http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. What do flocks of birds have in common with trust, monogamy, and even breast milk? According to a new report in the journal Science, they are regulated by virtually identical neurochemicals in the brain, known as oxytocin in mammals and mesotocin in birds. http://www.physorg.com/news169391813.html Biology Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:17:25 EST news169391813 (PhysOrg.com) -- Learning complex skills like playing an instrument requires a sequence of movements that can take years to master. Last year, MIT neuroscientists reported that by studying the chirps of tiny songbirds, they were able to identify how two distinct brain circuits contribute to this type of trial-and-error learning in different stages of life. http://www.physorg.com/news166120274.html Biology Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:32:28 EST news166120274 In an experiment that points to a role for genetics in the development of culture, biologists at The City College of New York (CCNY) and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have discovered that zebra finches raised in isolation will, over several generations, produce a song similar to that sung by the species in the wild. http://www.physorg.com/news160592801.html Biology Sun, 03 May 2009 18:07:00 EST news160592801 (PhysOrg.com) -- Attractive males promise quality offspring. Most female birds therefore invest a lot of energy in their attempts to breed with attractive partners. Not so the female zebra finch. If they have unattractive male partners, the females lay particularly big eggs that contain a lot of nutrients. Because the finch pairs stay together for their entire lifespan, the female has no reason to save up resources for a subsequent and better partner. The low genetic quality of the male is compensated for by good egg quality, as discovered by the scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen. http://www.physorg.com/news145546150.html Biology Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:29:10 EST news145546150