Why did the zebra evolve to have stripes? The question has puzzled evolutionary biologists for centuries – and even Charles Darwin couldn’t explain the enigma. New Scientist reports The zebra is completely black as an early embryo, and white stripes only appear in a later embryonic stage, when the production of dark pigmentation is blocked. [...]

Don’t blame the ref. You think your team is performing the best, because your brain is wired to be biased. New Scientist reports Pascal Molenberghs at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, divided 24 volunteers into two teams and had them judge the speed of hand actions performed by two people, one from each [...]

We are impressed when chimps use tools to hunt, crack nuts and forage for honey. Or when an octopus cracks coconuts with his tentacles . But, a new study suggests that tool use is not related to cognitive ability. Using tools seems to be mentally demanding because it involves several skills, for example grabbing food [...]

Biking in the Spring. Ain’t it a beautiful thing? Gorgeous guys and dolls swanning down chic city alleyways on their retro- bikes. The girls eye the fellas. The boys glance back, and ride off flashing their buttocks in their tight fitting Chino pants. It’s old fashion fun. And when night comes, it’s time to switch [...]

I’ve always figured that all animals – big, small, ugly – could feel pain. It makes sense that every creature should be able to detect horrible stimuli in order to quickly move away from it. Whilst this feeling of “pain” may not be as complex as the human experience of pain, it is still “pain” [...]

It was a beautiful day – blue sky, sun shining – but I wasn’t fooled. It was Melbourne in the Spring, and I knew there would be an icy breeze. I put on a jumper, coat and scarf, and headed out to meet a friend. When I reached the cafe, I saw her basking in [...]