Is being "Smart" a bad thing?

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
from Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society


Today's Headlines - May 6, 2008


Lots of Animals Learn, but Smarter Isn't Better

from the New York Times (Registration Required)

"Why are humans so smart?" is a question that fascinates scientists.
Tadeusz Kawecki, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Fribourg,
likes to turn around the question. "If it's so great to be smart," Dr.
Kawecki asks, "why have most animals remained dumb?"

Dr. Kawecki and like-minded scientists are trying to figure out why animals
learn and why some have evolved to be better at learning than others. One
reason for the difference, their research finds, is that being smart can be
bad for an animal's health.

Learning is remarkably widespread in the animal kingdom. Even the
microscopic vinegar worm, Caenorhadits elegans, can learn, despite having
just 302 neurons. It feeds on bacteria. But if it eats a disease-causing
strain, it can become sick.

To read more: http://www.nytimes.co...

Or: http://snipurl.com/27...

*******************************************************************

"Science in the News" is produced daily by Sigma Xi as a service for its
members and the public. It highlights science and technology news stories
appearing in the mainstream media. The accompanying Web links provide
access to the full text of the articles on the Web sites of the individual
media outlets from which they are taken. For more about the service, visit:
http://sitn.sigmaxi.o...

For accurate instructions on how to subscribe or unsubscribe to the
listserv, follow this link: <http://www.mediaresou...

If you experience any problems with the URLs (page not found, page expired,
etc.), we suggest you proceed to the home page of "Science in the News"
<http://sitn.sigmaxi.o..., which mirrors the daily e-mail update. If you
have any questions or comments about subscription or content, please e-mail
us at cblackburn@sigmaxi.org.

********************************************************************

SIGN UP TODAY for "Science in the News Weekly," an e-newsletter produced by
Sigma Xi in conjunction with "American Scientist Online." The newsletter
provides a digest of the week's top stories from "Science in the News," and
includes breaking news and feature stories from each weekend not normally
covered by "Science in the News."

To see the current edition:
<http://www.americansc...

Subscribe now by clicking here:
<https://www.americans...

********************************************************************

Please follow these links for more information about Sigma Xi, The
Scientific Research Society:

Sigma Xi Homepage
http://www.sigmaxi.or...

Sigma Xi Public Understanding of Science Program
http://www.sigmaxi.or...

American Scientist magazine
http://www.americansc...

For feedback on In the News,
mailto:cblackburn@sigmaxi.org