The FREAKest Links: Forgiving Chimps and Airport Machetes Edition

Via Reuters: A study led by Max Planck Institute biologist Keith Jensen found that, unlike humans, chimpanzees are capable of revenge but not spite. Researchers tested the apes’ reactions to theft by their peers using collapsible tables that allowed chimps to steal food from each other. While the chimps who were left hungry later sought revenge as punishment, they showed no sign of upset over injustice.

After Levitt managed to sneak a knife past the checkpoints at O’Hare, the Wall Street Journal reports that airports are still collecting thousands of dangerous objects, including hammers, saws, electric drills and guns, from passengers attempting to board flights. Truckloads of confiscated items later find their way to warehouses or cheap local auctions.

Via the Salt Lake Tribune: University of Florida graduate student Chad Swiatowicz has performed a comparison of song lyrics from the past two generations, finding that earlier songs were “more likely to address broader social issues,” while modern lyrics focus more on “subjects such as self-esteem, depression and anxiety.”