Firefly Tourism Can Put Insects in Peril
A new study shines light on how bug spray, flashlights, and foot traffic can spell disaster for the fragile creatures behind brilliant synchronous displays......»»
"This week, no one": hazardous Thai pollution deters tourists
Hazardous pollution levels in northern Thailand have left the historic city of Chiang Mai choking under thick smog, with locals worried about the impact on tourism—and their health......»»
Study shows dramatic insect decline is also occurring in forests
The number of insects has been declining for years. This has already been well documented for agricultural areas. In forests, however, temporal trends are mostly studied for insect species that are considered pests......»»
As glaciers retreat, new streams for salmon
Insects move in, alders and willows spring up, and spawning fish arrive in thousands. Enlarge / Wolf Point Creek is likely the most-well-studied glacier-fed stream in the world. (credit: Elizabeth via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)).....»»
Insects have more complex immune systems than previously thought
Humans and other vertebrates (like mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians) have complex, multi-faceted immune systems that protect us from a constant barrage of bugs and other nasties. But what about insects and other invertebrates?.....»»
With Amazon Alexa’s future in peril, Fire TVs offer a glimmer of hope
Fire TV devices encourage the kind of Alexa interactions that actually make money. Enlarge / Fire TVs give Alexa hope, but the future still feels grim. (credit: Amazon) Alexa, how can you continue to be relevant and stop.....»»
Ethical AI art generation? Adobe Firefly may be the answer.
Adobe trained new AI generator on Adobe Stock, licensed content, public domain. Enlarge / An Adobe Firefly AI image generator example. (credit: Adobe) On Tuesday, Adobe unveiled Firefly, its new AI image synthesis genera.....»»
Ethical AI art generation? Adobe Firefly may be the answer
Adobe trained new AI generator on Adobe Stock, licensed content, public domain. Enlarge / An Adobe Firefly AI image generator example. (credit: Adobe) On Tuesday, Adobe unveiled Firefly, its new AI image synthesis genera.....»»
Some bugs live in water as larvae: Now there is a database to track these semi-aquatic insects
From water to air: we only know many flying insects as adults, but many of them have their first life stages in the water. The larvae of mayflies, for example, spend almost a year in the shallow shore zones of standing waters before they come ashore.....»»
New Adobe Firefly will use AI to generate art, but protect artists
Adobe has announced an online-only beta release of its Firefly image generator, and says its its AI art isn't stealing from artists but is instead trained on licensed or public domain work.Source: AdobeIn December 2022, Adobe announced that its stock.....»»
Adobe Firefly brings text-to-image AI to the masses, with artist ethics in mind
Adobe is bringing AI-generated imagery to its creative applications, starting with Adobe Express......»»
NASA picks a commercial partner to visit the far side of the moon
NASA has contracted Firefly Aerospace to deliver payloads including a radio telescope to the far side of the moon, which minimizes radio noise coming from Earth......»»
Are kids ready to eat insects?
Producing meat pollutes and requires a lot of space and resources (water, grains…). To protect the planet, we must therefore find new sources of protein. One of the solutions is to replace, at least partially, meat by insects......»»
Insect Farming Is Booming. But Is It Cruel?
More than a trillion insects are raised each year as high-protein, low-carbon animal feed, but the practice might have an ethical blind spot......»»
Indonesia"s Merapi volcano spews hot clouds in new eruption
Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupted Saturday with avalanches of searing gas clouds and lava, forcing authorities to halt tourism and mining activities on the slopes of the country's most active volcano......»»
Discovery of oldest known fossil gnat shows how insects adapted to a postapocalyptic world
Near the small harbor of Estellencs at the northeast of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain), a pebbly beach can be found at the base of an impressive scarp that threatens rockfall. Remains of plants, crustaceans, insects, and fish have been discovered.....»»
Jewel beetles evolve to see new colors by duplicating their genes
Jewel beetles are striking insects, easily recognized by their vivid colors and metallic sheen. Possessing large, well-developed eyes, jewel beetles use vision and color for a range of different behaviors, including finding mates and host plants......»»
Wings, not webs: Certain bugs are the winners of urbanization, impacting cities" insect diversity
Cities are bursting with life, both human and animal. The smallest of them—insects, spiders and ants—are easily overlooked, but their presence—or absence—in cities has wide-reaching effects. Scientists in Austria have published a study in Fro.....»»
Resistance to mega-tourism is rising in the South Pacific—but will governments put words into action?
With COVID-19 travel restrictions largely a thing of the past for Australian and New Zealand tourists, Pacific destinations are enjoying the return of visitors—albeit at a slower pace than in other parts of the world......»»
Smiley, dimpled sphinx statue unearthed in Egypt
Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed a sphinx statue "with a smiley face and two dimples" near the Hathor Temple, one of the country's best preserved ancient sites, the tourism and antiquities ministry announced Monday......»»
Sharpshooter Insects Use "Superpropulsion" to Catapult Their Pee
Sharpshooter insects use a physics phenomenon called superpropulsion to efficiently fling away droplets of pee at extremely high speeds.....»»