nature

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Rare Lynx Cubs Born in Spain
 Rare Lynx Cubs Born in Spain 
Mar 20, 2009 10:59 AM CDT

Rare Lynx Cubs Born in Spain

Iberian Lynx is world's most endangered cat

(Newser) - Officials say three endangered Iberian lynx cubs have been born in a nature reserve in southern Spain. The Iberian lynx is the world's most endangered cat, and the cubs were part of a breeding program in Andalusia's Donana National Park. The regional environmental department says the cubs born Wednesday bring...

Nature Makes Us Smarter, So City Folk Are...

(Newser) - Watching bears eat spiders on TV is fun, but do nature shows help restore our lost link with the natural world? Studies show that screen images of the great outdoors help workers relax and think clearly; an actual window onto leafy environs helps them destress even faster. "But what...

Barbies of the Future May Grow on Trees

Researchers use wood and wax to make biodegradable alternative

(Newser) - Wooden toys may not be so 1850s, scientists say. A bioplastic made from trees has been used to make everything from golf tees to car parts in recent years, but its sulfurous stink kept it out of the toy market. Now a sulfur-free version of "liquid wood" is available,...

Candidates Go Hunting (Not Each Other) in Field & Stream

McCain, Obama declare their love for the outdoors in nature mag

(Newser) - Barack Obama and John McCain will talk fishing and hunting in the October issue of Field & Stream magazine. (Coincidentally or not, the cover feature implores readers to “Find Your Bull,” the Swamp notes.) In the interview, both candidates profess to be big fans of the outdoors,...

Rising Seas to Swallow Reserve
 Rising Seas to Swallow Reserve
Aug 25, 2008 1:46 PM CDT

Rising Seas to Swallow Reserve

Caretakers forced to retreat before rising waters

(Newser) - A portion of a major UK nature reserve is being abandoned to the rising tides, the Independent reports. In the face of eroding sea defenses, Titchwell Marsh has decided to make a “managed retreat” inland, giving up much on a substantial portion of the birdwatching hotspot. “The erosion...

Roots of Speech Found in Humming Fish

All vocalizing creatures share common brain circuit, researchers find

(Newser) - The songs of birds, the hums and grunts of toadfish, and the lofty speech of humans all use the same ancient brain circuit, despite an evolutionary split 400 million years ago, reports National Geographic. Researchers have discovered that the base of the hindbrain and upper spinal cord is the starting...

This View Zaps Stress, Naturally

Study finds plasma TV images no substitute

(Newser) - For stress relief, there is no substitute for views of nature, the Seattle Times reports. A University of Washington study found that students who faced a stressful task returned to a normal heart rate most quickly while looking out the window at trees and grass.

Homosexuality: It's Perfectly Natural

Gay relationships abound in animal kingdom

(Newser) - It may throw a wrench in Noah's ark-stocking plans, but same-sex relationships appear in many animal species, reports LiveScience.com. The long list of animals that practice gay sex includes bears, penguins, gorillas, and dolphins, among others. But scientists question the act's evolutionary purpose, because it doesn't aid in reproduction....

10 High-Tech Survival Items
 10 High-Tech Survival Items 
May 4, 2008 1:09 PM CDT

10 High-Tech Survival Items

Innovative solutions for wilderness living

(Newser) - Wired sees a distinct lack of cool high-tech outdoor gear, and gives its favorite examples of steps in the right direction:
  1. The Cocoon, a hanging teardrop-shaped tent/sleeping bag.
  2. The Adamant, an earthquake-proof bed.
  3. The Bedu Emergency Rapid Response Kit, a keg full of enough essentials to keep a family alive
...

Darwin's Papers Now Online
Darwin's Papers Now Online
Apr 17, 2008 4:48 PM CDT

Darwin's Papers Now Online

Once-private drafts, notes and even recipes of evolutionary scientist are free to public

(Newser) - A vast collection of the papers of Charles Darwin is now online, providing public access to volumes once restricted to Cambridge scholars, the BBC reports. 20,000 items are available, including the first draft of his seminal book on evolution, travel notes and personal pieces such as family recipes, Reuters...

Cheating, Corruption Rampant in Ant Society

Secret elite exploits workers with its DNA

(Newser) - A power-mad elite is secretly rigging the system so their offspring rise to power, LiveScience reports. That’s the situation a team of researchers has discovered in ant society—not exactly the epitome of community collaboration once thought. Until now, it appeared that any properly-fed larvae could hatch into a...

Arnold Don't Surf (Apologies to Robert Duvall)

Governator's plan to shut 48 state parks has laid-back Californians up in arms

(Newser) - California's budget mess has Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposing to shutter 48 state parks, the Los Angeles Times reports, to the outrage of devoted citizens. Schwarzenegger's list includes Gold Rush-era Sutter's Fort in Sacramento and San Simeon State Park near Hearst Castle. The Governator's no-new-taxes budget is aimed to close a...

Scientists Spot 6 Giraffe Species
Scientists Spot 6 Giraffe Species
Dec 24, 2007 3:40 AM CST

Scientists Spot 6 Giraffe Species

And some are in trouble

(Newser) - Giraffes had long been thought to be one species with several subspecies, but researchers now believe they have identified six distinct species—some of which are on the brink of extinction, reports the BBC. Only 160 Nigerian giraffes remain. But there's hope the researchers' find will spur greater conservation efforts.

Jelly-cide: 100,000 Salmon Killed
Jelly-cide: 100,000 Salmon Killed
Nov 22, 2007 12:00 PM CST

Jelly-cide: 100,000 Salmon Killed

Northern Ireland's entire stock destroyed in jellyfish attack

(Newser) - An attack of killer jellyfish has wiped out Northern Ireland’s only salmon farm. More than 100,000 fish died in the seven-hour attack, causing estimated losses of $2.1 million, AFP reports. The 35-foot-deep wave of jellyfish covered 10 square miles. The mauve stinger normally prefers warmer Mediterranean waters...

Earth Not Only Getting Warmer, but Wetter

Study finds human tweaks to temperature also increase humidity

(Newser) - The earth, long known to be getting warmer, is also getting more humid, and human activity is to blame, Reuters reports. Findings based on computerized climate models confirmed long-standing predictions that the rising temperatures brought about by trapped greenhouse gases would lead to humidity increases. Only models with "the...

Oh Poop! Hikers Have to Pack it Out on Whitney

Outhouses dismantled, climbers supplied with sanitary kits

(Newser) - If you you brought it with you—even internally—you've got to pack it back down. That's the new policy on Mt. Whitney where officials have to deal with excrement left by thousands who take to the heights every year.  Air lifting bags of human waste from high-altitude outhouses...

UK Floods Linked to Warming
UK Floods Linked to Warming
Jul 24, 2007 4:43 AM CDT

UK Floods Linked to Warming

(Newser) - Central Britain is under water after record rains, and scientists are now saying that the heavy downfall is caused by man-made global warming. Britain's sodden summer, with swollen rivers, thousand homeless and water plants failing, has been caused by a southward shift of the jet stream. Not unprecedented, the Independent...

A Megaflood Made England an Island
A Megaflood Made England an Island
Jul 19, 2007 8:23 AM CDT

A Megaflood Made England an Island

Sonar shows Channel carved violently; bridge to continent cut

(Newser) - England became an island as a result of a massive flood that tore through a land bridges to France 400,000 years ago, a study of  high-resolution sonar images of the bottom of the English Channel shows. The torrent of water and boulders carved the cliffs of Dover, and left...

Butterfly Evolves in Blink of Eye
Butterfly Evolves in Blink of Eye
Jul 13, 2007 8:20 AM CDT

Butterfly Evolves in Blink of Eye

Parasite forces hyper-speed adaptation in male blue moon butterflies

(Newser) - One of the fastest evolutionary changes ever observed has been witnessed by scientists studying butterflies in the South Pacific, the BBC reports. Blue Moon butterflies managed to fight off a deadly parasitic bacteria by developing suppressor genes to fight the bacteria in just six years. Hard-hit males rebounded from 1%...

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