<p>Trippin' fish, kissin' cousins and how to get a blissful brain are just a few of the cool stories we found this week.</p> <p>Don't miss some of the coolest stories in Science. Click on.</p>
<p></p> <p>Drugs taken by humans can have unintended side effects — on fish, in the natural environment. Turns out, fish fed extremely low concentrations of an antianxiety drug eat more quickly, and act bolder and more antisocial than their un-medicated peers, a new study finds.</p> <p> "We can see profound effects at the low levels that we find in surface water. Exposed fish are more bold," Jerker Fick, a co-author and researcher at Umea University in Sweden, said at a news conference here at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).</p> <p>[Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/27150-psychiatric-drugs-changing-fish-behavior.html target="_blank"> Drugs Leaked Into Rivers Make Fish Antisocial</a>]
<p></p> <p> They knew it was true, but now they've shown it: Scientists have demonstrated that the uncertainty principle, one of the most famous rules of quantum physics, operates in macroscopic objects visible to the naked eye.</p> <p> The principle, described by physicist Werner Heisenberg nearly a century ago, states that the mere act of measuring the position of a particle, such as an electron, necessarily disturbs its momentum. That means the more precisely you try to measure its location, the less you know about how fast it's moving, and vice versa. </p> <p>[Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/27137-uncertainty-principle-measured-macro-scale.html target="_blank"> Weird Quantum Theory Works in 'Big' Things</a>]
<p></p> <p> In November of last year, a Texas veterinarian made national news claiming that genetic testing confirmed that not only is the legendary Bigfoot real, but is in fact a human relative that arose some 15,000 years ago.</p> <p> The study, by Melba S. Ketchum, suggested such cryptids had sex with modern human females that resulted in hairy hominin hybrids: "Our data indicate that the North American Sasquatch is a hybrid species, the result of males of an unknown hominin species crossing with female Homo sapiens," Ketchum said in a statement. The scientific community was rightly skeptical, partly because Ketchum's research — which spanned five years — had not appeared in any peer-reviewed scientific journal. </p> <p>[Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/27140-bigfoot-dna-study-questioned.html target="_blank"> Bigfoot DNA Discovered? Not So Fast </a>]
<p></p> <p> On Valentine's Day, images of couples are everywhere. They're buying each other diamond rings, making eyes over expensive restaurant meals and canoodling over chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne. But two-by-two isn't the only way to go through life. In fact, an estimated 4 to 5 percent of Americans are looking outside their relationship for love and sex — with their partner's full permission.</p> <p> These consensually nonmonogamous relationships, as they're called, don't conform to the cultural norm of a handholding couple in love for life. They come in a dizzying array of forms, from occasional "swinging" and open relationships to long-term commitments among multiple people. Now, social scientists embarking on brand-new research into these types of relationships are finding that they may challenge the ways we think of jealousy, commitment and love. They may even change monogamy for the better. </p> <p>[Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/27129-polyamory-good-relationships.html target="_blank"> New Sexual Revolution: Polyamory May Be Good for You</a>]
<p></p> <p> For all the popularity Tutankhamun enjoys today, key details about the ancient Egyptian pharaoh's life, such as his parentage, have remained somewhat mysterious. While Akhenaten was known to be Tut's dad, the identity of the boy king's mother has remained elusive. But at least one archaeologist believes she was Nefertiti.</p> <p> Recent DNA analyses from the mummies of Tut and his kin revealed that the boy king's parents were siblings. Those results, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in February 2010, pointed to the "heretic" king Akhenaten and one of his sisters as the mom and dad of Tut. </p> <p>[Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/27106-king-tut-parents-were-cousins.html target="_blank"> King Tut's Parents Were Cousins, Not Siblings: Researcher</a>]
<p></p> <p> Mississippi holds onto its title as most religious U.S. state, with 58 percent of its residents saying they are very religious, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday (Feb. 13).</p> <p> The least religious state? Vermont. </p> <p>[Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/27088-mississippi-most-religious-state.html target="_blank"> The Most Religious US State Is ...</a>]
<p></p> <p> Some people say they're addicted to coffee, but a couple in Florida has taken their coffee habit to a whole new level: coffee enemas.</p> <p> Mike and Trina, who declined to give their last names (for reasons that may be obvious), are so hooked on coffee enemas that they use them to cleanse their colons at least four times daily, though Trina admitted using them up to 10 times in a single day, according to ABC News. </p> <p>[Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/27011-coffee-enema-alcohol-enema.html target="_blank"> Java to Go: Couple Addicted to Coffee Enemas</a>]
<p></p> <p> Argentine ants (<i>Linepithema humile</i>) are among the most aggressive invasive insects in the United States. But after pushing out native ant species in local ecosystems across the country, the little conquerers may have finally met their match. </p> <p> Researchers found evidence that another alien species, the Asian needle ant (<i>Pachycondyla chinensis</i>) is chipping away at the Argentine ants' stronghold. <p>[Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/27014-invasive-ants-battle-for-turf.html target="_blank"> 'Alien' Argentine Ants May Have Met Their Match</a>]
<p></p> <p> Intelligent alien life is likely relatively rare throughout our Milky Way galaxy, with fewer than one in a million solar systems harboring civilizations advanced enough to send out radio signals, a new study reports.</p> <p> A research team that includes famed alien hunter Jill Tarter — the model for astronomer Ellie Arroway in Carl Sagan's famous book "Contact" — surveyed dozens of planet-hosting stars for radio signals from alien civilizations. They turned up nothing. </p> <p>[Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/27003-intelligent-alien-life-exoplanets-seti.html target="_blank"> Are You There, E.T.? SETI Finds No Alien Signals from Exoplanets</a>]
<p></p> <p>Throughout life, even shortly before death, the brain can remodel itself, responding to a person's experiences. This phenomenon, known as neuroplasticity, offers a powerful tool to improve well-being, experts say.</p> <p> "We now have evidence that engaging in pure mental training can induce changes not just in the function of the brain, but in the brain's structure itself," Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told an audience at the New York Academy of Sciences on Thursday (Feb. 6) evening. </p> <p>[Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/26993-mindfulness-meditation-remodel-brain.html target="_blank"> Exercising Your Brain May Improve Your Life</a>]
