# s-chem: a viscoelastic tongue with reversible saliva (spit and softness) to hang on to the next meal

<< A frog uses its whip-like tongue to snag its prey faster than a human can blink, hitting it with a force five times greater than gravity >>

<< A frog's saliva is thick and sticky during prey capture, then turns thin and watery as prey is removed inside the mouth >>

<< The tongue, which was found to be as soft as brain tissue and 10 times softer than a human's tongue, stretches and stores energy much like a spring >>

<< This combination of spit and softness is so effective that it provides the tongue 50 times greater work of adhesion than synthetic polymer materials such as sticky-hand toys >>

<< There are actually three phases (..) When the tongue first hits the insect, the saliva is almost like water and fills all the bug's crevices. Then, when the tongue snaps back, the saliva changes and becomes more viscous—thicker than honey, actually—gripping the insect for the ride back. The saliva turns watery again when the insect is sheared off inside the mouth >>

Reversible saliva allows frogs to hang on to next meal.  Jan. 31, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-01-reversible-saliva-frogs-meal.html

Alexis C.Noel, Hao-Yuan Guo, et al. Frogs use a viscoelastic tongue and non-Newtonian saliva to catch prey. Journal of The Royal Society Interface. Publ. 1 February 2017. DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2016.0764

http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/14/127/20160764

# s-food-behav: a case of deranged cannibals that devour their offspring ...

<< The major consumption of corn leads to infanticide among the Great hamster, a rodent threatened in Alsace, according to a recent study highlighting "problems related to monoculture" >>

Marlowe Hood. Corn turning French hamsters into deranged cannibals: research. Jan. 27, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-01-corn-french-hamsters-deranged-cannibals.html

<< maize-based diets cause high rates of maternal infanticides in the European hamster, a farmland species on the verge of extinction in Western Europe. Vitamin B3 supplementation is shown to effectively restore reproductive success in maize-fed females >>

Mathilde L. Tissier, Yves Handrich, et al. Diets derived from maize monoculture cause maternal infanticides in the endangered European hamster due to a vitamin B3 deficiency. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Publ. 18 Jan. 2017.  DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2168

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/284/1847/20162168

# s-ai: AI perform better than 75% of

<< A Northwestern University team has developed a new visual problem-solving computational model that performs in the 75th percentile for American adults on a standard intelligence test >>

AI system performs better than 75 percent of American adults on standard visual intelligence test.  Could shrink the gap between computer and human cognition.  Jan. 20, 2017

http://www.kurzweilai.net/ai-system-performs-better-than-75-percent-of-american-adults-on-standard-visual-intelligence-test

Andrew Lovett, Kenneth Forbus. Modeling visual problem solving as analogical reasoning. Psychol. Review, 2017; 124 (1): 60 DOI: 10.1037/rev0000039

http://psycnet.apa.org/?&fa=main.doiLanding&doi=10.1037/rev0000039

# s-behav: like a Shakespearean band of brothers

<< in-group favoritism and out-group prejudice may rest on more ancient origins than has been presumed >>

<< Chimpanzees are like a band of brothers in the Shakespearean spirit of Henry the Fifth's St. Crispin day speech >>

Oxytocin enhances social affiliation in chimpanzee groups. Dec. 27, 2016

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-12-oxytocin-social-affiliation-chimpanzee-groups.html

Liran Samuni, Anna Preis, et al. Oxytocin reactivity during intergroup conflict in wild chimpanzees. Dec. 27, 2016 doi: 10.1073/pnas.1616812114  Jan. 10, 2017 vol. 114 no. 2 268-273

http://m.pnas.org/content/114/2/268.abstract

# s-gst: lastly, they indicate the generality of that

<< Lastly, [AA] indicate the generality of this phenomenon by demonstrating suppression of chaotic oscillations by coupling to a common hyper-chaotic system. These results then indicate the easy controllability of chaotic oscillators by an external chaotic system, thereby suggesting a potent method that may help design control strategies. >>

Sudhanshu Shekhar Chaurasia, Sudeshna Sinha. Suppression of chaos through coupling to an external chaotic system. 2 Jul 2016.

https://arxiv.org/abs/1607.00462

also: https://arxiv.org/find/all/1/all:+AND+suppression+chaos/0/1/0/all/0/1

# s-cells: disassembling to create undifferentiated (stem) entities

AA << have  published a study demonstrating how specialized proteins are  able to  change  the identity, or cellular  characteristics,  of skin cells and  create induced  pluripotent  stem cells, which have  the ability to turn into  any cell type  in  the  body. >>

Mirabai Vogt-James. Study pinpoints how skin cells' identity can be disassembled to create stem cells. Jan 20, 2017.

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-01-skin-cells-identity-disassembled-stem.html

<< Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and cMyc (OSKM) reprogram somatic cells to pluripotency. >>

Constantinos Chronis, Petko Fiziev, Bernadett Papp et al. Cooperative Binding of Transcription Factors Orchestrates Reprogramming. Cell (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.12.016 Publ. Jan.19, 2017

http://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(16)31730-5

# s-acad: null results also to be published

<< Translational Behavioral Medicine, a major scientific behavioral medicine journal, now publishes research studies that have null results. >>

<< Some in the scientific community view null results research as a failure because, by its very definition, a null result means what you expected would happen in your study did not happen. >>

<< But Translational Behavioral Medicine (TBM) Editor-in-Chief Suzanne Miller-Halegoua, PhD, disagrees with that assessment. >>

Lindsay Bullock. Null results research now published by major behavioral medicine journal. Jan 3, 2017

https://scienmag.com/null-results-research-now-published-by-major-behavioral-medicine-journal/

http://www.springer.com/medicine/journal/13142