Two scientific tidbits caught my attention today. The first one, here, is about smoking. Apparently, reducing the number cigarettes smoked doesn't reduce the risk of death. So to all of the smokers out there, ya gotta quit! No excuses like "I'm just a light/casual smoker". Alternatively, you could just really enjoy your habit and start smoking 5 packs a day. Perhaps that won't increase your death risk. The second bit of science that interested me is here. Some zoologists have discovered that cetaceans (whales) have more complex brains than previously thought. Specifically, they have a type of brain cell that is primarily found in the great apes. This is likely a case of convergent evolution, i.e. similar traits arising independently in separate lineages. What are the characteristics, the selective pressures, that have favored these traits in such divergenet animals such as humans and whales? One major similarity between us is that we're both rather social creatures. Social behavior favors sophisticated brains, hmmmmm.....