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Common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus), such as this group day-roosting in a cave in Mexico, can form cooperative, friendship-like social relationships.

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Vampire bats might have a nasty reputation because of the way they ruthlessly drink their victims’ blood, but these bloodthirsty beasts can be both generous and loyal when it comes to their fellow bats.

Captive common vampire bats will share their food with hungry bat companions, and forge such a bond that they continue to hang out with these buddies once they’re released back to the wild, according to a newly published study in the journal Current Biology.

“Bats are very maligned, and vampire bats are the most maligned of the bats,” says Gerald Carter of The Ohio State University, who is also a research associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. “What I study about them often makes people think about them in a more positive light.”

Common vampire bats don’t actually suck the blood of their victims, which are usually livestock like horses or cows. Instead, the bats make little cuts with their razor-sharp incisors and lap at the bleeding wounds.

Bats need to lap up about a tablespoon of blood every night, Carter says. If they miss two nights, these small bats get very weak, and missing three nights might mean death.

A desperate vampire bat, however, can find help in its home roost, where neighbors who did manage to drink blood are often willing to share food by regurgitating some of their last blood meal.

“The females will do this for their offspring, but they also do it for adults, including unrelated adults,” Carter says. “What’s particularly interesting about this species is these non-kin food donations.”

Carter has been studying this in captive bats for years. “We don’t need to train them to cooperate with each other,” he says. “We can just take a bat, deprive it of food for a while, put it back. And then see who is willing to share food with it. And we can just do this repeatedly over time.”

This research has shown that bats can develop social bonds with certain individual bats based on reciprocal food sharing.

“We could see that during the time the bats are in captivity that some of their relationships are getting stronger,” Carter says. “Almost certainly, there were some bats that were forming new relationships in captivity.”

He and his colleagues wondered if these social bonds were real or just something that emerged in the artificial environment of the lab because these bats were forced to hang together.

They decided to do an experiment using 23 female bats that had been captured from a large hollow tree. These bats, and their social connections, had been closely observed for nearly two years in captivity. Over that time, social grooming and food sharing increased within the group. The scientists tagged the bats with special sensors and released them back into the wild, along with a control group of 27 female bats from the wild that were also given sensors.

A team of researchers took common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) that had been in captivity and from the wild and tagged them with tiny sensors. The bats’ social interactions were then tracked for eight days.

The sensors, lighter than a penny, were stuck onto the bats using surgical glue, says Simon Ripperger, a visiting scientist at the Museum of Natural History in Berlin. “They do not report the exact location,” Ripperger says. “They do report who they are with.”

Every two seconds, he explains, the sensors searched for the presence and relative proximity of all the other tagged bats. This information got sent to shoebox-sized recording stations located at the roost and at a known foraging site. Researchers tracked the bats, and their social interactions, for eight days.

The sensors, which were attached to the bats using surgical glue, could determine how close the tagged bats were to other tagged bats.

What they found is that bats with strong histories of cooperation in the lab continued to spend time together out in the wild. “These relationships that have been forming in captivity, they seem to persist,” Ripperger says.

“The relationships are in the animals’ minds, and they’re not just a byproduct of the environment,” says Carter, who adds that other animals such dolphins, elephants and nonhuman primates also seem to have “complex individualized relationships” with others.

Whether to call these relationships “friendships,” though, is controversial.

“I’m very reluctant to use that word to describe it, and I don’t even like it when it’s in in quotes,” says Joan Silk of Arizona State University, who has studied social bonds in primates. “The bats can’t tell us how they feel, which is a really big problem in trying to figure out what’s going on with the animals. So do animals have friends? I think the answer is, I don’t know.”

Still, in nature, some creatures clearly can form social bonds based on mutual preferences of the individuals. “These strong social bonds play an important role in the lives of these bats and probably in the lives of many social animals,” Silk says.

“I think animals probably do integrate many experiences over time and build up a kind of ‘trust’ with different individuals,” Carter adds.

His research team has been expanding its tracking studies using the special sensors, also putting them on cows to see whether the tagged bats share the bloody wounds they make on these animals with other bats.

“This is a whole aspect of the behavior of vampire bats that people have just sort of looked at anecdotally,” Carter says. “That’s pretty exciting for us right now.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Jordyn Bahl of Papillion (Neb.) La Vista High School was named MaxPreps/NFCA National High School Player of the Week for her outstanding play during the week of Oct. 14-20. It marks the junior hurler’s second honor this season after keying the Monarchs to a 36-0 season and Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) Class A state title.

Over the weekend, Bahl was 4-0 in the circle, tossing three no-hitters and striking out 41 in 19 innings of work. She surrendered two runs on four hits, posted a 0.74 ERA and issued five walks. At the plate, Bahl hit .583 with two doubles, four home runs, eight RBI and 1.750 slugging percentage.

In wins over Millard West, Gretna and Elkhorn, Bahl fanned nine, 10 and 11 batters respectively, twirling a four-inning perfect game against their quarterfinal opponent, Gretna. Against the Dragons, she also connected on two long balls and drove in three runs. In the title game, Bahl was 3-for-4 with both doubles, a home run and three RBI. She fanned 11 more batters, allowing two runs, four hits and two walks in Papio’s second straight run-rule win over Elkhorn.

MaxPreps.com, the official high school statistical provider of the NFCA, provides all statistics for the NFCA High School Player of the Week award. To nominate a player for the award, the coach must enter his or her athlete’s game stats into MaxPreps.com by Sunday evening to be eligible for that week’s award.

The MaxPreps/NFCA High School Players of the Week are announced on NFCA.org every Monday during the fall season, with one representative chosen from the participating regions. During the spring campaign, a player from each of five separate high school regions is selected.

MaxPreps is a free stat tool that is available to high school coaches across the country and is one of the most recognized and respected high school athletics websites on the internet. Coaches who enter their team’s stats on Max Preps will not only be nominating their players for this award, but they will be getting their team’s information out to thousands of high school sports fans, as well as college coaches across the country.

To obtain a coach’s login, please contact: [email protected] or call (800) 329-7324 x1. To enter a team’s stats on the MaxPreps website, please click here.

2019-20 MaxPreps/NFCA Players of the Week

10/21/19 – Jordyn Bahl / Papilliion (Neb.)-LaVista High School

10/14/19 – Tavia Hausman / Beatrice (Neb.) High School

10/7/19 – Olivia Cato / Northgate High School (Newnan, Ga.)

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9/30/19 – Katherine Johnson / Millard North High School (Omaha, Neb.)

9/23/19 – Laurin Krings / Loveland (Colo.) High School

9/16/19 – Denver Bryant / Dougherty High School (Albany, Ga.)

9/9/19 – Kynlee Marquez / Southern Valley/Alma High School (Oxford, Neb.)

9/3/19 – Bryna Kapelke / Broomfield (Colo.) High School

8/27/19 – Jordyn Bahl / Papillion (Neb.)-LaVista High School

Chrysler is considered one of the United States’ “Big Three” automakers, but it has cast its gaze overseas to build its future. The company has had two major mergers with European automakers in a little more than a decade — first, a failed 1998 marriage with German automaker Daimler, and then a somewhat more harmonious 2009 union with Italy’s Fiat, turning it into Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, or FCA. Now, the company is planning to go to the altar for a third time, with French manufacturer Groupe PSA, best known for its Peugeot brand.

Industry experts warn that mergers are always a challenge. As in the case of Daimler, a cultural mismatch between two companies can cause friction, and worse. However, experts say that a super-sized FCA-PSA that pools the resources and strengths of the two automakers may be better able to invest in new technologies and compete globally.

Here’s why experts say a merger may be just what Fiat Chrysler and PSA both need.

Merging can help both companies innovate

Erik Gordon, of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, says that both Fiat Chrysler and PSA are behind on technologies like electrification and safety features. Coming together could make the automakers innovate more efficiently, he says, as they can pool development resources and share designs. Manufacturing will be more efficient as well, he argues, because each company will be able to share parts and designs with the other.

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Gordon admits that there’s an open debate as to whether mergers actually lead to innovation. In part, that’s because companies tend to spend money elsewhere after a tie-up. However, he argues that mergers also offer companies cover to nix ideas that aren’t working out. “When you do a merger, everything is looked at,” says Gordon. “So, there’s more freedom to close things without career damage.”

Harley Shaiken, a professor with expertise in labor and globalization at the University of California-Berkeley, says that it’s important that post-merger companies focus not just on efficiency, but also on “vision” — creating innovative, well-marketed products that people want to buy.

Shaiken says PSA has already shown signs that it’s capable of acquiring and turning around ailing assets. In 2017, it purchased two struggling car brands — Opel and Vauxhall — from General Motors. A year later, both brands were profitable again.

It’s a chance to reset their relationship with workers

Shaiken says that the merger could be an opportunity to hit the reset button on Fiat Chrysler’s battered relationship with United Auto Workers (UAW) and the company’s employees, which has suffered mightily amid a corruption scandal. “It could be very good news for workers, for their communities, and for a more competitive auto firm,” says Shaiken.

If the combined company chooses to build its new technologies in the United States, it could bolster their relationship with workers. Of course, the company could decide to shrink U.S. production, but he says that such a move would be “short-sighted.” Maintaining a relationship with workers is essential to keeping them motivated and encouraging innovation, he argues. “It’s something companies take for granted at their own peril,” Shaiken says.

However, Gordon says that he doubts that the deal will have much of an impact on the issues that most concern workers. With or without the merger, he believes it’s likely that Fiat Chrysler will need to reduce its domestic workforce because Americans are buying few of Chrysler’s small cars, focusing instead on larger SUVs and trucks like those from the company’s Jeep brand.

The merger will help them compete on a global level

If the two companies merge, the new company would be among the largest automakers in the world. Michelle Krebs, an executive analyst for Autotrader, says that such massive size could be a big advantage as it plans for the future. “The thinking is that you really need to be a big company to compete on a global basis,” Krebs says.

Pooling resources will enable the company not only invest in new technology such as autonomous and electric vehicles, but also to take advantage of different markets. Chrysler has a stronger foothold in the United States, where Peugeot has no presence, while Peugeot is in a strong position in Europe.

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The merger may also help them to move into another market where neither company has much of a presence: China.

“As a global automaker, you can’t ignore China. It’s the biggest market in the world, by a very wide margin,” says Krebs. “It’s also the largest market for electric vehicles. So if you’re going to be a true global automaker, you need to have strength in China.”

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The 19-year-old will move to the Santiago Bernabeu after establishing himself as one of Europe’s best goalkeeping prospects

Real Madrid have confirmed the signing of 19-year-old Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.

Lunin joins from Zorya Luhansk in the Ukrainian Premier League, where he made 29 league appearances in the 2017-18 season, signing a six-year deal with the Spanish side for a reported €14 million (£12.3m/$16.3m) fee.

The teenager is considered one of the top goalkeeping prospects in Europe, and had attracted interest from several Premier League sides, including Liverpool, while Juventus and Inter were also said to be tracking him.

It is a dream come true for the player, who revealed in 2017 that his goal was to play for one of the world’s best teams .

“Real is my favourite team,” he said. “Of course, I would like to be there some day, to play for that club at that level.”

Lunin began his professional career at Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, making his debut as a 17-year-old and quickly cementing himself as first choice before joining Zorya Luhansk last summer.

The Krasnogard native was a key player for Zorya as they finished fourth in the league and played in the Europa League group stage, where Lunin impressed against Athletic Club.

He became the youngest goalkeeper to feature for Ukraine in his senior international debut in a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia in March and earned his second cap in a 4-1 win over Albania in a friendly earlier this month.

“We thank Andriy Lunin for his efforts for Zorya,” the Ukrainian club said in a statement.

“We wish with dignity to accept the challenge of fate and eventually he can become the main goalkeeper of one of the best clubs in the world. 

“Thank you, Andriy! Good luck in the new club!”

Madrid have previously been linked with Roma’s Brazil goalkeeper Alisson, as well as Manchester United’s David de Gea.

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The Swiss will hope to build on their draw with Brazil when they take on Serbia in Kaliningrad on Friday

Vladimir Petkovic has shrugged off concerns about the distance his Switzerland side have had to travel for their clash with Serbia on Friday, claiming “it’s better not to complain, that’s for losers”.

The Swiss have embarked on a 2000-kilometre journey from their training base in Samara to Kaliningrad for their second Group E encounter having gained an impressive draw against Brazil in their opener.

Serbia’s camp is in nearby Svetlogorsk but Petkovic does not see it as an issue, even though there is also a two-hour time difference from Samara to contend with.

He said: “It’s better not to complain, that’s for losers and we don’t want to be losers.

“We want to be strong against every opponent and we want to show on Friday that we are at a very good level and that we can beat any side.”

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Petkovic has a couple of players carrying injuries, one being midfielder Valon Behrami, and said he would only know about their availability following Thursday’s training session.

He also played down talk of Switzerland being favourites against a side he rates highly.

He added: “I think if you want to be the favourite you have to show it on the pitch.

“We have to be confident but full of respect for we are playing against a good team with high-quality individuals.

“I will speak with the players and tell them we’ve had a great match against Brazil but we must now focus on Serbia.”

Xherdan Shaqiri, arguably Switzerland’s star man, gave a solid performance against Brazil but Petkovic says the Stoke winger always thinks he can do better.

“I always expect more from him and everyone else in the team,” he said. “But he’s very positive. He’s never satisfied with what he’s achieved, he always wants more. There’s always 10 per cent more you can give and you need to push yourself to constantly improve.”

Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer says morale in the camp remains strong and therefore did not need bolstering despite the positive result against Brazil.

He said: “We didn’t need a match to improve the team spirit but a match like that does provide confidence, it was a good first step.

“But that is it. It was an important match but we are now looking forward to the second game.

“Even if we’d lost we would still be in good spirits.”

Rooney: MLS is physical but that will suit me

November 2, 2019 | News | No Comments

The former England captain says that ideally he would have had longer to get his fitness up before his debut against the Vancouver Whitecaps

Wayne Rooney believes the physicality of MLS will suit him after he joined DC United on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

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Rooney spent a single season back with first club Everton before ending his career-long stay in the Premier League, where he scored 208 top-flight goals across 16 seasons for his boyhood side and Manchester United.

And Rooney – who could make his league debut on July 14 pending receipt of his international transfer certificate – thinks the bruising nature of the MLS is perfect for his combative style of play.

“I think the league has certainly improved over the last five years,” he told Fox.

“I know it’s a physical league, which I believe will suit me.

“There are some really top players in the league at the minute and it’ll be tough. I know it’ll be tough and I’m going to be ready for it.

“I have to work hard in training now and get myself ready for that first game. I’m excited, I’m looking forward to it and I can’t wait to get my boots on and play on the 14th.”

Rooney’s last match was on April 28 against Huddersfield Town, but the 32-year-old has dismissed suggestions that he will not be fit enough for his proposed first game against Vancouver Whitecaps.

“I’ve been on vacation and I’ve been training while I’ve been away,” he added.

“I’ve known for maybe six weeks now that this move was going to happen so I’ve been keeping myself in shape the last few weeks, training in the gym and stuff.

“But it’s different when you’re on the pitch training – it’s a lot tougher.

“It’ll be an intense week, 10 days that’s for sure, to get myself ready.

“Ideally it would’ve been nice to have a bit more time but it’s something I have to deal with and try to be in the best shape for the game.”

The Manchester United star believes supporters are expecting too much from Les Bleus, with jeers having greeted last-16 progress at World Cup 2018

Paul Pogba has questioned France fans whistling at players during a World Cup 2018 campaign, with the Manchester United star left wondering whether Les Bleus are expected to win every game 10-0.

Didier Deschamps’ side have yet to produce the form which had them sat among the favourites heading to Russia this summer, but they are still through to the last 16.

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Seven points from three Group C fixtures carried a star-studded squad safely into the knockout stages, with a heavyweight meeting with Lionel Messi and Argentina next up on Saturday.

Expectations will once again be high heading into that encounter, but Pogba is hoping that demanding supporters will realise that success cannot always be achieved with style.

He told reporters in the wake of a dour 0-0 draw with Denmark which did little to inspire those in the stands: “I don’t know what people expect, that we win 10-0 or 5-0? The most important was the qualification, and we did it.

“We need everyone with us. Our fans are the 12th man. We need fans, not spectators.

“I don’t know if the boos only came from the French fans, people wanted more spectacle.

“Our objective was to finish top of the group. It should be the objective of everyone.”

While Pogba clearly felt that the terrace taunts were being directed at the players, France colleague N’Golo Kante believes the jeers were merely a show of frustration from those hoping to witness a more exciting encounter.

The Chelsea midfielder said: “I think the quality of the game sometimes depends on the opposition.

“We all knew it was a special game because we knew all we needed was a draw.

“The tempo was slow, that’s why we played this kind of game. But I think we can do better, we will improve in the next game.

“On the pitch I didn’t feel the booing was for us. It was just for the slow tempo of the game at the end.

“We can understand that some supporters want to see goals and spectacle but sometimes both teams are focused on what they need and we can be happy to be first in the group.”

Germany’s World Cup demise held no special significance for Sweden boss Janne Andersson despite the sides’ tempestuous encounter in Sochi.

Sweden head coach Janne Andersson insists there was no gloating on the part of his team over Germany’s World Cup elimination.

Toni Kroos netted a free-kick deep into stoppage time to snatch a dramatic group-stage win over Sweden in Sochi, with the alleged goading celebrations of Germany’s backroom team drawing anger from Andersson’s bench.

But it was Sweden who had the last laugh, beating Mexico 3-0 to seal top spot in Group F as the reigning champions crashed out after a remarkable 2-0 loss against South Korea.

“I think it’s unfortunate for Germany that they were eliminated,” Andersson said at a news conference to preview his team’s last-16 clash with Switzerland in St Petersburg on Tuesday.

“As far as we’re concerned, we don’t worry about how other teams were doing. We focus on our own matches, I’ve been very clear on that point.

“There was absolutely no gloating whatsoever in terms of Germany or any team. There is no joy in somebody else’s loss.”

Captain Andreas Granqvist, who scored penalties in the group wins over South Korea and Mexico, agreed with his coach’s assessment.

“We were very surprised, of course that Germany were eliminated,” he said.

“We have every respect for them as the former champions and they were one of my favourites to win it.

“It’s unfortunate for them but that happens in tournaments. Some big teams have been eliminated, not just Germany.

“We didn’t gloat over that in any way. We are very pleased that we qualified for the knockout stage ourselves.”

Spain were the latest big name to join Germany on the Russia 2018 casualty list as they went down to a penalty shoot-out loss against the hosts in Moscow, while Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have seen their respective bids for glory with Argentina and Portugal extinguished.

“It is fascinating to see some of the results, I have to say,” Andersson said, with Sweden residing in the seemingly wide-open half of the draw.

“It really shows that the greatest, biggest nations won’t win all the time. That, to me, is a source of inspiration if anything.

“But in concrete terms, none of what is happening [elsewhere] is impacting on what we do in any way.”

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England manager Gareth Southgate has been defiant over his desire to beat the Red Devils in Group G but his opposite number sounded a different tone

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Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez does not believe beating England in Thursday’s concluding Group G match is a priority for his team.

The Red Devils and the Three Lions have arrived in Kaliningrad with six points out of six and passage to the last 16 already secured.

Results elsewhere and the way the knockout draw has fallen so far have led to widespread suggestions the runner up out of England and Belgium would be in a better position to blaze a trail into the latter stages.

It could make for a surreal contest on Thursday, with both bosses expected to ring the changes and protect players from potential suspensions.

England manager Gareth Southgate once again reiterated his desire to win the game and continue a fine run of form but at his own pre-match news conference, Martinez stated three points were only part of the equation.

“At the moment we are qualified and I think that was the priority that we were chasing for,” he said.

“Now we need to look into our individual players. Tomorrow we want to perform well but the priority is not to win.

“There are players on yellow cards. I don’t think it would be professional for us to risk those players missing a knockout game.

“It’s very important for us to protect and give every player the best possible programme to be in the best condition for the knockout games.

“I believe in every player in this squad so it would be quite stupid for me not to believe in these players tomorrow.

“Tomorrow is a good opportunity for us to grow. I want a group of players who have a good performance and a group of players who have a better opportunity to contribute to the team

“If we can win great, but I think the priority is another one than just winning tomorrow.”

The last time England and Belgium met at a World Cup, David Platt volleyed a famous extra-time winner to send Bobby Robson’s side into the quarter-finals if Italia 90.

Although that contest still lingers in the memories of supporters from both countries, Martinez feels the state of play in the group and the fact that 12 of his own squad are British based will lend a very different feel to proceedings

“It brought a lot of pain to Belgium people and fans. This is a different game – a celebration game. At that point it was one or the other,” the ex-Wigan Athletic and Everton manager added.

“It would have been very different if Harry Kane had not scored in the last minute against Tunisia [England’s opening 2-1 win] – then Platt’s goal might have been a bit more of a memory for everyone.”

The Uruguay international becomes the club’s fourth signing of the summer and will reinforce Unai Emery’s midfield at the Emirates Stadium

Arsenal have confirmed the signing of midfielder Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria.

The Uruguay international has completed his move to the Premier League club following the end of his involvement at the 2018 World Cup, where his country reached the quarter-finals.

Goal understands that the Gunners have paid £26 million (€30m/$34m) for the 22-year-old, who becomes the club’s fourth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Bernd Leno and Stephan Lichtsteiner.

Head coach Unai Emery told the club’s official website: “In Lucas Torreira, we have signed a young player who is a very bright talent in the game. A midfielder with great quality, I have enjoyed watching his performances for Sampdoria in the past two seasons, and we all saw him do very well for Uruguay in the World Cup.

“He is a young player already with good experience, but who wants to keep on growing.

“We welcome Lucas to Arsenal and look forward to him joining us soon for pre-season.”

Torreira, who has only won eight caps for his country, featured in every game as Oscar Tabarez’s side reached the quarter-finals, where they were beaten 2-0 by semi-finalists France.

The midfielder made a total of 74 appearances for the Serie A side, scoring four goals.

He will wear the No.11 shirt in north London, and will link up with his new team-mates following a post-World Cup break.

Torreira is unlikely to be the Gunners’ final signing of the summer, with the club also pursuing a deal for Lorient’s Matteo Guendouzi.

Guendouzi is able to play in a defensive midfield role and made 18 appearances in Ligue 2 last season, while the fee is likely to surpass €8m (£7m/$9.4m) plus bonuses.

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