Three Science Articles in the Paper

 

Luna, my granddaughters' kitten

#143  December 14:  According to an article in the paper today.  Dogs aren’t the only pet that likes to play “fetch”.  Often cats will engage in this activity if they want to!  LOL  Get this:  this is from a peer-reviewed study of cats in the Scientific Reports journal.  I wonder who funded this!  I hope it wasn’t my tax dollars!  These scientists say it is “clear” that cats play fetch to enjoy bonding rewards with their owners and because the object reminds them of prey.  Most cats that enjoy fetching showed this behavior by 7 months old.  My granddaughters have a new kitten and they have noticed Luna likes to “herd” her toys scatter them and then collect them in a central place.  A “shepherd-cat”?????  I’m not sure if she’s a “fetcher.”  12/17

#144 December 15:  A headline in today’s paper: “Scientists find 1000 different species in their suburban home, backyard” This caught my eye.  Three scientists who live together in suburban Brisbane, Australia decided to count the species in their home and yard over a year.  Most predicted that they would find about 200 species.  They found 1150!! I found this interesting but I sort of doubt that I could find laughing kookaburras in my backyard, or a moth whose caterpillar lives inside the dung of a brushtail possum… well we do have possums!! Lol  While the biodiversity in Australia is vastly different from North Carolina, they predicted that most suburban yards would be as diverse.  The whole article really began to make sense when it reported that the search and collection was conducted during the Covid lockdown!!  And I just cleaned out closets!!  12/18

 

#145 December 16:  Another article caught my eye today:  “Science doesn’t yet support broad restrictions on teens’ access to social media, researchers say”  I’ve been all about restricting social media with my granddaughters and while my daughter gives them some leeway, she has pretty strict time limits and restricts access to many sites.  This article says that while depression, suicide, and obesity have been linked, correlation is not the same as causation.  I really liked the analogy they used about taking driver’s ed before getting behind the wheel of a car and the safety precautions needed to drive.  They assert that most studies do not take into account the good research and positive social links teens get from the internet.  I’ve always said that the internet is a tool.  A knife can hurt you, but I couldn’t run my kitchen without one.  I truly don’t envy my daughter navigating this ever-changing medium.  12/18