Why you should count your chickens (and kookaburras, lorikeets or other backyard birds)
This year is the tenth annual Aussie Backyard Bird Count, which Professor Simon Griffith says highlights the important role citizen science projects play in our understanding of changes taking place in our world......»»
Analysis finds diversity on the smallest scales in sulfur-cycling salt marsh microbes
At the surface, salt marshes and their windswept grasses can look deceptively simple. But those marshes are teeming with biodiversity, from the insects and migrating birds in the air all the way down to the microbes that live in the soil. Scientists.....»»
Tiny networks intertwine to mimic design of bird colors
The bright plumage of birds is often a feast for the eyes, but it has been a headache for scientists who have struggled to recreate the photonic nanostructures that generate those colors in the lab......»»
Subsistence poaching found to have little impact on biodiversity in the Amazon"s environmental protection areas
The presence of Indigenous communities and traditional river dwellers in extractive reserves located in Legal Amazonia is not a threat to birds and mammals considered subsistence poaching targets, according to a study reported in the journal Biologic.....»»
Pair-bonded Java sparrows show enlarged eye rings to signal breeding readiness
Birds are known for their elaborate courtship rituals and romantic gestures that are replete with beautiful songs, complex dances, gift-giving practices, preening, and flamboyant plumage. While changes in colorful external attributes during this peri.....»»
Study finds hidden trees across Europe: A billion tons of biomass is overlooked today
Trees isolate carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, benefit wildlife, and biodiversity and make us humans happy. Perhaps you're lucky enough to have trees in your backyard, outside your window, or in a nearby park. Forests aren't the only place where f.....»»
Atom Computing is the first to announce a 1,000+ qubit quantum computer
A startup company has upped its qubit count by an order of magnitude in two years. Enlarge / The qubits of the new hardware: an array of individual atoms. (credit: Atom Computing) Today, a startup called Atom Computing a.....»»
New deadly bird flu cases reported in Iowa, joining 3 other states as disease resurfaces
Two commercial turkey farms in Iowa have been hit by the reemerging highly pathogenic bird flu, causing about 100,000 birds to be killed to prevent the disease from spreading......»»
Q&A: Do we need a new approach to prevent bird window strikes?
In early October, nearly 1,000 birds perished after colliding with the windows of a convention center near Lake Michigan in Chicago, marking the largest mass bird die-off in decades. But bird window-strike fatalities are an ongoing threat. Illinois N.....»»
Birds nesting in agricultural lands more vulnerable to extreme heat, study finds
As climate change intensifies extreme heat, farms are becoming less hospitable to nesting birds, a new study found. That could be another barrier to maintaining rapidly eroding biodiversity that also provides benefits to humans, including farmers who.....»»
Why you should count your chickens (and kookaburras, lorikeets or other backyard birds)
This year is the tenth annual Aussie Backyard Bird Count, which Professor Simon Griffith says highlights the important role citizen science projects play in our understanding of changes taking place in our world......»»
Study results indicate organophosphorus flame retardants induce malformations in avian embryos
Tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) is one of the organophosphorus flame retardants that has been detected in the environment, and in the eggs, feathers, and liver of birds. Early developmental avian embryos are known to be sensitive to chemica.....»»
Heat waves harm bird reproduction on agricultural lands, research suggests
Bird populations are in rapid decline across North America. While climate change is just one of the many factors influencing North American birds, its effects are significant and can interact with other stressors, such as habitat loss. A team of Univ.....»»
The impact of man-made noise on magpie behavior
Human noise pollution is taking its toll on the iconic Australian magpie, affecting the songbirds' ability to forage for food, communicate and respond to alarm calls—but smart birds are less affected than others......»»
Baby birds hatch with ability to mimic mom
Singing a gentle lullaby can help put a human baby to sleep but its usefulness in the low grassland swaying nests of Australian songbirds takes maternal 'singing' to even greater heights......»»
Up to a billion birds collide with glass buildings every year, but architecture has solutions
At least 1,000 birds were killed in one day in early October, when they collided with a single Chicago building, McCormick Place—the largest convention center in North America. A paradigm of architectural modernism, McCormick Place was built in sta.....»»
These Gene-Edited Chickens Were Made to Resist Bird Flu
Avian influenza can wipe out entire poultry flocks. An early experiment with Crispr suggests that gene editing can protect chickens against infection......»»
Math disabilities hold many students back. Schools often don"t screen for them
Laura Jackson became seriously concerned about her daughter and math when the girl was in third grade. While many of her classmates flew through multiplication tests, Jackson's daughter relied on her fingers to count, had difficulty reading clocks an.....»»
Scientists count huge melts in many protective Antarctic ice shelves. Trillions of tons of ice lost.
Four dozen Antarctic ice shelves have shrunk by at least 30% since 1997 and 28 of those have lost more than half of their ice in that time, reports a new study that surveyed these crucial "gatekeepers'' between the frozen continent's massive glaciers.....»»
The toll of heat deaths in the Phoenix area soars after the hottest summer on record
The toll of heat-associated deaths in Arizona's most populous county—still being tallied after the area's hottest summer ever recorded—has soared over 360, alarming public health officials who say the final count will surely set a new record......»»
U.S. VC funding hit lowest level in 6 years in Q3 | A story told in charts
U.S. VC funding fell to its lowest level in six years in terms of venture deal value and the lowest level in deal count in three years in Q3. U.S. VC funding fell to its lowest level in six years in terms of venture deal value and the lowest leve.....»»