Animals’ ability to adapt their habitats key to survival amid climate change
Birds build nests to keep eggs and baby nestlings warm during cool weather, but also make adjustments in nest insulation in such a way the little ones can keep cool in very hot conditions. Mammals, such as rabbits or groundhogs, sleep or hibernate in underground burrows that provide stable, moderate temperatures and avoid above-ground conditions […]
What does it take to thrive in cities, if you’re a bird? Identifying traits that help wildlife adapt to urban living can help cities bolster biodiversity through better urban planning
As cities gobble up natural spaces, some birds have learned to live alongside skyscrapers, traffic and noise — and large numbers of humans. A UCLA-led team of biologists wondered if those city-dwelling birds share common characteristics around the world that help them survive. In a paper published in Current Biology, they reveal the answer: Urban […]
How Long You Need To Walk Outside To See A Boost In Your Mental Health
There’s a reason why the sounds of nature — chirping birds, flowing streams, falling rain — are often sound options for white noise machines and meditation apps: They’re calming. A new small study published in Molecular Psychiatry further underscores this. The study found that a one-hour nature walk reduces stress when compared to a one-hour […]
Florida’s 76,000 stormwater ponds emit more carbon than they store
When you look at ponds, you might see birds and fish, but you probably don’t think about carbon. In fact, Florida’s 76,000 ponds store plenty of carbon, and a lot of it escapes into the atmosphere. In fact, ponds lose more carbon via gas than they store in the muck, a new University of Florida […]
Birds’ dazzling iridescence tied to nanoscale tweak of feather structure
The iridescent shimmer that makes birds such as peacocks and hummingbirds so striking is rooted in a natural nanostructure so complex that people are only just beginning to replicate it technologically. The secret to how birds produce these brilliant colors lies in a key feature of the feather’s nanoscale design, according to a study led […]