"Finches with undesirable colors join groups of other unattractive males"

New paper in Am Nat on Finches -- if you're drab, hang out with other drab birds.

Rocks and clocks

New TREE review on "why molecular phylogenies need the fossil record"

Familial DNA on pizza crust

So the LAPD caught the Grim Sleeper based on 2 controversial aspects of DNA profiling: familial DNA matches (they 1st IDed him through his son) and sample-stalking (they retrieved DNA from a discarded pizza crust) -- a good "genetics and society" case study...

LA Times article via title link. Science Insider link here.

CNVs in Nature

New review article an Copy Number Variations ...

Meerkat culture

New ProcRoySoc paper on "traditions" in Meerkat Manor (link from title)

measuring the close talker?

New PNAS paper shows that when birds flock they position themselves 1.45 body lengths apart. I wonder if humans position themselves 1.45 body widths apart when queueing? ... which prompts the silly question - do larger people space themselves out at a greater distance?

Nature news tidbit here.

Q&A with Sean Carroll

in PNAS this week. - he's always interesting and often brilliant. Some of the interview questions are bit hokey though... "smorgasbord of form" ?

Longevity genetics

A BU group looking at centenarians has a genetic panel of 'signatures of' longevity...wonder if it includes apoE e2...

Nature News bit here.

Title links to original Science Express paper.

Neanderthal humerus reflects unusual hormonal status

Analysis of a humeral shaft informs the impact of diet and hormones on bone growth and remodeling in Neanderthals; MSNBC decides this is newsworthy here. Post title links to original paper.

Animal patterns... return of Turing

Science News has a cover story about animal patterns, including a discussion about how Turin might have been wrong...and right. - also mentions a recent study in PLoS Genetics on pigment cell migration and the gene basonuclin-2.

Baboon friendships and longevity

New Silk, Cheney et al paper in Current Biology indicates female chacma baboons with close, long-term friends live longer. Science News tidbit here.

epigenetics, social behavior and cognition

interesting NewFocus article on epigenetics, social behavior and cognition

Selection at high altitudes

New papers in Science using genome scans to identify genes associated with high altitude adaptations in humans.

Perspective on this by Jaz Storz is HERE