To preserve the natural world, a major report called the Dasgupta Review says biodiversity should be treated as an economic asset, students should study basic ecology, and we should all limit food waste Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2266392-biodiversity-report-urges-nations-to-consider-nature-an-economic-asset/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Tag: ecology
Opinion: Biden administration must act fast to save migratory birds
On Trump’s way out of the White House, his administration demolished a law that protects migratory birds, putting over 1,000 species at risk. The Biden administration can still salvage it, but only if they act swiftly. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/biden-administration-migratory-bird-treaty-act…
Scientists Use Satellite Imagery To Count Elephants
Scientists from a trio of universities have combined satellite imagery with deep learning to detect elephants from space. The goal is to help protect these endangered species from poachers or habitat destruction. Their study was published in the journal Ecology and Conservation. Interesting Engineering reports: The team’s method proved comparable to human detection accuracy and could help solve a number of…
New XPrize Challenge: Predicting Covid-19’s Spread and Prescribing Interventions
Slashdot reader the_newsbeagle shares an article from IEEE Spectrum:
Many associate XPrize with a $10-million award offered in 1996 to motivate a breakthrough in private space flight. But the organization has since held other competitions related to exploration, ecology, and education. And in November, they launched the Pandemic Response Challenge, which will culminate in a $500,000 award to be split between two…
The World’s First DNA ‘Tricorder’ In Your Pocket
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) scientists developed the world’s first mobile genome sequence analyzer, a new iPhone app called iGenomics. By pairing an iPhone with a handheld DNA sequencer, users can create a mobile genetics laboratory, reminiscent of the “tricorder” featured in Star Trek. Phys.Org reports: The iGenomics app runs entirely on the iOS device, reducing the need for laptops or…
The dazzling winners of the British Ecological Society’s photo awards
Images of the extraordinary, but endangered, Dalmatian pelican and weaver ants caring for their young are among those awarded in this year’s British Ecological Society’s “Capturing Ecology” photography competition Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2261015-the-dazzling-winners-of-the-british-ecological-societys-photo-awards/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Is Streaming Music Worse For the Environment?
“The environmental cost of music is now greater than at any time during recorded music’s previous eras,” argues Kyle Devine, in his recent book, “Decomposed: The Political Ecology of Music.” The New Yorker’s music critic writes: He supports that claim with a chart of his own devising, using data culled from various sources, which suggests that, in 2016, streaming and downloading…
French President Emmanuel Macron Compares 5G Opponents To Amish
neutrino38 writes: “France is the country of the Enlightenment, it is the country of innovation […] We are going to debunk all false ideas. Yes, France is going to take the 5G turning point because it is the turning point of innovation,” Macron insisted in front of a hundred French Tech entrepreneurs gathered at the Elysee. “I hear a lot of…
Study: Saving Pandas Led To the Downfall of Other Animals
UPI reports:
Efforts to save the giant panda from extinction have come at the expense of other large mammals, a new study released Monday by the science journal Nature Ecology and Evolution said… Since the giant panda reserves were set up in China during the 1960s, leopards have disappeared from 81% of reserves, snow leopards from 38%, wolves from 77% and Asian…
Satellites discover new penguin colonies from space
Satellite images have revealed 11 previously unknown emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica, identified by telltale reddish-brown guano stains the birds leave on the ice. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/satellite-new-emperor-penguin-colonies-from-space…