Australian magpies are social birds; they live in groups of up to 12 individuals that help each other defend territory and raise each other’s young. A recent pilot study involving small trackers has revealed that they engage in another social behaviour rarely seen in birds called “rescuing”. In birds, rescuing is the act of helping others without expecting a reward; in this case, the magpies helped each other remove the tracking devices the researchers put on them, perhaps perceiving the devices as parasites that needed removing. Read full article here
Oddities
Why Do Modern Pop Songs Have So Many Credited Writers?
The music industry has changed dramatically over the last few decades – with the number of songwriters credited on number one hits more than doubling. This is due to a combination of factors, including money, the computer and a changing definition of what songwriting is. For example, if The Beatles’ classic “I Feel Fine” was released today, it would likely have four writers credited instead of two, due to the influence of producers, samples and interpolations. With the rise of lawsuits, artists now preemptively add songwriter credits to their songs, even if the similarities between their song and the source material are coincidental. It all goes to show that the music industry is becoming more complex and competitive. Read full article here
Merv
March 29, 2023
