As fans of talk-show host Jay Leno’s man-on-the-street interviews know, Americans suffer from a national epidemic of historical and civic ignorance. But just because most Americans know more about “American Idol” than they do about American government doesn’t necessarily mean it’s entirely their fault. Americans’ historical apathy is also an indictment of the way history is taught in grades K-12, according to a University of Illinois professor who studies and teaches historical instruction.

Baboons And Pigeons Are Capable Of Higher-level Cognition, Behavioral Studies Show:

It’s safe to say that humans are smarter than animals, but a University of Iowa researcher is investigating the extent of that disparity in intelligence. And, it may not be as great a gap as you suspect, according to UI psychologist Ed Wasserman, who presents his findings at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting February 12 in Chicago.

Hundreds Of Identical Species Thrive In Both Arctic And Antarctic:

Earth’s unique, forbidding ice oceans of the Arctic and Antarctic have revealed a trove of secrets to Census of Marine Life explorers, who were especially surprised to find at least 235 species live in both polar seas despite a distance of more than 13,000-kilometer distance in between.

Songbirds Fly Three Times Faster Than Expected:

A York University researcher has tracked the migration of songbirds by outfitting them with tiny geolocator backpacks – a world first – revealing that scientists have underestimated their flight performance dramatically.

Parasite Wasps Have Practiced Gene Therapy For A Hundred Million Years:

Braconid parasite wasps and their caterpillar hosts form a unique host-parasite model: the wasps lay their eggs inside the caterpillars and simultaneously inject some viral particles to get around the host’s defenses and control its physiology. The genes from these viral particles have now been identified in the wasp’s own genome by a team at the Institut de recherche sur la biologie de l’insecte (CNRS/Université François-Rabelais Tours), in collaboration with a laboratory at University of Berne and Genoscope d’Evry.

No Joy In Discoveries Of New Mammal Species, Only A Warning For Humanity, Paul Ehrlich Says:

In the era of global warming, when many scientists say we are experiencing a human-caused mass extinction to rival the one that killed off the dinosaurs, one might think that the discovery of a host of new species would be cause for joy. Not entirely so, says Paul Ehrlich, co-author of an analysis of the 408 new mammalian species discovered since 1993.

Can Monkeys Choose Optimally When Faced With Noisy Stimuli And Unequal Rewards?:

Even when faced with distractions, monkeys are able to consistently choose the path of greatest reward, according to a study conducted by researchers from Princeton and Stanford Universities. The study adds to the growing evidence that animal foraging behavior can approach optimality, and could provide a basis for understanding the computations involved in this and related tasks.

Biologist Gets The Straight Poop On Baboons: Execretion Analysis Aids Primate Social Studies:

The arrival of molecular genetic analysis of both genes and hormones is providing scientists unexpected and unprecedented information about animals — provided the researchers can find ways to get acceptable samples, said Duke University biology professor Susan Alberts.