Zombie Ants and Killer Fungus

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 18, @07:59PM
from the level-1-random-encounter dept.

science

nibbles2004 writes"An article in the Guardian newspaper shows how parasitic fungi evolved the ability to control ants they infect ultimately leading the ant to its death. The fungus controls the ant's movements to a suitable leaf and causes the ant to grip onto the leaf's central stem, allowing the fungus to spore, which will allow more ants to become infected."

Six-Year-Olds With Squint Less Likely to Be Invited to Birthday Parties, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily (Aug. 18, 2010) — Six year olds with a squint are significantly less likely to be invited to birthday parties than their peers with normally aligned eyes, suggests research published online in theBritish Journal of Ophthalmology.

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Amex Digital claims 'world's smallest 1080p media player' with MP-501

By Darren Murph posted Aug 18th 2010 9:38AM

It's hardly as small as Thomson's A1, but it just might be the most diminutive media player in existence to actually handle 1080p without breaking too serious a sweat. Measuring just 175- x 128- x 15mm and weighing 250 grams, this pocket sized player can accept a multitude of film formats from a connected USB storage device or an SD card; once the media's flowing, it can output content as high as 1080p over HDMI, and there's also a composite video / audio output and mini-USB port 'round back. The MP-501 is equipped with an ARM Cortex-A8 processor and the ability to play nice with nearly every file under the sun that's stripped of DRM, and best of all, it's purportedly priced at just $49. Did you just stumble upon your next laptop case compartment filler? Yes, yes you did.