Champagne: Automated Whole-Genome Phylogenomic Character Matrix Method Using Large Genomic Indels for Homoplasy-Free Inference.

We present Champagne, a whole-genome method for generating character matrices for phylogenomic analysis using large genomic indel events. By rigorously picking orthologous genes and locating large insertion and deletion events, Champagne delivers a character matrix that considerably reduces homoplasy compared with morphological and nucleotide-based matrices, on both established phylogenies and difficult-to-resolve nodes in the mammalian tree. Champagne provides ample evidence in the form of genomic structural variation to support incomplete lineage sorting and possible introgression in Paenungulata and human-chimp-gorilla which were previously inferred primarily through matrices composed of aligned single-nucleotide characters.

Relationship of circadian temperature and activity rhythms in two rodent species.

Despite the large number of publications concerning circadian body temperature in rodents, relatively little is known about phase relationships of the body temperature cycle relative to daily locomotor rhythms. Phase angle differences between core body temperature and locomotor activity were determined by a group of overlapping methods for 14 hamsters and 11 chipmunks under constant light (LL) and entrained (LD) photo schedules. The study compared the onset of the body temperature cycle with three separate components of daily locomotor activity: the onset of wheel running, the onset of total activity in a standard wheel cage, and the onset of total activity in a restricted cage, respectively.

The uncertain response in humans and animals.

There has been no comparative psychological study of uncertainty processes. Accordingly, the present experiments asked whether animals, like humans, escape adaptively when they are uncertain. Human and animal observers were given two primary responses in a visual discrimination task, and the opportunity to escape from some trials into easier ones.

The uncertain response in the bottlenosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).

Humans respond adaptively to uncertainty by escaping or seeking additional information. To foster a comparative study of uncertainty processes, we asked whether humans and a bottlenosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) would use similarly a psychophysical uncertain response. Human observers and the dolphin were given 2 primary discrimination responses and a way to escape chosen trials into easier ones.