Dogs can differentiate between incompetent and nasty people

published 25 January 2023

Dogs can spot the difference between an incompetent human and a mean one, a study has suggested. Dr Christoph Völter of the University of Vienna, who led the study, said the findings suggest that dogs possess what is known as a “theory of mind”, which means they can distinguish between somebody who would like to feed them a tasty treat but is prevented by their clumsiness, and another person who is dangling food in front of them just to tease them, noted The Times.

Company pays people to eat cheese before bed

Would you like to be paid to eat cheese before you go to bed? Sleep Junkie, a mattress-reviewing website, said it is seeking five “dairy dreamers” for a study that seeks to address the belief that consuming cheese or other dairy products before bed leads to nightmares. “We also want to look at, if this is true, do different cheeses have more of an effect than others?” said the company. Participants will be paid $1,000 for their trouble, noted UPI.

Ants can detect cancer smell in urine

Scientists have found that ants can detect the scent of cancer in urine, reported The Telegraph. The researchers exposed 70 ants - belonging to the species known as Formica fusca - to urine samples from mice with, and without, tumours. Professor Patrizia d’Ettorre, of Sorbonne Paris Nord University in Paris, France, said the findings show that ants “can be used as bio-detectors to discriminate healthy individuals from tumour-bearing ones”.