News briefs: July 22, 2021

News briefs: July 22, 2021.

Cockies’ remarkable skill

Cockatoos learn from each other a unique skill – lifting garbage bin lids to gather food.

The world-first research confirms this novel scavenging behaviour is not due to genetics but spread through social learning.

“Compared to humans, there are few known examples of animals learning from each other,” lead author Barbara Klump of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour said.

“We observed that the birds do not open the garbage bins in the same way but rather used different opening techniques in different suburbs, suggesting that the behaviour is learned by observing others.”

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Memory loss links

Hearing impairment may be linked to dementia, a study suggests.

Oxford University researchers found people who struggled to hear conversation over background noise, such as when out in a busy cafe with friends, were more likely to get the disease.

The study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, examined data from more than 82,000 individuals older than 60 over the course of a decade.

However, the researchers didn’t conclude whether hearing issues themselves cause dementia or if they are a symptom of the illness.

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Red meat heart risk

Eating more red and processed meats will increase a person’s risk of developing heart disease later in life, a new study suggests.

The study, published in the Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition journal, found a 50g per day higher consumption of unprocessed red meat was associated with a 9 per cent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease.

Processed meat had an 18 per cent higher risk.

There was no evidence of increased risk with eating poultry.

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Internet woes

After more than a year spent working from home, it has been revealed a large number of Aussies aren’t happy with their broadband provider.

New research from online comparison website Finder has found just 22 per cent of Australians are satisfied with their internet provider.

The survey of 816 people found 55 per cent would switch for a cheaper deal, while 44 per cent would switch for faster internet.

Another 20 per cent would make a change for more data, while 10 per cent said they wouldn’t switch providers because it’s too much hassle.

Baby Boomers were the least likely to switch, with 41 per cent satisfied by their deal.

Originally published as News briefs: July 22, 2021