Flipper tags are harming penguin

Published By StarCityNews On Thursday, January 13th 2011. Under General Tags: bands, penguins, predator, reproduction, Tagging

A study has revealed that the standard way of tagging penguins for science, i.e. putting bands around their flippers, influences their survival and reproduction as well.French researchers have exposed that king penguins had 40% fewer chicks if they were banded, and lived shorter lives. According to them, continuing to ... Read More

Science shouldn’t stand in the way of sound smoking policy

Published By StarCityNews On Wednesday, January 12th 2011. Under Health Tags: Alberta, Bahrain, Canadian Cancer Society, Children, Mauritius, Quebec, Smoking, South Africa, the Northwest Territories and Newfoundland Labrado

A recent study is urging lawmakers not to let science get in the way of sound policy when it comes to laws on children's experience to second-hand smoke in cars.Smoking in cars carrying children should be outlawed whether or not science can verify accurately how risky it is, according ... Read More

Swine Flu Vaccine Not Worth Its Weight in Gold?

Published By StarCityNews On Wednesday, January 12th 2011. Under Health Tags: H1N1 virus, mutations, Swine Flu, The Health Protection Agency, vaccine

In this day of fast-moving medicine, sometimes even science can't stay ahead of a crazy influenza virus that has wreaked havoc in its path.A research team has quickly been assembled to examine whether the swine flu virus has began to mutate in a way that will render the vaccine ... Read More

Stag beetles just can’t turn away ginger

Published By StarCityNews On Wednesday, January 12th 2011. Under Science Tags: alpha copaene, biology, ginger, terrestrial beetle, UK Biodiversity Action Plan

A study proposes that the stag beetles' love of ginger could be a major ingredient in the attempt to conserve Britain's largest known terrestrial beetle.Researchers exposed that ginger-baited traps would entice the insects, allowing scientists to get an exact picture of the beetles' in an area. Ginger contains large ... Read More

A Tough Nut to Crack – Capuchin monkeys opt for the best tools to crack nuts

Published By StarCityNews On Wednesday, January 12th 2011. Under Science Tags: Capuchin monkeys, journal Animal Behavior, Ms Liu, social animals, University of Georgia, US

It turns out that wild capuchin monkeys are fairly choosy when choosing the best method to crack a nut, according to scientists at the University of Georgia.The researchers filmed the wild monkeys tending to opt for an accurate anvil and hammer for the job. According to the footage, the animals ... Read More