I have a brand-new educational book for kids out!

Written at a 3rd grade reading level, this book explores the superstition surrounding walking under a ladder: where it came from, how and why it has continued to affect people over time, and whether people still believe in it today. Additional features include a table of contents, Fast Facts, critical thinking questions, a phonetic glossary, an index, and sources for further research.

To learn more and order, click here.

Few studies have put bears’ cognitive abilities to the test. In a new study looking at problem-solving, brown bears showed persistence, flexibility, and evidence of learning - but no tool use.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Bears Are Adaptable, and Persistent, Problem-Solvers.

You’ve probably heard of the Mistaken Identity Hypothesis. The idea is that most shark bites on surfers and swimmers occur because of the visual similarity between people and sharks’ typical prey. However, despite being widely accepted as fact by the general public and many scientists, the Mistaken Identity Hypothesis is exactly that: an unproven hypothesis.

In a new paper in the journal Behaviour, marine biologists Eric Clua and Carl Meyer take on the Mistaken Identity Hypothesis and propose what they say is a more plausible explanation for shark bites.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Why Do Sharks Bite People?

In a new perspective paper in the Journal of Perinatology, researchers from Nationwide Children’s say that vitamin K prophylaxis is an essential component of newborn care and yet, parental refusal of the intervention is on the rise. What should neonatologists know?

Find out at Pediatrics Nationwide: 5 Things Neonatologists Should Know About Vitamin K Deficiency.

Paleontology typically conjures images of digging up dusty bones in the field. So why is paleontologist Thomas Clements watching fish rot in the laboratory? Clements specializes in taphonomy, a subfield within paleontology that deals with the process of fossilization. To understand why some tissues become fossils while others decay away, he sometimes has to get his hands dirty.

Read my whole story at The Scientist: Researchers Watch Fish Rot, For Science.