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Purple-headed bird in flight near feeder.

Top tips for feeding wild birds

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 1 month ago

It’s OK to feed wild birds. Here are some tips for doing it the right way from a wildlife ecologist.
A rainbow-like arc in the sky, with red on the bottom of the arc, behind a tree.

I saw an upside-down rainbow. What is it?

Posted by in Earth | 1 month ago

Circumzenithal arcs have been described as upside-down rainbows or “a grin in the sky.” They’re wonderful! See photos here.
a birg dinosaur and 3 smaller dinosaurs.

Eggshells support idea that dinosaurs were warm-blooded

Posted by in Earth | 1 month ago

Were dinosaurs warm-blooded or cold-blooded? According to a new study that analyzed the chemistry of dinosaur eggshells, the answer is “warm.”

Western New York digging out from intense snow and ice

Posted by in Earth | Today's Image | 1 month ago

An intense storm and lake-effect snow walloped upstate New York – especially rural areas in western New York – in late February 2020. On the shores of Lake Erie, the storm created a dramatic display of thick, windblown ice on homes and buildings.

Antarctica melts under its hottest days on record

Posted by in Earth | 1 month ago

On February 6, weather stations recorded the hottest temperature on record for Antarctica, 64.9°F (18.3°C). The warm spell caused widespread melting on nearby glaciers

Fifty years of data show spring and fall bird migrations changing

Posted by in Earth | 1 month ago

Bird-banding data in North America shows a spring migration pattern that’s become progressively earlier with each of the last 5 decades, and a fall migration that’s lasting longer than 50 years ago.

African dust bombards the Canary Islands

Posted by in Earth | Today's Image | 1 month ago

These hot, dust-laden winds are known as “la calima” and happen most often in winter. They can blow at up to 75 mph (120 kph). The dust kicked up last weekend in Africa drifted over the Canary Islands, shutting down airports and stranding travelers.
White blobs on a dark shiny background.

Arctic ice melt changing major ocean current

Posted by in Earth | 2 months ago

A major ocean current in the Arctic is faster and more turbulent as a result of rapid sea ice melt, according to a new study.

Fossilized bee in amber, with four larval beetle parasites.

A bee from the age of dinosaurs

Posted by in Earth | 2 months ago

One hundred million years ago, a bee got trapped in tree resin. Over time, geological forces converted the resin to amber. Now a scientist arrives on the scene, to tell us this bee’s story.

Illustration of a swimming turtle and a fish.

This extinct horned turtle was the size of a car

Posted by in Earth | 2 months ago

Recently-discovered fossils shed new light on an enormous horned turtle that roamed South America 5 to 10 million years ago.