Scientists studying winter flocks of golden-crowned sparrows at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum have discovered surprisingly complex social behavior in these small migratory birds. A new study reveals that the sparrows have different ways to assess dominance status depending on whether the interaction is with a familiar bird or a stranger.
articles
Diverse salmon populations enable ‘resource surfing’ bears to eat tons of fish
Research shows that Kodiak brown bears that sync their stream-to-stream movements to salmon spawning patterns eat longer and more than bears that don’t, with one bear in the study consuming greater than 2 tons of fish in one summer.
Acidic oceans cause fish to lose their sense of smell
When carbon dioxide is absorbed by seawater carbonic acid is formed, making the water more acidic. Since the Industrial Revolution, oceanic CO2 has risen by 43% and is predicted to be two and a half times current levels by the end of this century.
NASA Eyes Tropical Storm Son-Tinh Affecting Hainan Island, China
NASA's Terra satellite found Tropical Storm Son-Tinh continuing to drop rain over Hainan Island and mainland China.
Microclimates May Provide Wildlife With Respite From Climate Change
Sheltered pockets of cooler and more variable conditions in the British countryside may help native species of flora and fauna survive warming temperatures caused by climate change, researchers have found.
Cell-sized robots can sense their environment
Researchers at MIT have created what may be the smallest robots yet that can sense their environment, store data, and even carry out computational tasks. These devices, which are about the size of a human egg cell, consist of tiny electronic circuits made of two-dimensional materials, piggybacking on minuscule particles called colloids.