A monkey's uh-uh
Bonobos, our closest animal relatives, have been filmed for the first time appearing to "say no" by shaking their heads, The Daily Telegraph reports. "The apes were captured by scientists moving their heads from side to side as they stopped others from performing a task they were not happy with. In one film, a mother is seen shaking her head to stop her infant climbing a tree. In another, a bonobo shakes its head at a colleague tying to steal its food. Researchers believe that the behaviour may be an early precursor to head-shaking behaviour among humans." The videos were taken at the Leipzig Zoo in Germany by researchers from the Max Planck Institute.
We're all self-made?
There is a bone-building process called remodeling, in which the old bone matrix gets broken down, forming tiny holes in the bone that get filled in with new bone matrix. For humans, this remodeling process starts in the teen years, says Koen Stein of the University of Bonn. "In humans, by the time you're 25 the complete skeleton has been completely resorbed and redeposited again," he told LiveScience.
Says you
"Less than two minutes into a cellphone conversation, a new computer program can predict a broken heart - literally and figuratively," Eric Bland writes for Discovery News. "An Israeli company called eXaudios has developed a computer program, known as Magnify, that decodes the human voice to identify a person's emotional state. Some companies in the United States already use the system in their call centres. eXaudios is even testing the software's use in diagnosing medical conditions like autism, schizophrenia, heart disease and even prostate cancer. … A number of companies sell software that analyzes conversations between a customer service agent and a customer after the conversation is over. Magnify monitors a phone call in real time. The program then lists the caller's emotions on screen. When Discovery News's technology correspondent's voice was decoded using the Magnify software, the output read like a psychologist's notebook: 'Struggling to contain an inner excitement. Keeping emotions and/or creativity in check. Warm and fuzzy.' "
Too young for Twitter?
Los Angeles Times entertainment reporter Patrick Goldstein writes about asking teenagers "how they kept up with the buzz about movies. As you might expect, they spent a lot of time online, which gives them a chance to look at trailers or hear word of mouth about upcoming movies on their friends' Facebook pages … But when I asked whether they kept abreast of things via Twitter, they all looked at me like I was crazy. Rajiv Rao, who's 17, said 'I don't know one high schooler that uses Twitter.' His friend, Arya Zarifi, also 17, added: 'It's something for adults who think it makes them hip or something.' Yelda Chalabi, 17, was especially dismissive of actors and celebrities who use Twitter as a promotional tool. 'I hate it when they say, 'Follow me on Twitter,' as if we're interested in every little thing they have to say,' she explained. 'It's just an adult thing. Our music teacher kept saying that she would put stuff up for us to follow on Twitter until one day she said 'Okay, who's following me on Twitter?' And no one raised their hand. You keep hearing people talk about it, but I don't know anyone my age that uses it.' "
Don't believe your eyes
An art exhibition featuring a brush propped against a wall and pieces of wood strewn across the floor has been branded the worst in Britain, Orange UK News reports. "Describing her work, entitled Since I Fell for You, Ms. [Susan]Collis says, 'Often a work that looks very careless, as if it hasn't taken any time to make, ends up being something that takes a long time to produce.' Rebecca Small, marketing manager of the [Birmingham]gallery, said: 'The point of it is that it doesn't look finished but if you look closer there are precious materials inside. People's first impressions are challenged by looking again. Their first impressions are not necessarily correct and it has really got people talking and interested.' "
As the roll turns
"Next time you reach for the toilet roll, consider this: 60 million rolls of toilet paper are flushed away in Europe every day," New Scientist reports. "And the average American gets through 57 sheets a day, six times the global average. In a report last [month] the Worldwatch Institute in Washington, D.C., highlighted the wastage of paper in rich and rapidly developing nations. In the U.S., 14.5 million tonnes of office paper and newspaper will be dumped this decade, despite being ideal for recycling as toilet paper. … The biggest obstacle to recycling, says Worldwatch, is a preference for luxury, multi-ply tissues. The problem is growing: western nations are the biggest users of toilet paper, but its use is increasing in China and Africa."
Thought du jour
"There is a certain weary look that appears on the faces of those who are bored. Look out for the weary look when you associate with people."
- E.W. Howe (1853-1937)