| Indonesian volcano erupts again, spewing hot ash By BINSAR BAKKARA 2010-08-30T12:25:36ZTANAH KARO, Indonesia (AP) -- An Indonesian volcano dormant for four centuries erupted for the second straight day Monday, shooting clouds of hot ash more than a mile into the air and forcing 30,000 people to flee.... hosted.ap.org |
Teen trio going to world technology finals Three Brisbane teenagers will represent Australia in the world finals of a schools technology challenge. abc.net.au |
Genetically altered salmon? It doesn't stop there By SETH BORENSTEIN and MALCOLM RITTER 2010-09-22T20:27:59ZWASHINGTON (AP) -- We've always played with our food - even before we knew about genes or how to change them.... hosted.ap.org |
Video: A curious cat gets into a prickly situation | GrrlScientist A curious cat gets into a prickly situationJust in time for Caturday, a new episode of Simon's Cat!A curious cat gets into a prickly situation. Yes, I know it's silly. But it's Caturday, and if a person can't be silly on Caturday, when can they be silly?GrrlScientistguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Mystery Bird: Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos The feature that I think is most amazing about this species is its singing ability: it is a talented songster and mimicNorthern mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos (formerly, Turdus polyglottos), photographed during the Smith Point Hawk Watch at Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, Texas, USA. Image: Joseph Kennedy, 4 October 2010 [with binoculars].Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece1/750s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400Question: This rather plain-looking North American mystery bird is quite remarkable in many ways. Can you identify this species and tell me what you think is most remarkable about it?Response: This is a Northern mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, which is a talented songster and mimic -- the feature that I think is most amazing about this species. Both the male and female sing -- and loudly -- and they will do so night and day during most of the year, much to the consternation of humans living nearby. Besides singing, Northern mockingbirds also mimic nearly everything they hear; other birds' songs, animals, humans and even man-made objects, such as car alarms. There is some evidence that suggests that males attract females by having a large song repertoire. The average male Northern mockingbird will have a song repertoire of 50-200 sounds. Embedded below is a 2 minute radio programme about the Northern mockingbird, thanks to my friends at BirdNote Radio:If you have bird images, video or mp3 files that you'd like to share with a large and appreciate audience, feel free to email them to me for consideration.GrrlScientistguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |