Science News for Writers

Credit: Alan McElligott.   Dr Alan McElligott with a goat.  The goat likes him.  Dr McElligott is happy. I love science.  You never know what type of earthshaking factoid may rear its weird head on any given day.  Like two days ago. When it was announced that goats like happy people. And since goats don't appear to be following me around, I must not be happy. Go figure. I thought I was. Here's the report.  It explains why goats may or may not be following you around. *  *  *  *  * Goats prefer happy people Goats can differentiate between human facial expressions and prefer to interact with happy people, according to a new study led by scientists at Queen Mary University of London.  The study, which provides the first evidence of how goats read human emotional expressions, implies that the ability of animals to perceive human facial cues is not limited to those with a long history of domestication ...

I am a great fan of laziness in all its many forms.  An enthusiastic practitioner of lethargy and ennui.  Sloth becomes me. Always looking for the easiest way to avoid anything remotely like effort or expending energy. Now it turns out that while this may a personally gratifying life strategy for the individual, it does not bode well for the species.  Rats. So it's not survival of the fattest. Who knew?  Too late to change now. Here's the report: *  *  *  *  * An archaeological excavation of ancient human populations in the Arabian Peninsula during the Early Stone Age, found that Homo erectus used 'least-effort strategies' for tool making and collecting resources.  This 'laziness' paired with an inability to adapt to a changing climate likely played a role in the species going extinct, according to lead researcher Dr Ceri Shipton of the ANU School of Culture, History and Language. "They really don't seem to have b...

Source:  Worlds Fair Nano They're especially good for you if you catch your own.  Which means running around like a head with its chicken cut off, in the back yard, like Rocky trying to catch a chicken to improve his footwork. trying to snare them using chopsticks like Mr. Muyagi in The Karate Kid. Mr. Miyagi is a fictional karate master played by Japanese- American actor Pat Morita. No, Seriously. Crickets are great protein. It appears you cannot overeat them. They're great for your gut. They reduce inflammation. They may even reduce depression and help prevent cancer. What more do you want?? *  *  *  *  * Eating crickets can be good for your gut A new clinical trial shows that consuming crickets can help support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and that eating crickets is not only safe at high doses but may also reduce inflammation in the body. Researcher Valerie Stull was 12 when she ate her firs...

Mom knows. When she says you'll do better if you mind your posture and sit up straight. you will do better.  Recently published research shows that if you mind your posture and sit up straight, you will do better. Really. Would you rather hear that from someone in a white coat with a clipboard, or from mom? Here's the report. *  *  *  *  * Math with good posture means better scores Sitting up straight aids performance A new study finds that students perform better at math while sitting with good posture. If you've ever felt like a deer in the headlights before taking a math test or speaking before a large group of people, you could benefit from a simple change in posture. As part of a new study by researchers at San Francisco State University, 125 college students were tested to see how well they could perform simple math -- subtracting 7 from 843 sequentially for 15 seconds -- while either slumped over or sitting up straight with s...