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Prehistoric Paint-box
 Abalone paint-pot. Courtesy Grethe Moell Pedersen
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The development of art and decoration are seen as reflecting important stages in the mental development of modern humans. Now a discovery by
Dr. Christopher Henshilwood, an archeologist at the University of Bergen in Norway and the University of Witswatersrand in South Africa, and his colleagues, has pushed back the date of this cognitive innovation to at least 100,000 years ago. While excavating Blombos Cave in South Africa, which was occupied by humans periodically for tens of thousands of years, they discovered evidence of paint manufacture, and an ochre-based paint mixture prepared and stored in large abalone shells. Along with this was a selection of tools and other ingredients that would have made a paint that was appropriate for drawing or for decorating objects or skin.
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Blackbirds & Traffic Noise
Songbirds rely on their unique communication skills to attract mates, find food and defend their territory. But recently, concerns have been raised about how these birds cope when subjected to urban noise pollution. New research by
Dr. David Wilson, a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Windsor, has found that one bird in particular has adapted its song to be heard above the din. The Red-winged Blackbird can be found in pristine marsh areas, as well as living by the side of busy highways. When the songs of both populations were compared, those living with traffic noise produced songs with more tonality - deeper and more whistle-like. This enables the song to carry further and be heard by other red-winged blackbirds through the noise of cars and trucks. The birds are able to return to a normal song in the absence of traffic noise.
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A New Spin with Nanotubes
 Courtesy University of Texas at Dallas
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Carbon nanotubes are small and strong, but what are they good for? Well, a team including Dr. John Madden from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of British Columbia has shown that they're good for spinning. Dr Madden and his colleagues have demonstrated a new kind of micro-electrical device, by winding nanotubes into a yarn. When a charge is applied to the yarn, it both contracts like a muscle, and twists or untwists, spinning quickly and powerfully like a motor. They imagine that this simple device could be used to work very much like an electric motor and might be used for mixing tiny batches of chemicals, or propelling tiny devices through the bloodstream.
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Seeking CO2 Seeps
 The dry gas seep 'Mefite D'Ansanto' is Italy's largest flux CO2 seep.
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Carbon Capture and Storage is a technology that promises to solve our greenhouse gas problems by burying carbon dioxide underground. The CO2 then will be sequestered away from the atmosphere for geological time, much like the oil and gas that it came from. However, among the issues around CCS is whether there will be major hazards associated with accidental leakage of the CO2. To understand this,
Dr. Stuart Haszeldine, a geologist and the Professor of Carbon Capture and Storage at the University of Edinburgh, and his colleagues, studied the impact of natural carbon dioxide seeps in Italy. This CO2 is produced by volcanic activity and escapes to the surface through tiny fissures in subsurface rock, and Dr. Haszeldine thinks this is a good analogue for how CO2 might occasionally escape from underground storage.
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Lip Service
In the simplest terms, a smile is an expression of happiness that often brings joy to others. But there is nothing simple about a smile; in fact, they are quite complex. In her new book,
Lip Service, Smiles in Life, Death, Trust, Lies, Work, Memory, Sex and Politics, Canadian scientist
Dr. Marianne LaFrance - a Psychology Professor at Yale University - explores how and why we smile, who smiles the most, the culture of smiling, and what it can mean when a smile is absent. The many different types of smiles can provide valuable information about the human condition to the many who study them, including psychologists like herself, doctors, anthropologists, biologists and computer scientists.
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Theme music bed copyright Raphaël Gluckstein, Creative Commons License by-nc-nd-2.0
Saturdays at noon, Mondays at 11:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. (in some markets only)
copyright PB Toman
The Quirks Question Roadshow is coming to Halifax on Wed June 12 at 7:30pm at the Spatz Theatre in Citadel High School. No tickets or reservations required. Just be there!
Saturdays at noon, Mondays at 11:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. and Fridays at 5:00 a.m. (ET)
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