Some Aussie frogs raise pitch of love songs to counter traffic noise

September 2nd, 2009 LONDON - A scientist in India has claimed to have found three rare species of frogs that make nests in which to lay their eggs. According to a report by BBC News, the discovery was made in the rainforests of the Western Ghats mountain range in the southern Indian states of Kerala and Karnataka.

August 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - It's not just humans who sing love ballads to woo their partners, for bats too sing when they indulge in sex, according to a new study. Researchers at Texas A and M University and the University of Texas at Austin are believed to be the first to decode the mysterious love sounds made by the winged creatures.

August 21st, 2009 Traffic noise could be ruining sex lives of frogsCANBERRA, Australia — Traffic noise could be ruining the sex lives of urban frogs by drowning out the seductive croaks of amorous males, an Australian researcher said Friday. A well-projected and energetic croak is the male frog's most important asset in the quest to attract mates to his pond, Melbourne University ecologist Kirsten Parris said.

August 3rd, 2009 LONDON - Hydrophones have revealed that bowhead whales can sing in different voices to attract a mate and thereby ensure the species' survival. This is probably because global warming has opened up the Northwest Passage in 125,000 years, enabling the 100 tonne bowhead whales of the northern Pacific to reach Disko Bay in Greenland to mate with other whales.

July 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has come up with the strongest evidence yet that noise pollution negatively influences the nesting habits of birds. The study also indicates that at least a few species opt for noisy areas over quiet ones, perhaps because of their vocalisation pitches, a reduction in nest predators and less competition from other song birds that prefer quiet environments.

July 22nd, 2009 Study: Pesticides travel far, harm Sierra frogsFRESNO, Calif. — A new study shows frogs in the Sierra Nevada mountains are threatened by airborne pesticides that drift eastward from California's Central Valley.

July 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A study on zebra finches conducted by neuroscientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has shed some light on how practice improves performance. The researchers say that studying the chirps of zebra finches helped them determine that as these tiny songbirds fine-tune their songs, their brains initially store improvements in one brain pathway, before transferring this learned information to the motor pathway for long-term storage.

June 29th, 2009 LONDON - A team of scientists has claimed to have solved the curious case of the missing legs in many frogs, by suggesting that the deformed frogs are actually victims of the predatory habits of dragonfly nymphs, which eat the legs of tadpoles. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, researchers started getting reports of numerous wild frogs or toads being found with extra legs or arms, or with limbs that were partly formed or missing completely.

May 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - As vegetation reclaimed formerly cleared land in California, Oregon and Washington over the last 35 years, male white-crowned sparrows lowered their pitch and slowed down their singing so that their love songs would carry better through heavier foliage. 'This is the first time that anyone has shown that bird songs can shift with rapid changes in habitat,' observed biologist Elizabeth Derryberry, who made the finding as part of her dissertation research at Duke University.

May 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study from Duke University has found that changes in habitat have a significant impact on the way birds sing. Lead researcher and biologist Elizabeth Derryberry found that male white-crowned sparrows have lowered their pitch and slowed down their singing so that their love songs would carry better through heavier foliage.

April 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman, who is known for is heroic image in his action flicks, turned a real life hero when he jumped off a London Newspaper building to raise money for a charity. The 'X Men' actor jumped off the headquarters of fellow Aussie Rupert Murdoch's News International building to raise money for The Sun's Help for Heroes campaign, which aids British soldiers wounded in conflict, reports Contactmusic.

March 31st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Russell Crowe could soon be showcasing his musical talents, for the actor is in talks to do a film where he might be required to hit the high notes. The 'Gladiator' star has revealed that he's currently looking at a script for a new musical in which he may have to belt out a tune, just like fellow Aussie stars, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

March 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Beyonce Knowles would not think twice about creating her own version of a Guitar Hero video game. The R and B queen has revealed she hails the popular music game, in which players use a guitar-shaped peripheral to simulate the playing of lead and bass guitar across numerous rock music songs.

March 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Irish rocker Bono wants to re-record songs from U2's debut album 'Boy'- because he doesn't like the fake English accent he adopted while singing the tracks. Listening back to the 1980 disc, Bono still feels embarrassed by the 'phony English accent' he used.

March 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Extra workplace decibels increase the risks of both work-related accidents and road collisions, says a new study. The findings by the Universite de Montreal, the Universite Laval and the Institut national de sante publique du Quebec will be reported in three journals: Occupation Environmental Medicine, Accident Analysis and Prevention and Traffic Injury Prevention.