How parrot plumage gets its dazzling reds and yellows
4 November 2024 - Some birds are feathered tufts of color so resplendent that they stand out brilliantly from their surroundings. ...Most birds with bright yellow or red feathers -- think goldfinches and cardinals -- use pigments called carotenoids to make those colors. There is a notable exception, however -- parrots. (more)

A single enzyme can alter the vibrant colors in parrot plumage
3 November 2024 - One enzyme has a key role in determining whether parrots' rainbow plumage emerges in vibrant reds, yellows, or greens, a new study shows. (more)

Electric motorcycle completes solar-powered 6,000-kilometer journey through Africa
1 November 2024 - An electric motorcycle, made by Swedish-Kenyan manufacturer Roam completed a 6,000-kilometer (3,700-mile) journey from Nairobi, Kenya, to Stellenbosch, South Africa, in 17 days, using only solar power. (more)

Diwali 2024: How is it celebrated around the world?
31 October 2024 - Every autumn millions of people attend firework displays, prayer services, and festive events in celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights. While Diwali holds significance for a variety of reasons, one of the core themes of the festival, as symbolized by the prevalence of lights, is the triumph of good over evil. (more)

US: New York State beats goal of installing 6 gigawatts of solar power
30 October 2024 - New York State has reached its goal of installing 6 gigiwatts of distributed solar -- enough to power more than 1 million homes and businesses -- a year ahead of the goal set out in the state's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. ''As the top community solar market in the nation, New York State has provided a replicable model for others to deliver clean, low-cost renewable energy to more consumers,'' said Doreen Harris, president and chief executive at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). (more)

US: New interactive tour aims to raise Dakota visibility in Minneapolis
29 October 2024 - A new self-guided walking tour highlighting Dakota history at Owamni or St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis is now live. Visitors can scan QR codes at five designated spots to learn about the sacred area through an Indigenous lens. Program director Barry Hand said the tour creates a space for shared heritage with non-Indigenous people. (more)

Netherlands: The Dutch 'tile whipping' competition to green gardens and streets
28 October 2024 - Move over, football. The Netherlands has a new national sport, one helping to greenify gardens and rewild urban spaces. This year marks the fourth annual Tegelwippen -- which translates literally as 'tile whipping' -- where Dutch municipalities compete in a lighthearted contest to remove the most paving slabs. Neighbors join forces to create a 'facade garden' -- a buffer zone of greenery between the street and their homes -- by removing sections of pavement. In many Dutch municipalities it's simply a matter of informing the local authority, and in some cases they'll even do the job for you. (more)

Protein tips for those going vegetarian
27 October 2024 - When Jennifer Anastasiou decided to go vegetarian after learning about the environmental impact of livestock, she worried at first about her protein intake. Now, she relies heavily on foods that dietitians recommend for those cutting down on meat: high-protein legumes like lentils, chickpeas and beans, vegetable-based protein shakes, and other sources. (more)

Teen smoking and other tobacco use drop to lowest level in 25 years, CDC report
26 October 2024 - Teen smoking hit an all-time low in the U.S. this year, part of a big drop in the youth use of tobacco overall, the government reported Thursday [17 October]. (more)

Industrial wastelands to wildlife oases: Five nature wins that have actually worked
25 October 2024 - World leaders are gathering in Cali, Colombia, to agree ways to save species from extinction and restore nature. Here are five powerful solutions to halt biodiversity loss. There's a treasure trove of ways to save species in decline, and restore their habitats so they can live safely. In a healthy state, rich and biodiverse habitats can replenish our water, air, soil and reduce the risk of dangerous contagious diseases. (more)

Lost Silk Road cities were just discovered with groundbreaking tech
24 October 2024 - Researchers have discovered the remains of medieval cities perched above the ancient Silk Road in the rugged mountains of southeastern Uzbekistan. One of them is a sprawling, high-altitude metropolis that lay hidden for centuries, in a place where few expected to find signs of ancient civilizations. (more)

What is GivingTuesday? The annual day of charitable giving is coming up
24 October 2024 - Since it started as a hashtag in 2012, GivingTuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, has become one of the biggest fundraising days of the year for nonprofits in the U.S. In 2022 and 2023, GivingTuesday raised $3.1 billion for chartitable organizations, according to estimates from GivingTuesday. This year, GivingTuesday is on December 3. (more)

China to head green energy boom with 60 percent of new projects in next six years
23 October 2024 - China is expected to account for almost 60 percent of all renewable energy capacity installed worldwide between now and 2030, according to the International Energy Agency. The IEA's highly influential renewable energy report found that over the next six years renewable energy projects will roll out at three times the pace of the previous six years, led by the clean energy programs of China and India. (more)

An archaeology student finds 7 stunning Viking silver arm rings, Danish museum says
22 October 2024 - An archaeology student unearthed seven 'spectacular' Viking-era curled silver arm rings earlier this year north of Denmark's second-largest city, a Danish museum said on Monday [19 August], adding the finding has ties to Russia, Ukraine, and the British Isles. (more)

Good, free, fun: The simple formula that has made Duolingo a daily habit for millions
21 October 2024 - Perhaps no app has mastered user loyalty quite like Duolingo, the gamified language-learning platform 34 million people a day can't put down. Here, CEO and co-founder Luis von Ahn tells the BBC why their insistent owl works so well. (more)

In Photos: Year's largest supermoon turns night to day across world
21 October 2024 - Last night's biggest, brightest and best supermoon of the year rose worldwide after its intense light turned night to day. ...Skywatchers were out in force at local dusk across the globe to see the full moon appear in the east. (more)

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the Nobel laureate who united astronomy and physics
20 October 2024 - Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was one of the first scientists ever to merge the fields of physics and astronomy. Best known for the Chandrasekhar Limit, his work helped explain the life cycles of stars and the formation of black holes and neutron stars. (more)

Colombia launches $40 bln investment portfolio for energy, climate transition
19 October 2024 - Colombia has launched a new investment portfolio to help it transition away from fossil fuels and adapt to climate change, which it hopes will attract some $40 billion. The portfolio will help fund eco-tourism, a fair energy transition, and conservation and restoration of ecosystems. (more)

India: Why this techie gave up a high-paying job to transform education for Odisha's tribal children
18 October 2024 - Though at the peak of his immigrant dream in 2014, Sambit Kumar Das (48), now founder of Ek Asha Trust, wasn't quite content. Life was lucrative. But there was a gaping hole. That same year, a string of cathartic experiences, each almost feeling like a nudge from fate itself, compelled Das to quit his salaried role in the United States. He chose the hinterlands of Odisha as his destination to create an impact. (more)

In pictures: October hunter's moon illuminates the sky
17 October 2024 - This year's hunter's moon is also a supermoon, which happens when the moon is closer to the Earth than normal. The celestial phenomenon happens a few times during every lunar cycle because the moon's orbit is elliptical, meaning there are intervals when Earth's only permanent natural satellite is closer or farther from the planet. October's supermoon will be the biggest, brightest supermoon of the year. (more)

UK becomes the first major economy to stop burning coal for electricity, closing its last power plant
17 October 2024 - Britain's last coal-fired power plant will end 142 years of coal-generated electricity in the nation that sparked the Industrial Revolution. The Ratcliffe-on-Soar station in central England closed after more than half a century of turning coal into power. Owner Uniper says many of the 170 remaining employees will stay on during a two-year decommissioning process. (more)

US: Yurok Tribe receives $18M for restoration, resumes revegetation work on undammed Klamath River
16 October 2024 - The Yurok Tribe recently received $18 million from NOAA for the Upper Klamath River Tributary Post Dam Removal Salmonid Restoration Project. Focused on stream reaches outside of the reservoir footprints, the project seeks to restore Shovel Creek and sections of other tributaries between Jenny Creek in California and Spencer Creek in Oregon. The Yurok Tribe-led project will create approximately 150 acres of optimal fish and wildlife habitat through fish passage improvements, floodplain reconnection, side channel construction and stream habitat diversification. Currently, the Yurok Fisheries Department is working with four upper basin tribes and two conservation organizations to design the five-year undertaking. (more)

Australia to protect 52% of its oceans, more than any other country
15 October 2024 - The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has declared Australia will soon protect more ocean than any other country after the government finalises a more than 300,000 square kilometre expansion of a sub-Antarctic marine park. (more)

World Migratory Bird Day -- Protect insects, protect birds
12 October 2024 - The World Migratory Bird Day campaign in 2024 stresses the need for proactive conservation measures. This includes reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and where possible, switching to organic farming. Other measures include maintaining and connecting areas of natural vegetation which provide food and shelter for birds and other species, in agricultural landscapes. In 2024, World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated on two days, 11 May and 12 October, aligning with the cyclic nature of bird migration in different hemispheres. (more)