R. M. W. Dixon: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from R. M. W. Dixon, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

Some plants bribe ants into planting their seeds for them
Thousands of plant species attach a fatty, nutrient-rich packet called an elaiosome to their seeds, which ants find irresistible. Worker ants carry the whole seed back to the nest,…
— Andrew J. Lucky, E. S. Dixon & C. R. Wolf, Myrmecochory: An Ecosystem Service
An Australian Aboriginal language's word for 'dog' is, by pure coincidence, 'dog'
Mbabaram, a now-extinct Aboriginal language of northern Queensland, happened to use the word 'dog' for a dog, identical to English, despite the two languages having no historical c…
— R. M. W. Dixon, A Grammar of Mbabaram

Five ideas worth knowing, every week