Tag

Nature

All articles tagged with #nature

environment8 hours ago•8 min saved

Shadows and Secrets: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 Shortlist Unveiled

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 shortlist, announced ahead of the Oct. 13, 2026 winners, features a diverse set of highly commended images across categories such as Animal Portraits, Behaviour and Urban Wildlife. Highlights include Audun Rikardsen’s Icy Window with a polar bear peering into a seal’s breathing hole, plus works from photographers worldwide across arctic, marine, urban and exotic habitats. The competition, produced by the Natural History Museum in London, culminates in an exhibition opening Oct 16, 2026. The piece underscores wildlife behavior and conservation themes reflected in images ranging from polar bears to city-dwelling animals.

via BBC|

#conservation #environment #nature

science1 day ago•3 min saved

Tiny Hairs, Mighty Grip: Gecko Feet Under the Microscope

ScienceAlert's Microscope Mystery reveals that the “forest” image is the underside of a gecko's foot: each toe is covered in hundreds of thousands of hairlike setae that branch into spatulae, enabling strong adhesion through van der Waals forces without glue; the combined grip could theoretically support about 133 kilograms, and geckos detach by peeling their toes at a precise angle—SEM imagery (colored afterward) shows this microscopic adhesive network that researchers are trying to mimic in synthetic adhesives.

via ScienceAlert|

#biology #gecko #microscopy

nature1 day ago•8 min saved

Tree-climbing grey fox: desert canid rewrites arboreal norms

In the Sonoran Desert, the grey fox defies typical canid behavior by climbing trees with catlike grace, roosting in high cavities and even using skeleton trees as nightly social hubs, illustrating an ancient, highly adaptable lineage that shifts seasonally from fruits and insects to small prey while dodging threats from coyotes.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#arboreal-canid #canid-evolution #grey-fox

nature8 days ago•1 min saved

Florida Bald Eagle Builds World’s Heaviest Nest, Weighing Over Two Tons

A pair of bald eagles in Florida built the largest known bird nest on record, spanning about 2.9 meters across, 6 meters deep and weighing more than 2 tonnes; these massive aeries are constructed high in trees near water, reinforced each breeding season, and can be used for decades by successive generations.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#aerie #baldeagle #largestnest

nature11 days ago•4 min saved

KD1 Sparks a New Chapter for Shadow in Big Bear Eagle Nest

Following Jackie’s death, Shadow has been seen with a new potential mate, KD1 (Katie), in the Big Bear nest. The pair were observed spending time together, touching beaks and moving sticks, fueling hopes she could become his mate. Katie, born in 2022 in Orange County and banded as KD1, may be a candidate as fans cope with Jackie’s passing, though it’s unclear if they’ll mate this season, since California’s mating hormones typically rise in December–January and Big Bear hosts many visiting eagles during summer.

via USA Today|

#bald-eagle #big-bear-valley #eagle-nest

nature11 days ago•4 min saved

Snæfellsnes Braces for Massive Solar Eclipse Crowds

As Iceland readies for a total solar eclipse, Snæfellsnes expects up to 10,000 visitors; parking is the bottleneck, shuttle buses begin at 11 a.m., and park rangers will post updates as crowds arrive from cruise ships and other travelers.

via icelandmonitor.mbl.is|

#iceland #nature #snaefellsjokull-national-park

life12 days ago•43 min saved

Reclaiming Focus: Strategies to Repair a Broken Attention Span

Vox argues that attention is a limited, trainable resource. To rebuild it, be mindful of where you direct your attention, give your brain steady rests (nature’s soft fascinations help) and practice monotasking with constraints like the Pomodoro technique to reduce distractions and prevent cognitive fatigue.

via vox.com|

#attention-span #life #mindfulness

nature14 days ago•1 min saved

Farewell to Jackie: Beloved livestream bald eagle dies at 14

Jackie, the bald eagle whose nest saga with partner Shadow drew thousands online from atop a Jeffrey pine near Big Bear Lake in California, died after a mysterious illness caused severe anemia. Estimated to be about 14 years old, she was treated at the Ojai Raptor Center after an attack by two younger eagles, and she leaves behind a legacy of multiple hatchlings from years of care and public fascination with her mountain home.

via The Washington Post|

#bald-eagle #big-bear-lake #livestream

nature15 days ago•1 min saved

Beloved California Bald Eagle Jackie Dies After Prolonged Care

Jackie, the famous California bald eagle beloved by viewers of the Big Bear Valley nest cam, died after weeks of intensive care at the Ojai Raptor Center from anaemia and weight loss following an attack by other eagles; her mate Shadow and thousands of online followers mourn the loss of the wildlife star.

via BBC|

#bald-eagle #big-bear-valley-nest-cam #friends-of-big-bear-valley

space15 days ago•156 min saved

Sun's Sharpest-Ever Image Reveals Kelvin-Helmholtz Swirls

Scientists using the NSF Inouye Solar Telescope captured the sun’s sharpest-ever surface image, revealing intricate swirl patterns at the edges of magnetic regions that indicate Kelvin-Helmholtz instability; the findings, published in Nature, mark a major advance in understanding solar and stellar plasma dynamics.

via Space|

#inouye-solar-telescope #kelvin-helmholtz-instability #nature

nature16 days ago•2 min saved

Brazil’s Snake Island: A venomous, off-limits haven for researchers

Ilha da Queimada Grande off Brazil hosts thousands of golden lancehead vipers on 43 hectares, making it one of the world’s deadliest wildlife sites. Access is restricted to scientists and the military; bites to humans are rare because the venom targets birds. The species is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, with an estimated 2,000–4,000 snakes, and illegal pet trade contributes to its decline, with snakes selling for up to $30,000.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#golden-lancehead #ilha-da-queimada-grande #illegal-pet-trade

science25 days ago•5 min saved

Probes Open Into Gene-Editing Paper After 6-Year-Old’s Death

Nature is reviewing concerns about a February paper from Shanghai Jiao Tong University describing preclinical gene-editing work for SNIBCPS after a 6-year-old girl died from an immune reaction to the therapy; the death and the family’s funding were not disclosed in the manuscript, prompting an Editors’ Note and an investigation by the university. The case has drawn international media attention and ongoing scrutiny of the study’s data and disclosures.

via Retraction Watch|

#gene-editing #investigation #nature

health-and-wellness25 days ago•6 min saved

Four practical ways to pick hobbies that boost your health

Social prescribing connects people to non-medical activities—like sea swimming, art, or nature—to support health. The piece uses Amanda’s story to show how to pick health-promoting hobbies: align the activity with your symptoms (exercise and nature boost mood; mindfulness aids focus); cultivate intrinsic motivation and, with the help of link workers, explore meaningful pursuits; and try childhood joys or new activities with a ready-to-say 'yes.' When pursued with meaning and enjoyment, such hobbies can reduce depression, lessen loneliness, and improve overall wellbeing.

via The Guardian|

#health-and-wellness #hobbies #mental-health

nature28 days ago•1 min saved

Rare Sunfish Spotted Surfacing Just Feet From a Sussex Charter Boat

A Brighton skipper aboard the Yellowfin filmed two sunfish—large, pancake-shaped giants—seen just five feet from his boat in the shipping lanes off Sussex. Birds circled to pick parasites, while the sunfish flopped at the surface, offering a rare glimpse of unexpected marine life in UK waters and a reminder of the sea’s surprises.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#boating #marine-life #nature

science1 month ago•64 min saved

Lake Memphremagog Catfish Carry Transmissible Cancer, Study Finds

A Nature study confirms brown bullhead catfish in Lake Memphremagog host a transmissible cancer in which cancer cells spread between fish like a parasite. It’s only the fourth documented case of a contagious cancer in the animal kingdom. The tumors appear as black lesions; surveys from 2014–2017 found about 25–33% of the lake’s brown bullhead infected. Transmission mode is not yet known (spawn-related spread suspected), but researchers say it does not appear to pass to other species and poses no threat to human health. Further work is needed to understand spread and population impact.

via AOL.com|

#catfish #lake-memphremagog #nature