Rare Monogamy

Just found an interesting article when looking up info about penguins mating for life. Apparently, some penguins do, but most only pair for the mating season with 70-90% finding new mates for the next year.

From an article in the UK Guardian:

Yours faithfully... up to a point

Monogamy is one of the rarest behaviours in nature, writes Olivia Judson
Thursday August 22, 2002

Thirty years ago, biologists thought monogamy - as in 'til-death-do-us-part monogamy - was common in nature.

Some 90% of bird species were believed to be monogamous, at least for the duration of a breeding season, and many were thought to mate for life. Wolves and gibbons were similarly admired. But that was before the invention of genetic paternity testing, which revealed the truth about who was really having whose children.

During the 1980s and 90s, the supposedly virtuous came tumbling from their pedestals. These days, when animals live together in pairs, they are said to be socially monogamous, a cautious term that risks no assumptions about their sex lives.

The discovery of true monogamy throughout a population - even for just one breeding season - is rare and exciting news.

For more, see the article.

Hydration

Roger Waters (formerly of Pink Floyd) snuck some songs out in September of 2004, and I really wish I'd known they were out at the time. They're both very sharp looks at aspects of the war in Iraq. "To Kill the Child" and "Leaving Beirut" are available as a CD single, or through most on-line music stores. I listened to both on Yahoo! Music Unlimited yesterday.

According to Waters, he began work on his new songs "…immediately after the invasion of Iraq, which is now fifteen months ago. It seems apposite to throw them out there on the Net, before the election. Historically, there have always been people within the artistic community who have spoken out about things they believe in and they should continue to do so. I shall certainly continue to do so, whether it has any effect or not, because I feel I have a responsibility to myself to do that."

( Lyrics behind cut due to some language )