Are Dogs "Kids"?
One aspect of the bond between humans and dogs is the so-called "secure base effect." This effect is also found in parent-child bonding, in which human infants use their caregivers as a secure base when it comes to interacting with the environment. Lisa Horn tested the "secure base effect" on dogs by examining the dogs' reactions under three different conditions: "absent owner," "silent owner" and "encouraging owner." The dogs could earn a food reward, by manipulating interactive dog toys. They seemed much interested on working for food, when their caregivers were there. Whether an owner additionally encouraged the dog during the task or remained silent, had little influence on the animal's level of motivation. In a follow-up experiment, Horn and her colleagues replaced the owner with an unfamiliar person and discovered that the dogs seemed much less interested on working for food, when their caregivers were not there than when they were. The researchers concluded that the owner's presence is important for the animal to behave in a confident manner. The relationship between pet owners and dogs turns out to be highly similar to the deep connection between young children and their parent and that the relationship between pet owners and dogs turns out to be highly similar to the deep connection between young children and their parents.
This article really interested me because I am always curious to learn about dogs and there behavior since I have two of my own. I thought it was really interesting how humans and dogs have such and loving relationship that it relates to that of a young child and their parent.
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| Dog and Owner |
Clam Cleanup
Many of our streams and rivers are contaminated with pollutants like pesticides, lead, arsenic and PCBs. It's a problem that's costly to clean up. Scientists are using a new, inexpensive way to fix the problem. To clean things up, biologists are teaming up with local high school students to dredge up clams to use as tiny detectives. Biologists are able to determine the sources of toxins in water by using clams as pollutant traps. Clams naturally clean water by feeding absorbing toxins in their tissues as they draw in water. By placing the clams downstream of industrial parks and highways, they can be analyzed for pollutants. The clams are collected and opened the clams after exposure to these waters and detach them from their shells, various lab tests reveal contaminants in the waterway. They help by finding the source of toxic leaks. Then the they can trace them back to their sources and then can hopefully get rid of the sources. The clams detected a banned pesticide in Maryland, believed buried years ago and now slowly leaking.
I found this article really interesting because I never knew that something so inexpensive could make such a big impact on the world by helping discover the contaminants that are causing pollution, which is a major problem in the world today.
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| Clam |
Snake devour mosquito-eating birds
Faaborg, professor of biological sciences said that a warmer climate may be causing snakes to become more active and seek more baby birds for food. Increased snake predation on birds is an example of an indirect consequence that forecasts the effects of climate change. In the heart of Missouri's Ozark forest, cooler temperatures usually make snakes less active than in the edge of the forest or in smaller pockets of woodland. However, during abnormally hot years, snakes which are cold-blooded, become more active, which increases their need for food, causing a decrease in the survival of the birds.
This article really interested me because first of all I had no idea that snakes could eat birds because I never thought they could fit a bird in their mouth. Also I found it interesting how a temperature change that might seem like nothing actually has a big impact towards birds.
http://www.mybiologica.com/4950/agriculture-en/snakes-devour-more-mosquito-eating-birds-as-climate-change-heats-forests.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130711135501.htm
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| Snake about to eat a bird |
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| A Bird in snakes stomach |
The car that parks itself
Some cars already have systems that just assist with parking, these cars can identify an empty parallel-parking space and steer into in while the driver uses the brake. The volvo system lets driver get out and use a smartphone application to instruct the vehicle to park. The car goes off to the parking space and informs the driver where it is. The driver can get the car in person or use his phone to call it back to where he dropped it off. The Volvo test car, which looks like a normal car, uses on-board GPS mapping, cameras with image-recognition software, and radar sensors to find its own way around a car park and avoid pedestrians and vehicles. A number of carmakers are developing wireless networking systems through which vehicles can exchange data, such as their speed, their steering angle and even their weight, to forewarn anti-collision systems and safety devices if an accident looks likely. Ford recently tested a brake light that can provide a warning light in the dashboard of suitably equipped following vehicles, even if they are out of sight, around a bend, or not immediately behind the vehicle, helping avoid collisions. America’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes that self-driving cars could bring great safety and other benefits, but at this stage it does not think completely autonomous vehicles should be permitted on public roads, other than for testing.
This article interested me because I am always curious to learn about the new technology that is coming out. It really amazes me how much the world has changed and developed and how much more it is going to change and development in the future. Before I reading this article I wouldn't have though there could be an autonomous car because is just seems so crazy and unlikely but now it makes me wonder what else will be made in the future.
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Autonomous Automobile
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Keep your mind on the road
This articles states the most distracting activities you can do while you are driving. Dr. Strayer divided 120 volunteers into 3 groups and and asked
each group to perform all of the eight tasks which were doing nothing; listening to the radio; listening to an audio book; conversing with a passenger; calling a friend using a hand-held phone; calling a friend using a hands-free phone; using speech to send a text message; and, to verify a set of mathematical equations while memorizing nouns interjected between the maths problems.
The first group of volunteers performed these tasks sitting at a computer, the second sat in simulators resembling the interior of a car, and followed another car on a screen and the third drove real cars. their level of concentration was tested by studying their responses to lights shone in the their all around visual
field, and their subjective views of which tasks demanded most attention were recorded. The overall results showed that listening to radio or book was the
least distracting activities and the most being hands-free texting.
This articles first caught my eye because I just got my permit so I was curious to find out what activity was the most distracting while driving and caused the most accidents, so I could not prevent accidents from being distracted. Also I thought it was interesting because I never thought that hands-free texting was the most distracting activity especially since it is hands free.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/06/hands-free-texting-devices-pose-great-risk-to-drivers/
Finding Nemo's role
In this article you learn about the relationship between clownfish and anemones, which are predatory animals, however look like plants. Both clownfish and anemones live on coral reefs and are referred to as friends due to the fact that they help eachother. Each provide the other with benefits, the anemones provides the clownfish with a tentacle-guarded home that stings predators, while the clownfish drives off predators that would eat their protector, on top of that clownfish provides vital nutrients in anemones with there waste excreted from there body. Through a series of experiments Mr. Szczebak and his colleagues discovered that the combined level of oxygen consumption when and fish and anemone were together was significantly higher than when they were kept apart due to the fact that the antics of the clownfish allow more water to flow over the anemone, thus increasing the amount of oxygen the anemone can collect. This action of the clownfish is considered a "dance".
This article interested me because I first noticed that the article was about the type of fish that was Nemo in Finding Nemo and I was curious to learn about the fish. Also I thought it was really intriguing how both the anemone and the clownfish survive better together because of the benefits they provide for eachother and how such little acts like excreting waste could have such a big impact, like supplying vital nutrients.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/01/clownfish-sea-anemone-wiggle-dance_n_2789711.html
This article interested me because I first noticed that the article was about the type of fish that was Nemo in Finding Nemo and I was curious to learn about the fish. Also I thought it was really intriguing how both the anemone and the clownfish survive better together because of the benefits they provide for eachother and how such little acts like excreting waste could have such a big impact, like supplying vital nutrients.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/01/clownfish-sea-anemone-wiggle-dance_n_2789711.html
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