nature

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Does a Wave Have Rights?
A Wave Is a Wave,
but Here It's a Person, Too
longform
Dec 29, 2024 8:30 AM CST

A Wave Is a Wave, but Here It's a Person, Too

Brazilian city grants personhood rights to its renowned waves

(Newser) - It's a story about surfing that goes way beyond surfing. In Nautilus , Kristen French describes her experience trying to ride a unique wave at a Brazilian beach. In this case, however, "unique" doesn't refer to the wave's physical properties. It refers to the fact that the...

'Evidence Is Growing That Humans Are Not Drinking Alone'

Rejected male fruit flies are just some of the creatures in the natural world that consume alcohol

(Newser) - Even bugs get the blues, then drown their sorrows in booze. And they're not the only species besides humans: A new study reveals more on "nature's hidden happy hour," in which a "diverse coterie" of animals are revealed to take part in consuming the alcohol...

Saving Nature Will Require a Societal 'Transformation'

World Wildlife Fund calls for revamping food, energy, finance systems amid wildlife destruction

(Newser) - Enough is enough, says the World Wildlife Fund's Living Planet Report , released Wednesday, calling on governments and companies to "act rapidly to eliminate activities with negative impacts on biodiversity and climate" before it's too late. The report describes a 73% decline in the average size of monitored...

Have We Gone Overboard on Trees?
Maybe We Should
Just Let Trees Be Trees
longform
Apr 28, 2024 2:15 PM CDT

Maybe We Should Just Let Trees Be Trees

'Guardian' explores the zeitgeisty principles of the 'wood-wide web' and the ensuing backlash

(Newser) - There's a movie in the works based on the popular memoir Finding the Mother Tree by forest ecologist Suzanne Simard, with Amy Adams in line to play the title role. But as Daniel Immerwahr writes in the Guardian , "it is rare for academic ideas to reach the Amy...

Crow and Magpie Nests Show the 'Birds Are Outsmarting Us'

Study finds they have made nests using anti-bird spikes

(Newser) - Crows in particular have long demonstrated spooky levels of intelligence, but a new Dutch study shows they, along with magpies, have an ability to adapt to their urban environments that isn't just clever but ironic as well. The Guardian reports that researchers with Rotterdam's Natural History Museum and...

Dolphin Moms Use 'Baby Talk' With Calves
Dolphin Moms Use
'Baby Talk' With Calves
new study
Jun 30, 2023 2:52 PM CDT

Dolphin Moms Use 'Baby Talk' With Calves

Their whistles are higher-pitched when addressing their young ones

(Newser) - Baby talk isn't just for humans and our kids—or pets. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests dolphin mothers also use a form of "baby talk" when communicating with their young through their distinctive whistles. Researchers found that female bottlenose dolphins adjust...

Tree-Eating Habits of Moose Could Affect Climate
Tree-Eating Habits of
Moose Could Affect Climate
NEW STUDY
Mar 19, 2023 4:15 PM CDT

Tree-Eating Habits of Moose Could Affect Climate

The dietary habits of moose are affecting the way forests store carbon dioxide

(Newser) - An adult moose can stand up to 7 feet tall and weigh more than 1,000 pounds. They also eat at least 60lbs of food a day—including trees—and it turns out that their diet could have a surprising effect on the climate. Referencing a recent study in the...

This Odd Stowaway Lived on Cruise Ship for Weeks

A Florida wildlife official captured the bird after Royal Caribbean ship docked

(Newser) - In late January, a burrowing owl caused headaches for Florida Fish and Wildlife officials when it decided to stow away for two weeks on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. The small owl , named for its habit of nesting and roosting underground in locations like golf courses, is well-adapted to living...

New Rx From Canadian Docs: Date With Mother Nature

Canadian doctors can prescribe free yearlong pass to 80 national parks, historic sites to boost health

(Newser) - Just what the doctor ordered: a stroll through your local national park. That's the new prescription that patients in several Canadian provinces might now receive from health care professionals, thanks to a program being backed by Parks Canada. The Squamish Chief reports the government agency has joined PaRx: A...

Quiet Cities Filled With Birdsong
Quiet Cities
Filled With
Birdsong
Sep 26, 2021 3:54 PM CDT

Quiet Cities Filled With Birdsong

Some species spread their wings during COVID lockdowns

(Newser) - When human activity receded in crowded areas during the pandemic lockdowns, some animals got a little bolder. And when the human-caused noise pollution in cities quieted down, birdsong filled in, a new study shows. The “anthropause,” the fancy new word for the dip in traffic and noise, left...

'Chocolate Frog' Discovered in New Guinea Swamp

Beautiful brown amphibian is likely related to Australian tree frogs

(Newser) - No, it's not Harry Potter magic invading the world of muggles. It's just a surprisingly cool skin color. Some frogs, possibly a new species of tree frog, have been found in New Guinea. Tree frogs are usually green, but these look like they've been dipped in...

Bodies of Water Are Suing the State of Florida

Orange County lakes, streams file suit against state, housing developer under 'right of nature' law

(Newser) - Late last year, voters in Orange County, Fla., pushed through a "rights of nature" law, making it the largest US municipality to do so, per a November release from the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights. The legislation basically gives rights to rivers, streams, marshes, and lakes throughout the...

We've Lost 68% of Wildlife Populations Since 1970
Nature Is 'Unraveling'
Before Our Eyes
NEW REPORT
Sep 10, 2020 8:36 AM CDT

Nature Is 'Unraveling' Before Our Eyes

It's time to overhaul our food system: WWF report

(Newser) - Nature is "unraveling" at a rate not seen for millions of years. That's according to a new report from the World Wildlife Fund, which finds wildlife populations have fallen by an average of 68% since 1970. In Latin America and the Caribbean, populations have fallen by an average...

Mystery Solved: Why These Frogs Have See-Through Skin

Glass frog's translucent legs help it hide from predators

(Newser) - Scientists say they finally understand why the glass frog has see-through skin: it's camouflage—just not in the way most other tree frogs do it. An international team of scientists wondered why the glass frogs found in Central and South America have partially translucent skin—with intestines and a...

2 Hours a Week in Nature May Pay Benefits
Here's How Long
You Should
Spend in Nature
NEW STUDY
Jun 14, 2019 10:02 AM CDT

Here's How Long You Should Spend in Nature

2 hours a week appears to bring health benefits, say researchers

(Newser) - If you've noticed you feel better after spending time communing with Mother Nature, you're not imagining it, say researchers—and there's a sweet spot in terms of what amount of time confers the most benefits. Figure about two hours a week. Time spent outside has been tied...

Huge Biodiversity Report Sees 'Grave Impacts' for Humans

UN report says nature is in worst shape it's ever been in

(Newser) - Scientists say nature is in more trouble now than at any other time in human history, with extinction looming over 1 million species of plants and animals. That's the key finding of the United Nations' first comprehensive report on biodiversity, per the AP . The report, released Monday, says species...

200M Dirt Piles in Brazil Aren't There by Accident
200M Dirt Piles
in Brazil Aren't
There by Accident
in case you missed it
Nov 25, 2018 3:45 PM CST

200M Dirt Piles in Brazil Aren't There by Accident

Termites have moved an insane amount of soil over 4,000 years

(Newser) - Around the time Egypt's pyramids were built, another massive project got underway in a different part of the world. And like the pyramids, the resulting site in northeastern Brazil is visible from space today. But there was no ramp or pulley, or even manpower. Rather, as entomologist Stephen Martin...

Hiker Fell 60 Feet, Spent 6 Days in Australian Wilderness

'She couldn't proceed any farther and she had no way to get back out'

(Newser) - A Korean hiker survived for six days in the Australian bush after falling 60 feet down a steep ravine. Twenty-five-year-old Joohee Han had hiked to the summit of Mount Tyson in Queensland, and took some pictures before she slipped and fell. She was knocked unconscious for five hours. When she...

His $1K Investment Became $2M. Then He Gave It All Away

'You have to do some good in this world,' says Russ Gremel

(Newser) - It cost Chicago's Russ Gremel $1,007 to buy almost 28,000 shares in local company Walgreens some 70 years ago. Today, those shares are worth $2 million, but Gremel isn't enjoying the payoff of his good investment—at least not in the traditional sense. Instead, he's...

It's Getting Harder to Find the 'Call of the Wild'
It's Getting Harder
to Find the 'Call
of the Wild'
STUDY SAYS
May 5, 2017 8:07 AM CDT

It's Getting Harder to Find the 'Call of the Wild'

Those peaceful sounds we love in Mother Nature are getting drowned out by humans

(Newser) - The call of the wild is getting harder to hear. Peaceful natural sounds—bird songs, rushing rivers, rustling grass—are being drowned out by noise from people in many of America's protected parks and wilderness areas, a new study in the journal Science finds. Scientists measured sound levels in...

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