Where Rain Comes From

Volcano Erupting from Space

Killer shot of a Russian volcano erupting as seen from the space station!



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Why I Joined the Peace Corps

New Species of Snail Discovered

Herrings converse via flatulence, researchers find

Herrings appear to be sociable fish who like to communicate among themselves and use their natural flatulence to do so, a team of British and Canadian researchers has reported.

"At night herring squeeze bubbles out of their swim bladders through an anal pore, producing sounds not unlike people blowing raspberries," the team of three recounted. The Pacific species (Clupea pallasii) were found to emit distinctive bursts of pulses, known as "fast repetitive tick", or FRT sounds, mostly at night. It was the same story with Clupea pallasii's Atlantic cousin, Clupea harengus.

"Atlantic herring also produce FRT, or �Fart� sounds and video analysis showed an association with bubble expulsion from the anal duct region," the researchers found. "The functions of these sounds are unknown but as the per capita rates of sound production by fish at higher densities were greater, social mediation appears likely. "These sounds may have consequences for our understanding of herring behaviour and the effects of noise pollution."

� noise pollution?