Scientific Tidbits

Funky finding: Male Western toads use a trial and error approach to mating season. Sexual competition is so great that the horny toads will, quite literally, jump anything that moves--regardless of whether it’s male or female.

Sounds like spring break in Fort Lauderdale.

Impress your friends with more fun facts from the Critical Constant, a weekly Web journal that explains noteworthy (and intriguing) scientific developments in abbreviated and readable nuggets.

A new study of cultural attitudes toward violence is summarized in the most recent issue.

Researchers compared communities in the Southern and Western U.S. with those in the Northern states. In the South and West, more arguments between individuals ended with fatal outcomes. Residents in these parts of the country also spent the most time on violent, but legal, pursuits, such as hunting and watching the television show “Cops.” Surprise, surprise.

In the North, the pattern was the opposite. Communities exhibited less violent behavior and less support for military and government violence.

More food for thought can be found at https://www.homepage.usr.com/c/criticism.