Latest news with #IFLScience
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘Ghost elephant' seen for first time in years; is it a lone survivor?
A camera trap in Niokolo-Koba National Park captured rare video of what might be the last remaining elephant in Senegal, last seen in 2019. The new footage was captured by Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization, and Senegal's Directorate of National Parks, and it shows Ousmane, an elephant named after a park ranger and known as the ghost elephant. 'Rare sightings, stealthy behavior and near-mythical status due to their low numbers have earned this lone bull the title of 'ghost elephant,'' Alyssa Cuevas, a Panthera spokeswoman, told USA Today/For The Win Outdoors. The black-and-white footage was captured as the elephant strolled by the camera at night, giving it a ghost-like appearance. IFL Science posted it on YouTube. 'When it was last spotted in January 2019, it was thought to be one of only 5 to 10 elephants remaining in the park – a drastic change from the hundreds that once called Niokolo-Koba home and a shocking reminder of the implications of poaching and habitat loss,' Cuevas told For The Win Outdoors. 'Shortly thereafter, a scientific study by Panthera and DPN revealed the male is likely the only elephant left in Senegal, although an anecdotal report might suggest the presence of several elephants in the area.' Elephant numbers in Senegal have declined to near extinction, but this new sighting has 'sparked discussions of greater protections for the elusive elephants that remain, including whether it might be possible to establish a breeding population in the park,' IFL Science reported. Also on FTW Outdoors: Texas fisherman catches record bass, releases it 3 months later Cuevas told For The Win Outdoors that 'there's hope for this lonely creature,' citing other successes. 'The Critically Endangered West African lions that also reside in the park are currently making a comeback – the lion population has more than doubled since Panthera's work began in 2011, driven by persistent anti-poaching and scientific monitoring efforts,' Cuevas told For The Win Outdoors. 'That positive news is reflected in UNESCO's recent announcement removing Niokolo-Koba National Park from the List of World Heritage in Danger, recognizing the strides that have been made in protecting wildlife that call the park home, such as one of only two remaining populations of lions in West Africa and the region's largest remaining leopard population. 'The footage also comes just months after another camera trap in the park captured images of the Endangered giant pangolin for the first time in 24 years, another development reviving hope for the near-extinct species.' Photo courtesy of Panthera. This article originally appeared on For The Win: 'Ghost elephant' seen for first time in years; is it a lone survivor?
USA Today
5 days ago
- General
- USA Today
‘Ghost elephant' seen for first time in years; is it a lone survivor?
'Ghost elephant' seen for first time in years; is it a lone survivor? A camera trap in Niokolo-Koba National Park captured rare video of what might be the last remaining elephant in Senegal, last seen in 2019. The new footage was captured by Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization, and Senegal's Directorate of National Parks, and it shows Ousmane, an elephant named after a park ranger and known as the ghost elephant. 'Rare sightings, stealthy behavior and near-mythical status due to their low numbers have earned this lone bull the title of 'ghost elephant,'' Alyssa Cuevas, a Panthera spokeswoman, told USA Today/For The Win Outdoors. The black-and-white footage was captured as the elephant strolled by the camera at night, giving it a ghost-like appearance. IFL Science posted it on YouTube. 'When it was last spotted in January 2019, it was thought to be one of only 5 to 10 elephants remaining in the park – a drastic change from the hundreds that once called Niokolo-Koba home and a shocking reminder of the implications of poaching and habitat loss,' Cuevas told For The Win Outdoors. 'Shortly thereafter, a scientific study by Panthera and DPN revealed the male is likely the only elephant left in Senegal, although an anecdotal report might suggest the presence of several elephants in the area.' Elephant numbers in Senegal have declined to near extinction, but this new sighting has 'sparked discussions of greater protections for the elusive elephants that remain, including whether it might be possible to establish a breeding population in the park,' IFL Science reported. Also on FTW Outdoors: Texas fisherman catches record bass, releases it 3 months later Cuevas told For The Win Outdoors that 'there's hope for this lonely creature,' citing other successes. 'The Critically Endangered West African lions that also reside in the park are currently making a comeback – the lion population has more than doubled since Panthera's work began in 2011, driven by persistent anti-poaching and scientific monitoring efforts,' Cuevas told For The Win Outdoors. 'That positive news is reflected in UNESCO's recent announcement removing Niokolo-Koba National Park from the List of World Heritage in Danger, recognizing the strides that have been made in protecting wildlife that call the park home, such as one of only two remaining populations of lions in West Africa and the region's largest remaining leopard population. 'The footage also comes just months after another camera trap in the park captured images of the Endangered giant pangolin for the first time in 24 years, another development reviving hope for the near-extinct species.' Photo courtesy of Panthera.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Heartbreaking Video Shows Fish Fleeing Huge Nets
David Attenborough has become the voice we associate with all things beautiful in nature, but he's never shied away from showing the harrowing destruction that humans visit upon our planet. This, however, might be the biggest gut-punch he's delivered yet. In his latest documentary "OCEAN," Attenborough presents us with unique footage showing the devastating effects of bottom trawling on the seafloor, right where the action is happening. The filmmakers placed a camera underwater, showing us the actual view of the trawl net as it sweeps up countless poor sea creatures, who desperately try to out-swim their doom. It's an unprecedented look — but it doesn't make for easy viewing. "I have seen the bycatch on the deck of trawlers, but like everybody else, I had never seen what the trawl does underwater," Enric Sala, a marine ecologist who served as executive producer and scientific advisor on Ocean, told IFLScience in a recent interview. "Being at the level of the net and seeing all these poor creatures trying to escape the net, that's something that nobody else had seen." Bottom trawling is a widely used method of fishing that involves dragging an enormous net across the seafloor, ensnaring hundreds if not thousands of aquatic creatures in a single sweep. It's a blunt approach that doesn't discriminate between species. Most of the fish that get caught aren't even what the fishermen are looking for, but they perish anyway. "Over three-quarters of a trawler's catch may be thrown away," Attenborough narrates in the documentary. "It's hard to imagine a more wasteful way to catch fish." Trawling also ravages the seafloor itself, as the heavy chain or beam that keeps the net open smashes into any rock or aquatic fauna in its path, while dredging up literal tons of sediment. "The trawlers tear the seabed with such force, that their trails of destruction can be seen from space," Attenborough says. It gets worse. As the seabed is thrown up, so are the vast stores of carbon it harbored. A massive 2024 study estimated that some 370 million metric tons of carbon dioxide is released by bottom trawling every single year. That puts it "on the scale of global aviation," Sala said, which produces nearly a billion tons annually. In terms of both the greenhouse impact and the sweeping scale of the damage wreaked to local habitats, it's the ocean's equivalent to deforestation. One study estimated that bottom trawlers scrape 1.9 million square miles of seafloor per year, roughly equivalent to 1.3 percent of the entire ocean. "It's happening everywhere around the ocean, including in many of our protected areas," Toby Nowlan, the director and producer on OCEAN, told IFLScience. "The difference being that this is as destructive as bulldozing your local ancient woodland, or the Amazon rainforest." "If my local ancient woodland, Leigh Woods, was just bulldozed, the entire city would be up in arms, but this is what's happening underwater," Nowlan added. "The whole reason [people aren't up in arms about trawling] is that it's remained hidden from view." Not anymore. More on the ocean: Benevolent Orca Pods Are Adopting Baby Pilot Whales in an Apparent Effort to Clean Up the Species' Image
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Experts celebrate as trail camera captures rare footage of elusive species not seen in decades: 'Such a large and striking animal'
A researcher has made history after securing the first-ever scientific observation of an animal that had eluded scientists for decades. During a six-month expedition on the island of Papua New Guinea, František Vejmělka, a doctoral candidate from the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of South Bohemia, spotted the Mallomys istapantap, also known as the subalpine woolly rat. As IFL Science noted, Vejmělka documented the sighting in a study published in the journal Mammalia According to New Atlas, the woolly rat is one of the largest murine rodents in the world, and the study said it is the largest rodent of the Australian and Oceanian zoogeographic regions. Murine rodents are a large group of "Old World" rats and mice that comprises over 500 species, per Animal Diversity Web. As one of the largest murine rodents, the woolly rat had never been scientifically discovered in the wild since the species was first described in 1989 using a historic specimen from a museum. Vejmělka utilized camera traps and help from indigenous hunters to obtain the rare footage of the woolly rat. "The combination of modern and traditional detection methods enriched by the immense traditional hunting knowledge of Indigenous communities resulted in the first specimen records of this remarkable rodent in over 30 years and the first scientific observations of living animals," the study read, per IFL Science. In a statement, Vejmělka acknowledged the significance of the discovery and the importance of research ventures. "It's astonishing that such a large and striking animal has remained so poorly studied," Vejmělka said. "How much more is there to discover about the biodiversity of tropical mountains?" Thanks to trail cameras, many research expeditions can obtain vital information that not only captures rare sightings but also helps gauge the health and function of secluded ecosystems and habitats. This can go a long way in studying delicate food chains without interfering or interacting with nearby wildlife. Do you think more places of worship should embrace clean energy? Yes — it sets a positive example Only if it saves money No opinion Absolutely not Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Conservation efforts can significantly impact our well-being by preserving natural resources and promoting healthy ecosystems. Conservationism can also directly benefit human health by ensuring healthy food chains. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Daily Record
01-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Record
Huge Chinese construction project is so large it is lengthening our day
The enormous construction project has had a surprising effect on the Earth If you ever feel you don't have enough time in the day, you are not alone. Between washing up after kids, working long hours, and making time for hobbies and past-times, it might seem time is constantly running away with you. But what if the day was made longer, even if just by a few microseconds? Well, it turns out a huge man-made project in China is so large that it is affecting the Earth's rotation - and increasing the 24 hours we have to play with. Construction on China's Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric power station, began in 1994 and was completed over nine years with a price tag of around £29billion. It has since had a surprising effect on the Earth. The colossal structure is situated in Hubei province and spans the Yangtze River, which is the longest river in Eurasia. Towering at 181 metres tall and stretching 2,335 metres across, the dam can hold a mind-boggling 27.2million cubic metres of water and boasts a maximum capacity of 22,500 megawatts. At peak performance, it has the potential to supply electricity to 5.4million homes for a month, utilising the immense water flow from the neighbouring gorges Qutangxia, Wuxia, and Xilingxia. It was the devastating Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami in 2004 that first prompted NASA scientists to explore whether such seismic events could influence the Earth's rotation due to mass redistribution. According to IFL Science, the concept of the 'Moment of Inertia' in physics refers to how mass distribution on Earth can slightly impact how hard it is to spin the planet on its axis. The tectonic activity during an earthquake, particularly the one in 2004, caused a shift in the Earth's mass distribution, leading to a decrease in the length of a day by 2.68 microseconds. In a 2005 post, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center geophysicist Dr Benjamin Fong Chao explained that the massive amount of water displaced to fill the Three Gorges Dam could have a similar effect. He determined that this mass shift would extend the length of a day by 0.06 microseconds and alter Earth's pole position by approximately two centimetres. While this effect may prove inconsequential to our daily lives, it could cause confusion for highly precise time-keeping devices like atomic clocks. This issue has prompted some scientists to suggest that we may need to account for a negative leap second – such as a minute with only 59 seconds – within the next ten years. "For reference, this amounts to a bit more than three days over the entire age of the universe," Dr Chao explained. "Any time you shift mass around, you change the Earth's rotation. The effect is very small, but measurable." During the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, a total of 1.3million people were relocated as their towns and villages became submerged. The dam, besides generating electricity, is designed to enhance the Yangtze River's shipping capacity and decrease the risk of downstream floods by providing flood storage space. The government views the project as a historic achievement in engineering, social, and economic terms, featuring state-of-the-art large turbines and a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The dam's construction has not been without controversy - valuable archaeological and cultural sites were flooded. Other critics argue that the dam has significantly impacted the environment and increased the risk of landslides. The project utilised 27.2million cubic metres of concrete, a whopping 463,000 tonnes of steel (equivalent to constructing 63 Eiffel Towers) and shifted approximately 102.6million cubic metres of Earth. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
