But why does a dragonfly have such fast eyes while starfish are confined to a world of vision blur? One idea, called Autrum’s hypothesis, is that time perception costs a lot of energy and the evolution of such fast visual systems will only emerge in species with fast-paced lifestyles. Animals’ perception of time is linked …
The Importance of Houndsmen
Findings from the new paper provide some answers: Researchers investigated 3,929 potential wolf and cougar kill sites: 852 were wolf feeding events, and 520 were cougar feeding events. Wolves made 716 kills and scavenged 136 times, primarily on elk (542), bison (201) and deer (90). Cougars made 513 kills and scavenged seven times, mainly on …
Nature and anti-nature
For every US$1 the world invests in protecting nature, it spends US$30 on destroying it. This stark imbalance is the central finding of a new UN Environment Program (UNEP) report released today. It calls for a major shift in global financing of nature-based solutions and phasing out harmful investments to deliver high returns, reduce …
A Whopper of a Fish Tale
During a fishing tournament on Lake Michigan, an angler landed a steelhead that stopped everyone around him cold. Zip-tied to the fish’s tail was a wedding ring, not snagged on a hook, not tangled in line, but deliberately fastened there. Tournament officials confirmed it was real, photos started circulating almost immediately, and what should’ve been …
Alaska’s North Slope fungi, etc.
Alaska’s North Slope fungi, etc. “You can think of fungi as sort of farming plants above ground,” I like this line. The importance of the fungal-plant relationships is becoming clearer but we have a long way to go. The Human brain is the most complex thing we know of but fungal-plant relationship may …
The chickens come home…
Anthropic just announced Claude Mythos Preview — their most powerful AI ever — and they’re not releasing it to the public. Not because it failed. Because it succeeded too well.Let me explain what that actually means, because the details matter.In just a few weeks of testing, Claude Mythos Preview autonomously found thousands of zero-day vulnerabilities …
Record Low Rockies Snowpack
Record Low Rockies Snowpack The snowpack feeding the Colorado River reached historic lows in April. The warmest winter on record saw a March heat wave critically reduced the snowpack feeding the Colorado River, the source of 70-80% of the water supply in the western U.S. The snowpack usually reaches peak Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) in …
Regent Honeyeater
A shot I never thought I’d get, but sometimes everything comes together and a critically endangered Regent Honeyeater banks right in front of your lens Some more info and before/after on my latest Early Bird YouTube video. This was taken with R1 & 100-500 to have enough speed and control. How amazing are the black …
Holland & Holland
Cut into steel in 1884, this lion was never intended to fade. More than 140 years later, the engraving remains assured and the colour case hardening continues to hold its depth. This looks like a nice piece. One wonders what tales it could tell. 1884 seems ancient but it was not that long ago.
Happy National Wildlife Week
Happy National Wildlife Week, a time to consider the phenomenon of diminishing wildlife. This illustration represents the total biomass of mammals on Earth, and how it’s distributed across different types of mammals. All wild terrestrial mammals are represented by the elephant, and wild marine mammals by the whale. Happy National Wildlife Week Mentioned before but …