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

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

The New York Times reported recently on a soon-to-be-published, Seinfeld-inspired study in the Journal of Food Safety on the phenomenon of "double dipping." Yeah, double dipping as in, dipping once, taking a bite, and then dipping again. George Constanza did it. And admit it, you've done it too!

Well, think twice before you do it again. Why? Because the study showed that, indeed, double dipping spreads bacteria mouth to mouth. “The way I would put it is, before you have some dip at a party, look around and ask yourself, would I be willing to kiss everyone here? Because you don’t know who might be double dipping, and those who do are sharing their saliva with you,” told the lead researcher of the study, a microbiologist, to the Times.

At that rate, I'd rather skip the party AND the dip, and watch Seinfeld re-runs at home alone...with a nice cold glass of milk and Bosco.

Links:
New York Times coverage
Journal of Food Safety articles available via interlibrary loan
video of infamous Seinfeld "double dip" episode via Gothamist

The New York Times published a piece recently on two different types of numerical abilities: approximation, which is intuitive and nonverbal, and computation, which is learned and uniquely human. Read all about it here.

Want to test your approximation abilities? Try it here!

According to the Times, this test was developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the Kennedy Krieger Institute, who found that adults generally score 75% correct. Take the test 25 times, and see if you can beat the average!

image source: The New York Times

Here's a little something to "chew on" from Wired Science regarding your upcoming Thanksgiving meal:

"Most everything on your plate has undergone tremendous genetic change under the intense selective pressures of industrial farming. Pilgrims and American Indians ate foods called corn and turkey, but the actual organisms they consumed didn't look or taste much at all like our modern variants do."

image source: Wired Science blog

Bottom line: turkeys over twice the size, sweeter corn, and starchier potatoes. What, no pumpkin pie?

Today is March 3, 2009, or 3/3/09. The significance? 3 x 3 = 9. In other words, 3 is the square root of 9. That makes it Square Root Day! Live it up, because the next one isn't until 4/4/16.