Fishy cannibal

A recent study in American Naturalist demonstrates that male fish are more likely to eat their offspring when they have been cuckolded during spawning. Moreover, the more males that are present during spawning, the more likely it is that a male will try to eat the eggs when they are laid, as it is less likely that he fertilised them. Studying Telmatherina sarasinorum, a small, colourful fish found in Indonesia, the researchers observed that females, who can be sure of their relationship to their eggs, never cannibalised.

Splash erosion

Rain splatter is a primary cause of water erosion. But there is much scientists don’t know about the basic physics involved, making it difficult for them to assess the accuracy of the empirical equations used to predict water erosion. This lack has been addressed by an article in the Journal of Geophysical Research, the first one to use a high-speed camera to analyse the interaction between individual rain drops and soil particles. A theoretical model has been created by the researchers to provide more reliable estimates of the amount of splash erosion taking place in different environments.

Fuel cell

When Princeton University engineers want to increase the power output of their new fuel cell, they just give it a little more hydrogen gas. This simple control mechanism — which varies the flow of hydrogen fuel to control the power generated — was previously thought impossible. The secret is a system in which the fuel input itself changes the size of the reaction chamber, and therefore the amount of power produced. The findings will be published in the February issue of the journal, Chemical Engineering Science.