Earth’s Largest Organism is Deteriorating
Researchers in Utah say what many consider to be the world’s largest living organism is dying but could be saved with what they call a ‘mega-conservation’ effort. The Pando aspen clone looks like a forest of trees, but since each of the trees is linked by common genetic markers and possibly one giant root system, […]
Humans Cause Animals to Become More Nocturnal
A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, found evidence that we humans are causing the world’s mammals to become more nocturnal. Published in the journal, Science, the new study is said to be the first to determine the impact humanity is having on the day-to-day activities of wildlife around the […]
One Third of the World’s Population Unable to See Milky Way
Among my fondest memories of being a kid back in the 1960’s was taking a week or so of summer vacation to visit relatives at my grandfather’s farm in Herman, PA (about 65 km northeast of Pittsburgh). During my stay I would spend evenings lying on the freshly cut grass of my grandpa’s back yard, just looking up into […]
When Domesticated Cats Turn Deadly
Most people view cats as harmless pets, but for birds and small mammals, the domesticated feline can be a deadly killer. A new study in Nature Communications finds bird and mammal mortality caused by outdoor cats is much higher than has been previously reported. Annual bird deaths in the United States are now estimated to […]
Massive Tsunami Debris Highlights Problem of Trashed Oceans
About a year after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, debris from the disaster drifted across the Pacific Ocean, washing up on beaches in the western United States and Canada. At first, it consisted mostly of small and lightweight materials like pieces of Styrofoam or soccer balls. After a while, the wayward debris began to get […]