Read more: Endangered Species, Gray Wolves, Teen Impact, Ecology, Vegetarianism, Green News
Miroslaw Tran posted a photo:
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By Matthias Fiechter
The Pallas's cat is a small, little known wild cat species living in the steppes and mountains of Central Asia. Through a new research initiative “PICA” (Pallas's Cat International Conservation Alliance) launched earlier this year, conservationists are hoping to better understand this feline. The project is still in its early stages, but it has already produced some outstanding, rare footage of Pallas's cats, including video of wild cubs.
The footage (featured at the top of this post) was taken by a set of remote-sensor research cameras stationed in the Zoolon Mountains, in Mongolia's Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park. One sequence, shot during the night, shows three Pallas' cat cubs curiously examining the camera, while another snippet features an adult cat in broad daylight looking for signs of other animals.
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First Footage of Pallas's Cat Cubs in This Part of Mongolia?
“This is the first footage of Pallas's cat cubs taken in this part of Mongolia as far as we know and is a valuable discovery from our project partners Snow Leopard Trust”, says David Barclay, Cat Conservation Officer at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).
The cameras are part of the new international Pallas's cat conservation project, PICA, founded by the RZSS, Nordens Ark, a Swedish breeding center and zoo Nordens Ark, and U.S.-based conservation organization Snow Leopard Trust that aims to gather more information on the Pallas's cat, one of the world's least-studied felines.
“If we're hoping to conserve this mysterious cat, we need to first understand it, and we're hoping this study will bring valuable new insights.” — Emma Nygren, Nordens Ark
“We still don't know much about the Pallas's cat's behavior, or even it's true range,” says Emma Nygren, a conservation biologist at Nordens Ark who coordinates the research project. “If we're hoping to conserve this mysterious cat, we need to first understand it, and we're hoping this study will bring valuable new insights.”
The Snow Leopard Trust, which has been working in this part of Mongolia for more than a decade, is a technical and logistical partner in the project. “We're surveying these mountains for snow leopards anyway. The Pallas's cat shares the same habitat and is equally elusive, so it's a logical extension of our work to also look at them,” says Gustaf Samelius, Assistant Director of Science at the Snow Leopard Trust.
The study, which was made possible by the generous support of Fondation Segré, will continue for at least three years.
Matthias Fiechter is the Communications Manager for the Snow Leopard Trust, a Seattle, Washington-based charity with a mission to conserve the snow leopard and its mountain ecosystem through a balanced approach that considers the needs of local people and the environment.
More about the Pallas's Cat (IUCN Red List assessment and profile)
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland was founded by visionary lawyer Thomas Gillespie in 1909 ‘to promote, facilitate and encourage the study of zoology and kindred subjects and to foster and develop amongst the people an interest in and knowledge of animal life'. The Society still exists to connect people with nature and safeguard species from extinction. Please visit here for information on all our conservation projects.
Nordens Ark is a Swedish non-profit foundation working to protect endangered species through conservation breeding and reintroduction programs as well as through research, field conservations programs and education. Nordens Ark was founded in 1989 and focus on applied conservation actions in Sweden as well as abroad. The foundation works with a wide range of species from snow leopards and Pallas's cats to Lesser White-fronted Geese and Lemur-leaf frogs.
The Snow Leopard Trust, based in Seattle, Washington, is a world leader in conservation of the endangered snow leopard, conducting pioneering research and partnering with communities as well as authorities in snow leopard habitat to protect the cat. Please go to www.snowleopard.org for more information about our research and conservation programs.
The National Geographic Big Cats Initiative funds research to save snow leopards and other big cats in the wild: Saving Snow Leopards in Upper Mustang, Nepal, by Predator-Proofing Livestock Corrals
Read more: Fresh Water, Water, Drought, Water Cycle, Global Water Crisis, Climate Change, Peter Neill, World-Ocean-Radio, World Ocean Observatory, Climate, Environment, Oceans, Ocean, Green News
By Sarah Martin and Annie Reisewitz
The Department of Defense is taking action to be an environmental leader at defense facilities across the U.S.
Currently, the DOD, headed by the Defense Logistics Agency, is testing the use of biosynthetic motor oils on their non-tactical vehicle fleets. Several environmentally friendly lubricants companies have supplied bio-based motor oil to the DOD for demonstration projects across the U.S., including at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. With nearly 40% of pollution in waterways coming from used motor oil, this is welcome news to help advance a new technology that need wider acceptance by large motor oil consumers.
Every year 10 billion gallons of liquid petroleum hydrocarbon, in the form of motor oil and other industrial lubricants, are released into the environment due to human activity. The majority of this coming in the form of silent oil spills, leaks from cars, and improper disposal of used oil—all contributing to the degradation of our environment and our water supply.
Almost all of the motor oils on the market today are made from refined petroleum. For years, the use of biosynthetic oils has been promoted as an environmentally friendly alternative but was long thought of as a “wouldn't that be nice” pie-in-the-sky idea that wouldn't work on a large scale in part due to the difficulty of using vegetable oils in high heat conditions like automotive engines. However, recent scientific advancements, including by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, have made this petroleum alternative dream very much a reality.
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If the tests by the DOD shows that biosynthetic oils perform just as well, if not better, than the current oil being used, the switch to biosynthetic oils may be made Air Force and possibly DOD wide for use in their fleet of 200,000 vehicles in the future.
Increased availability of bio-based lubricant fluids would provide product source diversity; create additional options for government and commercial users as well as the average consumer; reduce dependence on oil imports; and decrease pollution in rivers and oceans.
Environmental as well as usability performance has become important to consumers and regulators. Today, these motor oils and lubricants made from non-toxic, environmentally friendly plant-based oils can protect us, and our environment and they are comparable to or better than petroleum oil when it comes to performance.
In the past, environmentally friendly lubricants have faced performance questions. But extensive testing has proven that biosynthetic oils not only exceed the most challenging environmental standards but also provide performance benefits not attainable with petroleum-based products alone.
This is just the beginning. Other federal agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security's Law Enforcement Training School, are to begin testing biosynthetic oil later this year.
This large-scale change by the DOD would have widespread positive implications for our environment. While their testing will continue for the next 12-18 months there are steps that you can take to help reduce your environmental footprint. Ask your mechanic for a bio-based alternative the next time you go in for an oil change. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, just one gallon of motor oil can contaminate one million gallons of fresh water, so your small changes add up to a better environment.
About the authors:
Annie Reisewitz is a communications and marketing consultant for environmental and green technology initiatives. She manages the Silent Oil Spills public awareness campaign.
Sarah Martin has worked in environmental communications for the past several years. She works on the Silent Oil Spills campaign.
Christine's Observations posted a photo:
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London's famous houses of parliament and the London Eye as seen from the Thames shore. Today was a magical day in London. Although the sky wasn't orange or pink, it was a subtle blue. Beautiful for pictures.
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Francis Aston Scientist of the Day
Francis William Aston, an English chemist turned physicist, was born Sep. 1, 1877.
Mathias Appel posted a photo:
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Thames
Photographs by Basia Irland
My name, Amstel, is derived from the old Dutch, Aeme-stelle, which means “water area.” In the 13th Century, a small fishing village, Amstelredam, was constructed near my mouth beside a dam. Today we know that town as Amsterdam. As early as the 11th Century, farmers began building dikes to try and keep me from flooding these low lands. In 1936 my mouth was filled in and sealed shut, so that today I end at Muntplein Square, although I remain connected to a body of water called the IJ by flowing underground through pipes. The IJ (an ancient Dutch word for water) used to be a bay, but currently is considered more of a lake. During the Dutch Golden Age in the 1600's Amsterdam was the wealthiest city in the world and one of the most important ports. My extensive system of canals, built during this time, is now on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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Looking along a canal toward the Zuiderke Church, built in 1611 (and once painted by Monet).
I flow south to north through this flat and low-lying city, which is the capital of the Netherlands. Parts of me are below sea level, and some of the land around me was reclaimed from the nearby sea or marshes. Dutch children must learn to swim at an early age and receive diplomas for that effort. Some dive from houseboats and swim in my water, careful to dodge the variety of boats that are found day and night, moving upon my body.
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A boy dives into the Amstel River.
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All kinds of boats ply the river and canals.
I have a beer named after me! The Amstel Brewery is located along my shore, as are other breweries, and my water is sometimes used in the production of these beers. Renowned artists have painted my portrait including Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Willim Witsen (1860-1923), and Piet Mondrian (1872-1944).
With the flat terrain, the inconvenience of driving a car, and over 400 kilometers (249 miles) of bike paths in Amsterdam, humans prefer to get around by bicycle. With well over a million bikes, it is no wonder so many two-wheelers are dredged out of my stomach each year.
Amsterdam is located on approximately ninety islands and linked by over 1,400 bridges that cross back and forth. Some of these bridges are especially wonderful at night, when their lights reflect on my dark water. One in particular, the Magere Brug, uses an Old Dutch design called a ‘double swipe'. In earlier times it was opened by hand, but now an electronic mechanism raises its two sections to let boats pass underneath to enter one of the many canals that traverse Amsterdam.
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Magere Brug with the full moon.
Any visitor to this city will notice a lot of plastic trash floating on my surface, and there are currently attempts to clean up my 100 kilometers (60 miles) of canals. One such venture, Plastic Whale, is a company that fishes plastic bottles and other debris from my water and transforms the trash into material to make a boat that will be used to fish for more plastic. Boat Number Seven is constructed from over seven thousand plastic bottles that might otherwise have found their way out to sea.
Someone else who recycles trash from the canals is my dear friend, the meerkoet. These waterfowl use floating debris to create their unkempt nests, which are seen everywhere wedged amongst the houseboats. The meerkoet live on my surface, and enjoy tickling my ribs when they dive down to feed on plants. The monogamous pairs also eat aquatic insects, seeds, grass, and small animals, and they are one of my favorite playmates as I flow through Amsterdam.
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A meerkoet and its nest in a boat tire.
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A meerkoet nest built from river debris.
Fulbright Scholar, Basia Irland is an author, poet, sculptor, installation artist, and activist who creates global water projects. She is Professor Emerita, Department of Art and Art History, University of New Mexico, where she established the Arts and Ecology Program. Irland works with scholars from diverse disciplines building rainwater harvesting systems; connecting communities and fostering dialogue along the entire length of rivers; filming and producing water documentaries; and creating waterborne disease projects around the world. She lectures and exhibits internationally and is regularly commissioned to do artistic river restoration projects. Check out her work at basiairland.com
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Ampphire Photography 2016.
New London Pride - August 27th 2016.
Analyzing an event by breaking it down into details might seem like a good way to predict the outcome, but social science research suggests that when most of us do it, we make worse predictions.
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What's next for the European Union after Brexit? When it comes to defense policy, Germany and France need to step up to the plate. For Germany this will mean greater spending -- and more foreign deployments. ![]("https://media.science360.gov/files/pic-day/9cf12072-8a89-4eab-b93f-8c989f394df8-largeImage.jpg")
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Rivers of lava from the volcano Kilauea leave a lava tube at a bench of new land at the Ka`ili`ili sea entry. The steam in the background is right at sea level and is caused by the boiling hot lava meeting the cool ocean water. With each wave, parts of these flows are covered by water, generating a blinding cloud of hot steam. Kilauea is the youngest and southeastern-most volcano on the big island of Hawaii. Topographically Kilauea, which is located on the southernmost flank of Mauna Loa, was thought to be an extension of its giant neighbor. However, research over the past few decades clearly shows that Kilauea has its own magma-plumbing system, extending to the surface from more than 60 kilometers deep in the Earth.
Image credit: ©Tom Pfeiffer
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Tasmanian devils are evolving in response to a highly lethal and contagious form of cancer. A National Science Foundation-funded researcher and an international team of scientists discovered that two regions in the genomes of Australia's iconic marsupials are changing in response to the rapid spread of devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), a nearly 100 percent fatal and transmissible cancer first detected in 1996. The Washington University study suggests some Tasmanian devil populations are evolving genetic resistance to DFTD that could help the species avoid extinction. Additionally, the genomic data will support future medical research exploring how animals evolve rapidly in response to cancer and other pathogens.
Image credit: Menna Jones, University of Tasmania
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That's what 76 percent said in a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey. Half the respondents also said they'd be uncomfortable traveling to places in Florida where mosquitoes are spreading Zika.
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Is being shy a boon or a burden? Should it be fought against? This sparkling cultural history ranges from Jane Austen to Silicon Valley
Joe Moran, like many of us, is shy. He is hopeless at small talk and feels he “should probably wear a badge that says: ‘Please do not expect sparkling conversation'”. Like most shy people, he has a dread of being boring. Thankfully Shrinking Violets, his “field guide” to shyness, exhibits all the sparkle and fluency on the page he might lack when chatting to strangers. Though he touches on his own experience, it's not a memoir, full of shaming revelations (of course it isn't): Moran says he prefers to hide “behind the human shield of people more interestingly and idiosyncratically shy than me”.
So he investigates the fifth Duke of Portland (1800-1879), who was so shy he communicated by posting notes into letter boxes inside his house, and asked the workers on his Welbeck Estate “to pass him as if he were a tree”. The duke is notable for spending a chunk of his vast fortune excavating grand, illuminated tunnels beneath his land so that when taking a walk he would never risk a meeting.
In the 80s, cardigan-wearing indie kids embraced the idea of being shy "as a personal and political philosophy"
As Hilary Mantel has said, the condition began to be regarded as "a pathology, not just an inconvenient character trait"
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