French Babies Acquire Snotty Accents Early In LifeA study comparing the cries of 60 French and German newborns found that differences in accents were detectable as early as in the first few days of their lives. The French babies ended their cries with a lilt, a rising and falling quality common in the spoken French language. In contrast, the German babies cried more intensely at first before dropping off, which is the way people typically speak in German. The results of the study suggest that fetuses might be able to process some of the sounds they hear in the womb and then manipulate their voices to mimic those sounds soon after they’re born.Grim Reaper Purrs, Wags TailWouldn’t it be nice if instead of a hooded figure with a scythe, a sweet little pussycat would come to collect your soul when the time comes? The residents and employees of a nursing home in Rhode Island have noticed that Oscar, the cat adopted to keep the elders company, has a bizarre ability to predict when a patient is going to pass away. The cat settles on the lap of the soon-to-be deceased and refuses to be moved away in the hours before the death. Oscar has predicted at least 50 deaths so far and, on at least one occasion, he predicted a death when even doctors had no reason to suspect that the patient was going to die. Some speculate that the cat can smell certain chemicals that might be released soon before a person dies, but scientists can’t explain Oscar’s peculiar capabilities, and it’s not clear if he was born with the talent or developed it after spending so much time with people nearing the end of life.Another Dino ExposedTwo weeks after a breakthrough discovery enabled scientists to confirm the color of a dinosaur, a different team of scientists cracked the color scheme of another dinosaur species. The Anchiornis huxleyi, a tiny, feather covered dino, apparently had a bright orange crown, a gray body and black-and-white stripes on its wings.Carbon Dioxide Omissions Cause Growth Spurt in TreesA study focused on mixed hardwoods on the western edge of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland found that the trees in that area are growing between three to four times faster now compared to 1987. Scientists ruled out any other possible causes for the growth spurt except for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons, which are all closely related to global warming. Although this is certainly good news because trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, the trees are not projected to keep up with the pace of carbon dioxide omissions because other factors such as nutrients and water eventually limit growth.Another New Thing To Make Another Old Thing ObsoleteA new iPhone application is honing in on the jobs of secretaries, personal assistants and go-to persons everywhere. It’s called Siri, and it’s basically going to be your electronic bitch. Its voice recognition abilities mean that Siri can make restaurant reservations, buy movies tickets, RSVP, and find out any piece of random information you may be interested in, and as an added bonus – you get to order it around without feeling guilty. Dubbed “a do-engine rather than a search-engine,” Siri has partnered with companies like StubHub, CitySearch and TaxiMagic to provide users with a wide range of services. Does anyone else foresee major mishaps if this thing gets too intelligent?