Dolphin Sonar and Evolution in Action

Source: News @ Nature Scientists believe they may have found the secret to a dolphin's remarkable sonar abilities: they use their teeth to pick up the echoes. It seems that dolphin teeth have long been considered a medical oddity because they are almost all identical and appear to be precisely spaced. Sonar models based on this theory have shown that the system outperforms conventional sonar at close range, opening the door to designing new sonar systems based on the dolphin teeth model.

Source: New Scientist Scientists have discovered that diodes could be used to propel miniature robots by immersing them in an alternating EM field. The field sets up an alternating current in the diode which, in turn, create an electric field between the diode's contacts that generates propulsion if the diode is in a tank of salt water. The propulsion is caused by the field pushing ions away from the diode. Check out the links at the Source for videos of swimming diodes.

Source: SlashDot If you plan to commit murder, don't use the internet to do your research. In a murder trial currently underway in New Jersey, the woman charged with the crime allegedly used Google to search for "...or "How To Commit Murder," "instant poisons," "undetectable poisons," "fatal digoxin doses," and gun laws in New Jersey and Pennsylvania..." just days before her husband was shot by a gun recently purchased in Pennsylvania.

Source: BBC News Here is one pointed by my sister lyanna_beth. Recent studies of animal populations have been revealing that evolution can take place relatively quickly in response to environmental changes. EurekAlert recently reported that diverse animal populations are showing response to seasonal environmental changes, not just ambient temperature rise, what is referred to as phenotypic plasticity. Many species are moving farther north, reproducing earlier, or changing cues to hatch or emerge from dormancy. In the Source article, a 20-year study of Scottish sheep found that, on average, the sheep are smaller because the warmer winters are not favouring large sheep as much as it used to. In general, body size and shape have been changing in response to a change in local climate which is believed linked to global warming.

Source: Wisconsin State Journal The saga of the RIAA versus everybody else continues with some universities refusing to act as their enforcers. The University of Madison-Wisconsin says that they will only pursue students accused of music theft if they see something resembling a subepona. Until then, the RIAA is on their own with regard to tracking these students down. The RIAA only has an IP address so has requested that universities forward their extortion settlement letters to students associated with those IP numbers. According to one official "Basically what we're saying to the recording industry is, if you want to take legal action, take legal action. But don't do these intermediate steps that are kind of pseudo-legal that involve the university in the process". The university already forwards cease-and-desist letters and has a policy of not permitting illegal computer activity using university property, but refuses to forward the latest set of notices. Says the same official, "There is nothing legally binding or convicting in those notices that the individual has in fact done what the recording industry is accusing them of doing." Nice to see at least one university has some backbone.