Nicholas Enrich, who worked at USAID under four administrations, talks about his new book, "Into The Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower’s Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAID," and the effect on countries where the agency used to work. Listen: www.wnyc.org/story/behind...
Behind the Scenes at USAID | The Brian Lehrer Show | WNYC
USAID whistleblower Nicholas Enrich talks about the effects of DOGE cuts on USAID, and of his efforts to publicize them and what the cuts meant for countries receiving U.S. assistance.
wnyc.org
Recently, studies of the material returned from asteroids Bennu and Ryugu suggest an alternate origin of life: on hydrothermally active, radioactive, planetesimals in the outer solar system. Could RNA world have started there and spread to earth? www.facebook.com/share/p/1Cpe...
Apparently U of Alberta has this fossil?! Those of us who have worked on trying to reconstruct North American Dromaeosaurs would have had our jaws drop if we knew there was an articulated mummy of Saurornitholestes!!! I hope that it is OK that I repost these photos that I think I found on X.
Since it’s #WorldPenguinDay we decided to give our buddy Kairuku a walk! This model of the Oligocene giant penguin Kairuku was created by @chalkychicken.bsky.social for our 2023 show Penguins, Past and Present. Kairuku was endemic to New Zealand and over a foot taller than modern emperor penguins.
Dimethyl sulfide has been cited as a sign of life on the planet K2-18b. But it is not only produced by algae. It ha salso been found on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. www.facebook.com/share/p/19Y3... www.science.org/content/arti...
Redirecting...
facebook.com
I find this fascinating. RW Elner investigated what Western Sandpipers were eating on mudflats. The prey were invisible even under a microscope. Ultimately he learned that it was a whole new way of acquiring fatty acids. canadiangeographic.ca/articles/the...
The magic in the mud: sandpipers’ migration superfood
An invisible fuel draws thousands of tiny migrating shorebirds to the Roberts Bank Mudflats each year. Now, we’re in danger of losing it forever.
canadiangeographic.ca
The last time this rail was identified on Floreana was by Charles Darwin in 1835. After that, it was known to persist on other islands but not Floreana. And it is thought to be nearly flightless! So maybe it was hiding. news.mongabay.com/short-articl... galapagosconservation.org.uk/galapagos-ra...
A bird last seen by Darwin 190 years ago reappears on a Galápagos island
The Galápagos rail, a small, black, ground bird, hadn’t been seen on Floreana Island in the Galápagos since 1835, when Charles Darwin first described it. That changed recently when researchers monitor...
news.mongabay.com
Indigenous people, such as Nenet, excavated vole burrows, and left gifts to reimburse the voles. "Pallas found that one rodent store in eastern Siberia could hold 3–5 kg of carefully cleaned roots, and in a nest there could be three or four stores." www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Rat birth control was successful in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood, where the rat population fell 99%. Eating poisoned rats is a major cause of death for hawks and owls. Thank you to City Council Member Shaun Abreu shaunabreu.bsky.social for his leadership on this! abcnews.go.com/US/rat-birth...
Rat birth control and 'Rat Walks' among new initiatives to curb NYC’s rat population
ABC News looks at New York City’s fight against rats as city officials and residents take matters into their own hands, uncovering new methods to curb the rat population.
abcnews.go.com
"This remarkable rediscovery marks the first official record of the bird on the island since Charles Darwin first recorded it during his visit in 1835." 🤯
Shivira@shivira.bsky.social · last yr.📢 The Galapagos rail has been rediscovered on Floreana Island in the Galapagos after almost two centuries! Long-term monitoring programs are ESSENTIAL for the conservation and recovery of endangered species. 🌍🪶🧪 #ornithology @darwinfoundation.bsky.social www.darwinfoundation.org/en/news/all-...
If humans disappeared, might we be replaced with six-foot-tall flightless pigeons? Who knows, but it's fun to speculate. My thoughts on the world after us, in this article from Becky Ferreira: defector.com/which-pests-...
Which Pests Shall Inherit The Earth? | Defector
These three competitors demonstrate intelligence, cosmopolitan distribution, an aptitude for survival, and near-human levels of cheeky boldness. They are already eating our lunch—both metaphorically a...
defector.com
I got this book for Xmas. Dr. Daniel Ksepka’s review is excellent, as always. academic.oup.com/auk/article/...
Birds of the Mesozoic: An Illustrated Field Guide
academic.oup.com
This thing really is impressive. And the scuttlebutt is that our exhibiting it corresponds with the biggest increase in attendance we’ve had in four years! www.amnh.org/exhibitions/...
Apex Stegosaurus Fossil | AMNH
Thought to be the largest and one of the most complete Stegosaurus fossils ever uncovered, Apex is on exhibit at the entrance to the Gilder Center.
amnh.org
Did you like MESOZOIC ART, the massive, state-of-the-art #palaeoart volume edited by @sharkbitesteve.bsky.social and I, published by @chiffchat.bsky.social? If yes, so you'll be thrilled to know that MESOZOIC ART II is hitting shelves later this year. Stay tuned :) www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mesozoic-...
Mesozoic Art II
Following on from the hugely popular Mesozoic Art, this magnificent new volume showcases 25 amazing artists whose work represents the very best of palaeoart.Our…
bloomsbury.com
This one was very inspiring to me. Such a good idea. And people loved it!
COMING SOON... A symbol of human folly and the necessity of conservation, the great auk is one of the great icons of extinction. Join Tim Birkhead as he reveals previously unimagined aspects of the bird's life and also, unexpectedly, its afterlife. Out 13th March 🌊
Discover the astonishing story of the life, death and afterlife of the forgotten seabird, the Great Auk. Out 13th March.
I am reading this now. Let’s see how the pros do it.
Another snow shadow by @sirinthada.bsky.social ! The sunlight caused the tin dusting of snow to turn directly into water vapor. But in the shadows, the snow persisted.
