# phyto: the benefits of being a plant in a patch (among Moricandia moricandioides)

<< Pollinators tend to be preferentially attracted to large floral displays that may comprise more than one plant in a patch. Attracting pollinators thus not only benefits individuals investing in advertising, but also other plants in a patch through a 'magnet' effect.  >>

Ruben Torices, Jose M. Gomez, John R. Pannell. Kin discrimination allows plants to modify investment towards pollinator attraction. Nature Comm.Volume 9, Article number 2018. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-04378-3. May 22, 2018.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-04378-3   

The social networks of flowers. CORDIS. Dec 11, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-12-social-networks.html 

# exobio: Ceres is rich in organic matter.

<< the surface of dwarf planet Ceres is rich in organic matter. Data from NASA's Dawn spacecraft indicate that Ceres's surface may contain several times the concentration of carbon than is present in the most carbon-rich, primitive meteorites found on Earth. >>

Team finds evidence for carbon-rich surface on Ceres. Southwest Research Institute. Dec 10, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-12-team-evidence-carbon-rich-surface-ceres.html   

S. Marchi, A. Raponi, et al. An aqueously altered carbon-rich Ceres.
Nature Astronomy. Dec 10, 2018. doi: 10.1038/s41550-018-0656-0.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-018-0656-0   

# gst: fingerprints of reality: water drops that vibrate, flames that oscillate, and viscous fluids that form rivulets ...

<< In one of this year’s three winning videos, a drop of blue-dyed water at the bottom of an anise-oil and alcohol mixture begins to grow and shake, eventually pinching off a fragment that floats up. The process repeats several times. Created by now four-time Gallery-of-Fluid-Motion winner Oscar Enríquez of Carlos III University of Madrid and his colleagues, the visuals are accompanied by a soundtrack featuring a musical improvisation by a trio consisting of Enríquez on percussion, a violinist, and a clarinetist. Each instrument in the trio represents one of the three fluids. >>

Award-Winning Fluid Videos. APS. Physics 11, 121. Nov 21, 2018.

https://physics.aps.org/articles/v11/121

# chem: an "auxetic" stretching property: it becomes thicker as it is stretched

AA << discovered a new non-porous material that has unique and inherent "auxetic" stretching properties. >>

<< There are materials in nature that exhibit auxetic capabilities, such as cat skin, the protective layer in mussel shells and tendons in the human body.  (..) When we stretch conventional materials, such as steel bars and rubber bands they become thinner. Auxetic materials on the other hand get thicker. >>

A bit of a stretch... material that thickens as it's pulled. University of Leeds. Dec 4, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-12-bit-material-thickens.html

D. Mistry, S. D. Connell, et al. Coincident molecular auxeticity and negative order parameter in a liquid crystal elastomer. Nature Comm. Volume 9, Article number: 5095. Dec 4, 2018.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07587-y

# behav: oxytocin, effects on social behavior (in Capuchin monkeys)

<< In highly social species, like primates, oxytocin plays an important role in cooperation, and in the formation and maintenance of social relationships. >>

AA << investigate the relationship between oxytocin and affiliative behaviors in socially‐housed captive capuchin monkeys (Sapajus [Cebus] apella) [..] oxytocin concentrations increased after subjects engaged in grooming or fur‐rubbing. >>

<< In addition, [AA] found that fur‐rubbing influenced affiliative behaviors, both during and after a social fur‐rubbing bout. While individuals spent more time in contact and proximity while fur‐rubbing, immediately following the fur‐rubbing event (15–30 min afterwards) all affiliative behaviors decreased. >>

<< Overall, these results support a critical role for oxytocin in affiliative behaviors that maintain and strengthen social relationships in capuchin monkeys, and highlight the complexity of the interactions among oxytocin, affiliative behaviors, and social bonding. >>

Marcela E. Benitez, Meghan J. Sosnowski, et al. Urinary oxytocin in capuchin monkeys: Validation and the influence of social behavior. American Journal of Primatology. 2018; 80 (10). doi: 10.1002/ajp.22877.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajp.22877

Anna Varela. Oxytocin linked to social bonding in gregarious capuchin monkeys. Georgia State University.
Dec 5, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-12-oxytocin-linked-social-bonding-gregarious.html   

# ai-bot AI (co)creators of storytelling ... they don't cry during sad stories, but they could tell when you will

<< “Wow,” you think. “Maybe machines will replace human storytellers, just like self-driving cars could take over the roads.” >>

<< Was it possible, [AA] team asked, that machines could identify common emotional arcs in video stories-the typical swings of fortune that have characters struggling through difficult times, triumphing over hardship, falling from grace, or declaring victory over evil? If so, could storytellers use this information to predict how audiences might respond? These questions have resonance for anyone involved in video storytelling, from amateurs posting on YouTube to studio executives. >>

AI in storytelling: Machines as cocreators. MIT. Dec. 11, 2017.  (via McKinsey & Company: Media & Entertainment).

https://www.media.mit.edu/articles/ai-in-storytelling-machines-as-cocreators/

Also

# s-ai: artists and machine intelligence interactions: the Ross' conjecture . Jun 13, 2016.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2016/06/s-ai-artists-and-machine-intelligence.html

# s-ai: A.I. Benjamin: "you'll sell your blood to live" ... Jun 11, 2016.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2016/06/s-ai-benjamin-sell-your-blood-to-live.html

# ai: artificial intelligence AlphaGo becomes its own teacher. Oct 23, 2017.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2017/10/ai-artificial-intelligence-alphago.html

# geo: strange waves from Mayotte

<< On the morning of November 11, just before 9:30 UT, a mysterious rumble rolled around the world. The seismic waves began roughly 15 miles off the shores of Mayotte, a French island sandwiched between Africa and the northern tip of Madagascar. The waves buzzed across Africa, ringing sensors in Zambia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. They traversed vast oceans, humming across Chile, New Zealand, Canada, and even Hawaii nearly 11,000 miles away. >>

<< Yet many features of the waves are remarkably weird-from their surprisingly monotone, low-frequency “ring” to their global spread. >>

Maya Wei-Haas. Strange waves rippled around the world, and nobody knows why. Nov28, 2018.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2018/11/strange-earthquake-waves-rippled-around-world-earth-geology/