When meeting potential partners, some of us are more aloof or act uninterested.Charles Darwin noted this idea of playing hard-to-get in regards to mating back in 1871, which some have interpreted as coyness. This term, as defined by the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, refers to “the fact of being shy or of pretending to be shy and innocent, especially about love or sex, and sometimes in order to make people more interested in you.”Sound familiar? Research has actually documented this behavior ...read more
A new fossil discovery bolsters an idea first proposed in 2005: Early mammals that lived during the Cretaceous Period were not just shrinking violets, little shrews hiding in the shadows of dinosaurs. As the new thinking goes, some of the mammals were predators themselves that attacked and ate small dinosaurs and their young.The new fossil from China shows a small, badger-like predator, a Repenomamus robustus, on top of a Psittacosaurus, a beaked herbivorous dinosaur about the size of a large do ...read more
When a parent smacks a child’s hand or swats their butt, they may think they’ve merely “spanked” their child. So it might be surprising to learn that scholars actually refer to these spanks as “corporal punishment.”Parents might also find it unsettling to learn that some scholars have described spanking as most children’s “first experience of being the victim of a deliberate physical attack.”Scientists are trying to understand more about childhood spanking and how it affects ...read more
Within a square-shaped pond in Ban Si Liam, Thailand, paleontologists excavated nine specimens of ancient reptiles in 2005. Among the treasure trove of fossils, scientists found a near-complete skull of an ancient alligator.Now, after further examination and a study published in Scientific Reports, researchers found that the early skull is closely related to the modern-day Chinese alligator, Alligator sinensis. The remains are crucial for tracing the evolutionary origin of the species. Ancient ...read more
Reports of orcas launching attacks on yachts have made waves in the news recently. This novel behavior – orcas ramming boats – has spawned a flurry of orca memes and prompted speculation about the root of this strange behavior.While we still don’t know why orcas are attacking boats, the phenomenon spotlights a fascinating aspect of the animal world: the emergence and spread of culture.Do Animals Have Culture?Culture, once thought to be a unique characteristic of humans, is actually found ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
