BREAKTHROUGHS (^) | EMBARK
DISPATCHES
FROM THE FRONT LINES
OF SCIENCE
AND INNOVATION
PHOTOS (FROM TOP): STEFAN WERMUTH, UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS BERN;
HOOD MUSEUM OF ART, DARTMOUTH: HARRY A. FRANKLIN FAMILY COLLECTION,
PHOTOS BY JEFFREY NINTZEL; HEMIS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
IN A SOUTHERN INDIAN FOREST, an amateur
photographer spied a multicolored rodent. The
pictures he took set the internet alight last April,
and no wonder: Indian giant squirrels can weigh
four pounds and stretch three feet from tail to
snout—half again (at least) the size of most Euro-
pean and North American squirrels. Unlike those
northern nibblers, these behemoths forage in the
tropical canopy, where their flexible feet and ankles
allow them to leap 20 feet from branch to branch.
The vibrant fur may provide camouflage “in the
mosaic of shade and sun flecks where these arboreal
giants thrive,” says John Koprowski, author of
Squirrels of the World. Or, says evolutionary biolo-
gist Dana Krempels, “there could be an evolutionary
‘tightrope’ that the squirrels must walk”—bright
enough for other giant squirrels to spot, but not so
bright that predators notice. —JEREMY BERLIN
ANIMALS
TECHNICOLOR
SQUIRRELS
NATIVE TO TROPICAL INDIA,
THESE SQUIRRELS FAR OUTDO
OTHERS IN SIZE—AND HUE
CULTURE
Why Warriors
Wielded
Human Bones
New Guinean men
once warred with
daggers made from
cassowary—or human —
bones. Anthropologist
Nathaniel Dominy
tested the strength of
both types of weapon.
He likens the bird-
bone dagger (left) to a
Timex watch: “It works
just as well, but if it
breaks, then it is easy
to replace.” Daggers
crafted from human
femurs “are a bit like a
Rolex watch—a prestige
object and status
symbol that one would
rather not damage.”—JB
Hip-hop makes cheese funky
Swiss researchers exposed wheels
of Emmentaler to different genres
of music. Six months later they
did a taste test. The wheel with
the strongest aroma and flavor
was the one that had “listened”
to A Tribe Called Quest. A jury
of culinary experts confirmed
the investigators’ conclusions.
avery
(avery)
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