Chimerical-Charisma

The rapid back and forth dance of face-to-face conversations is not unique to us humans. While chimps typically favor gestures over sounds, their exchange of ideas is just as fast as ours and reflects similar cultural patterns, a new study reveals. Observing the timing of gestures within communities of wild East African chimpanzees, an international team of researchers found responses followed pauses of up to a second. Some reactions were virtually instantaneous, where the chimps interrupted each other just like we do in a heated discussion.

Lung diseases kill millions of people around the world each year. Treatment options are limited, and animal models for studying these illnesses and experimental medications are inadequate. Now, writing in ACS Applied Bio Materials, researchers describe their success in creating a mucus-based bioink for 3D printing lung tissue. This advancement could one day help study and treat chronic lung conditions. While some people with lung diseases receive transplants, donor organs remain in short supply. As an alternative, medications and other treatments can be used to manage symptoms, but no cure is available for disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis. Researchers continue to seek better medications, often relying on testing in rodents. But these animal models may only partially capture the complexities of pulmonary diseases in humans, and they might not accurately predict the safety and efficacy of new drugs.

A controversial plan to commercially farm octopus for meat has led to a U.S. bill that would ban the practice, along with any imports linked to it. Bipartisan legislation to ban octopus farming was introduced in Congress on Friday, after NPR reported on the issue. "Octopuses are among the most intelligent creatures in the oceans. And they belong at sea, not suffering on a factory farm," Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, a co-author of the bill, said in a statement to NPR.