History, Natural History & the Arts
In 1981, former President Ronald Reagan famously pronounced “Trees cause more air pollution than automobiles do,” a statement which garnered endless ridicule.
Even though he also said “Facts are stupid things” during a 1988 interview, it turns out his claim about dirty trees was partly correct. [Read more…] about How Trees Cause – and Mostly Prevent – Pollution
In the spring and summer of 2021, the public reported many deaths in young songbirds — common grackles, American robins, blue jays, and other species — in the mid-Atlantic states.
It was thought to be a new disease, or syndrome. Birds had swollen crusty eyes and/or an inability to hop or fly. Scientists at several regional laboratories have so far not been able to find a common disease agent or toxin for these bird deaths. [Read more…] about An Update On The Recent Flood Of Songbird Illness Reports
Describing happiness attracts animals: Apparently, we can have a whale of a time, be as pleased as a pig in a peach orchard, or feel as happy as a pup with two tails, a monkey with a peanut machine, and a clam at high tide. Given all this, it’s natural to wonder if non-human animals can feel happy. [Read more…] about Happy Animals: Human Socialization & Other Needs
If money grew on trees it seems that could result in vast monocultures, with ruinous environmental impacts. I suppose it depends on currency. If the money tree produced only Iranian rials or Venezualan bolivars, we’d likely consider it a noxious weed. [Read more…] about Money Trees: Unusual Hyperaccumulators
As the title of the animated TV series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! suggests, getting lost was a frequent premise. From 1969 onward, the cadre of teen gumshoes has spent a lot of their time looking for young Shaggy, who always disappears to smoke a joint (so it’s implied), and then to satisfy his raging munchies afterward. His dog Scooby-Doo of course tags along for the food. I recall one episode where Shaggy attempts to navigate a forest by looking for moss on the north sides of trees. He should’ve just asked Scooby for directions. [Read more…] about Metal Heads and Canine Compasses: Dog Navigation
In 1860, a year after publication of his seminal work on the origin of species, Charles Darwin wrote to a friend, “At the moment, I care more about Drosera than the origin of all the species in the world.”
Darwin maintained a lifelong fascination with carnivorous plants, including members of the genus Drosera, collectively called sundews. His research into these fascinating species led to the 1875 publication of Insectivorous Plants, which remains a major reference work today. [Read more…] about Insectivorous Plants: Sundews
Building lights are a deadly lure for the billions of birds that migrate at night, disrupting their natural navigation cues and leading to deadly collisions. But even if you can’t turn out all the lights in a building, darkening even some windows at night during bird migration periods could be a major lifesaver for birds. [Read more…] about Study: Darkened Windows Save Migrating Birds
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Syracuse-based Great Lakes Research Consortium (GLRC) has announced $121,741 in grant awards for five research projects to help restore and protect the health of New York’s Great Lakes and surrounding communities. [Read more…] about Great Lakes Consortium Awards $121K in Research Grants
On sunny, warm days, house flies hatch and buzz around homes and offices. These flies complete aerobatic stunts that easily evade human efforts at swatting or shooing. That aerial agility, so frustrating to the would-be swatters, is thanks to a pair of highly specialized sense organs called halteres. [Read more…] about Flight Control Science of Flies
On a warm, rainy April night a few years ago, I drove up our muddy, rutted dirt road through the mist, steering around the wood frogs hopping across the road. As I approached the vernal pool, there were more frogs in the road, so I parked to avoid hitting them and walked the rest of the way. [Read more…] about Salamander Mysteries: Complicated Genetics