ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Fear of the cuckoo mafia: In fear of retaliation, birds accept and raise brood parasites' young
• In sex-reversed cave insects, females have the penises
• Simplicity is key to co-operative robots
• Chess robots to cause Judgment Day?
• Changing where a baby is held immediately after birth could lead to improved uptake of procedure that reduces infant iron deficiency
• Chimpanzees prefer firm, stable beds
• Computerized counseling reduces HIV-1 viral load, sexual transmission risk
• Chew on this: How does food texture impact its perceived calorie content?

Fear of the cuckoo mafia: In fear of retaliation, birds accept and raise brood parasites' young Posted: 17 Apr 2014 09:45 AM PDT If a restaurant owner fails to pay the 'protection money' demanded of him by the mob, he can expect his premises to be trashed. Warnings like these are seldom required, however, as fear of the consequences is enough to make restaurant owners pay up. Similarly, mafia-like behavior is observed in parasitic birds, which lay their eggs in other birds' nests. If the host birds throw the cuckoo's egg out, the brood parasites take their revenge by destroying the entire nest. Consequently, it is beneficial for hosts to be capable of learning and to cooperate. Previously seen only in field observations, scientists have now modeled this behavior mathematically to confirm it as an effective strategy.

In sex-reversed cave insects, females have the penises Posted: 17 Apr 2014 07:11 AM PDT Little-known cave insects with rather novel sex lives have been discovered by researchers. The Brazilian insects, which represent four distinct but related species in the genus Neotrogla, are the first example of an animal with sex-reversed genitalia.

Simplicity is key to co-operative robots Posted: 16 Apr 2014 07:53 PM PDT A way of making hundreds -- or even thousands -- of tiny robots cluster to carry out tasks without using any memory or processing power has been developed. Engineers have programmed extremely simple robots that are able to form a dense cluster without the need for complex computation, in a similar way to how a swarm of bees or a flock of birds is able to carry out tasks collectively.

Chess robots to cause Judgment Day? Posted: 16 Apr 2014 07:53 PM PDT Next time you play a computer at chess, think about the implications if you beat it. It could be a very sore loser! A new study reflects upon the growing need for autonomous technology, and suggests that humans should be very careful to prevent future systems from developing anti-social and potentially harmful behavior.

Changing where a baby is held immediately after birth could lead to improved uptake of procedure that reduces infant iron deficiency Posted: 16 Apr 2014 04:09 PM PDT Changing where a newborn baby is held before its umbilical cord is clamped could lead to improved uptake in hospitals of delayed cord clamping, leading to a decreased risk of iron deficiency in infancy, according to new results from a study. Delaying clamping of the umbilical cord until around two minutes after birth allows for blood to pass from the mother's placenta to the baby, and has previously been shown to reduce the risk of iron deficiency in infancy.

Chimpanzees prefer firm, stable beds Posted: 16 Apr 2014 02:22 PM PDT Chimpanzees may select a certain type of wood, Ugandan ironwood, over other options for its firm, stable, and resilient properties to make their bed. Chimpanzees use tree branches to build beds or nests in trees. They select certain tree species to sleep in more frequently than others, but the reason for selecting a particular tree was unclear.

Computerized counseling reduces HIV-1 viral load, sexual transmission risk Posted: 15 Apr 2014 09:55 AM PDT Computerized counseling is a promising intervention for increased ART adherence and safer sex, especially for individuals with problems in these areas. This is the first intervention to report improved ART adherence, viral suppression, and reduced secondary sexual transmission risk behavior.

Chew on this: How does food texture impact its perceived calorie content? Posted: 15 Apr 2014 08:22 AM PDT Food is an intimately personal thing; we savor some tastes and despise others. But how does the way we chew and eat our food impact our overall consumption? According to a new study, people perceive foods that are either hard or have a rough texture to have fewer calories. "Understanding how the texture of food can influence calorie perceptions, food choice, and consumption amount can help nudge consumers towards making healthier choices," the authors conclude.

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