Day: July 1, 2018
How to save POLLINATING INSECTS from extinction?
July 1, 2018In the face of the decline of pollinators, especially insects, there is no miracle recipe, explains Colin Fontaine, from the National Museum of Natural History. However, the more respectful practices of biodiversity that emerged in the 1990s seem to have slowed down this decline in populations. Be careful, however, he explains, because there is a decline in […]
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Spider silk: the secrets of its resistance finally revealed
July 1, 2018Spider silk has exceptional qualities that scientists would like to reproduce. Before that, one must understand the mechanism that governs its formation. And a Japanese team seems to have taken a step further in this direction. Extremely resistant and at the same time, surprisingly flexible, spider silk intrigues as much as it interests the researchers. Because such silk, produced on a […]
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Unusual: starlings, better parents thanks to aromatic herbs?
July 1, 2018In the starling Sturnus vulgaris , the presence of aromatic herbs in the nest improves the behavior of the parents: the birds stay there more for hatching and are active earlier in the morning. These birds are a little herbalist … In this study, Proceedings of the Royal Society B , researchers at the University of North Carolina and the […]
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BEES understand the concept of ZERO
July 1, 2018Researchers trained bees to recognize images with the smallest number of elements and showed that they understood the concept of zero. This is surprising for an insect that has less than a million neurons, when the human brain contains 86 billion. The bee is an interesting model for studying the intelligence of insects: they learn from each other […]
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APIDAYS: better knowing bees in 3 days
July 1, 2018Save bees to preserve this free service it offers us: pollination. This is the key message of the “Apidays”, from June 14th to 16th. Beekeepers open their doors and expose themselves to explain their work and the benefits of industrious insects. As part of the ninth edition of the Apidays, educational workshops, photo exhibitions, visits to beehives […]
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Life on Earth: Our Planet would have become habitable sooner than expected
July 1, 2018Zircons are minerals born in the magma that can pass through the billions of years by transmitting the memory of their birth. Measurements of the isotopes they contain suggest that the Hadean Land has formed a continental crust faster than expected, thus helping to create a habitable and inhabited world. Cosmologists are looking for the first stars and […]
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The oldest BAOBABS in Africa disappear ominously
July 1, 2018The vast majority of Africa’s oldest baobabs are dying. The situation of these ancient trees has worsened over the last 15 years, probably because of climate change. A disappearance described as “of an unprecedented scale”. The vast majority of the oldest baobabs in Africa have been dying for the past ten years, alerting researchers on Monday that climate […]
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Why BLACK PLASTIC pollutes the planet and threatens our HEALTH
July 1, 2018Used extensively in the electronics industry, black plastic containing toxic substances is mixed with other plastics during recycling, used for food-consuming goods or toys. The plastic is everywhere. Every year, humans produce about 400 million tonnes . But not all plastics are equivalent. Depending on their use, is sometimes added their additives to color, make them resistant to heat , more solid and more flexible, etc. Some […]
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TURTLE: a new species discovered in MEXICO
July 1, 2018Residents had reported the presence of this turtle for twenty years but scientists have been slow to recognize that it was a new species. The small turtle living near Puerto Vallarta in western Mexico is said to be at high risk of extinction. People have been alerting scientists for its existence for years, but it was […]
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Ten years to save Antarctica … and the rest of the world!
July 1, 2018The Antarctic ice melts. Moreover, at a pace that seems to be accelerating. Yet scientists assure that it is still possible to reverse the course of events. But time is running out. To save Antarctica, we will need to act in a coordinated way in the next ten years. Otherwise, it is the whole of our planet that risks paying. […]
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