This Week’s BioBites: Why do birds sing? (And other mysteries of life…)

One thing that fascinates many scientists is the question of behavior. Why do different species act the way that they do? And what about different individuals within species? Is it programmed in their genes? Is it programmed in their brains? Is it determined by their environment and social interactions? [...]

Wasps, like children, say no to strangers

Scientists have long thought that social awareness and cognition was a trait that was limited to large animals with complex brains. Turns out that it doesn’t require as much brain power as they originally thought – the simple paper wasp is able to recognize and remember other individuals and act on those memories accordingly.
I [...]