Fairer Fish Friends Wednesday, May 1

Research published in February by Britain's Royal Society science association found that male guppies in mating mode prefer to congregate with plainer, less colorful males, probably to look better by comparison. Said Italian researcher Clelia …

Moles with Moves Wednesday, May 1

Hottentot golden moles live underground — not so bad because they're blind and navigate by smell and touch. Still, some scientists spend years studying them, and in a recent Mammalian Biology issue, South African researchers disclosed females …

Inauthentic Ambulances Wednesday, May 1

Wealthy Russians recently found a way around the nation's horrid traffic jams: fake ambulances, outfitted with plush interiors and specially trained drivers using unauthorized lights and sirens to snake through busy streets. In March, London's Daily …

Watch Out, Wall Street Wednesday, May 1

After a trial on fraud charges, the Iranian judiciary sentenced four bankers and their collaborators to death in February, and several others to public floggings for forging loans to buy government properties. The total amount involved reportedly …

Failed to Free Him of Flatulence Wednesday, May 1

In April, Romanian lawyer Madalin Ciculescu, 34, said the next stop for his lawsuit is the European Court of Human Rights after two Romanian courts turned down his claims against Orthodox bishops who failed to exorcize demons causing his flatulence. …

Dodgeball Targeted Wednesday, May 1

The Windham, Mass., school board voted in March to ban popular, ubiquitous dodgeball from the district's curriculum because the game treats players as "human targets." Dodgeball (played these days with a foam ball) also features "eliminating" …

Cutting Pancake Corners Wednesday, May 1

The Castle View School in Britain's Essex County issued a specific ban in March against serving popular "triangle-shaped" pancakes after one was thrown at a pupil. Not affected, reported London's The Independent, were "rectangle-shaped" pancakes, …

Premium Health Care for Animals Wednesday, May 1

While some Americans can't get medically necessary health care, a few lucky animals receive just what they need from wildlife conservation centers every year. In March, a sandhill crane underwent surgery by a facility in Abbotsford, British …

Taking Out Turtles Wednesday, May 1

Even though human hearts open warmly to helpless animals, kindness isn't universal. As Clemson University animal conservation student Nathan Weaver found with a quick experiment late last year, some drivers deliberately swerve into a turtle trying …

Skirmishing Shoplifters Seized Wednesday, May 1

Husband Jared Rick and wife Ashley walked out of a Salem, Ill., Walmart in February with about $2,400 in stolen merchandise. They thought they were home free, but got in a loud domestic argument in the parking lot, drawing security officers' …