Biology in the News Explained

When will sociologists learn some sociobiology?

Why would any biological scientist possibly be surprised that a one-year-old baby understands some of the rules governing society?

Why fear mongering is so successful

There's a reason fear-mongering works as a political strategy: the irrational part of our brain is much easier for other people to manipulate than the rational part.

Cool bugs #10 – Fruit fly parasites

Leptopilina is a genus of parasitic wasps which eat fruit fly larvae from the inside out.

Calories and Bad Food

The American obsession with "good" and "bad" food is infecting our kids.

Teen sex – is it bad or good for society?

Those who obsessively try to prevent teen sex are confusing religious ideology with individual and societal success.

Predator-avoidance behavior in smoke alarms

On invasive coqui frogs and beeping smoke alarms.

One parrot a career makes

On the legacy of Alex the parrot and his human organ grinder.

Altruism is just another way to be selfish

Download article as PDF A recent article about research supporting a neurological (= biological) basis for altruism panders to the alarmist view that behavior with an identifiable biological basis precludes personal responsibility, and could throw our criminal justice system into an uproar. The first...

Obesity: Are genes or lifestyle more important?

Download article as PDF Either the media or the public (seems to be a bit of a chicken and egg question) seems to want every problem to be defined in black and white terms. If you are Josephine Public, this makes sense because we all would love easy answers to the vexing problems that confront society,...

Cool Bugs #6 – Trap-jaw ants

Trap-jaw ants (genus Odontomachus) use their jaws for more than springing a trap on prey.

The impersistence of memory

Dissociative amnesia has strange real-world affects on peoples' lives.

Cell phone use and bees

The rumor floating around that colony collapse disorder, which is killing millions of honey bees, is caused by cell phone radiation has no basis.