)
New York Times coverage

Checked out? Oh noooooooo!

What do you do when you need a book that's checked out at Bobst? You can recall it using the green "Recall - Hold" button in the left sidebar of BobCat. Or, now you can request it electronically using interlibrary loan (ILL). And get this: using ILL is often faster than waiting for a recall!

You log in to ILL using your university ID ("N") number. From there, you can make requests, view the status of your requests, renew, or cancel requests online.

For easy access, a link to ILL is found in the Quick Links section of the Libraries home page.