Ji-Seon Kim talks about the transformative potential of carbon-based semiconductors and the benefits of tangible experiences in the lab
Category: futurism – Page 60
Humans prefer to put more effort into empathizing with groups than with individuals, study shows
What makes us care about others? Scientists studying empathy have found that people are more likely to choose to empathize with groups rather than individuals, even though they find empathizing equally difficult and uncomfortable in both cases.
The scientists suggest that the sight of groups of people could offer more contextual information which helps people decide whether to empathize, and therefore increases the chances that they choose to do so.
“People’s willingness to empathize is different depending on who the target is: a single individual or a group of people,” said Dr. Hajdi Moche of Linköping University, Sweden, lead author of an article in Frontiers in Psychology.
How social networks shape the vocal diversity of monk parakeets
In the urban parks of Barcelona, Spain, the calls of a tropical parrot fill the air. The bright green monk parakeet, native to South America, has found a new home in European cities. Monk parakeets thrive in huge colonies where they communicate with each other using many distinct sounds—offering scientists a unique window into understanding the interplay of individual social relationships with vocal variety.
For social animals, communication is a key that unlocks the benefits of group living. It’s well known that animals with more complex social lives tend to have more intricate ways of communicating, from the clicks and whistles of dolphins to the calls of primates. While this pattern is found broadly in many species, a new study on wild parrots drills deep into the social and vocal lives of individual birds.
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB) analyzing the social networks of monk parakeets in Spain have uncovered how an individual’s social ties shape the calls these birds make.
Giant Mystical Eagle Thought to Be ‘Extinct in Mexico’ Reappears, Marking Landmark Moment for Conservationists
A harpy eagle, South America’s largest bird of prey, has been sighted in a rainforest in southern Mexico, where it was believed to be locally extinct.
Named for the crone-bird hybrid of Greek mythology, the appearance of this large and majestic raptor is worthy of the association. Adult females are much larger than their male counterparts, weighing in at close to 40 pounds, and measuring more than 6 feet from wing tip to wing tip.
Despite a significantly slower and lower birthrate than other eagle species, the harpy eagle numbers in the tens of thousands across South America. In Central America however, they’re virtually extinct.
Scientists launch $23 million Arctic mission to uncover what’s hidden beneath the ice: ‘We have basically no information’
In what’s being called “an unprecedented scientific and human adventure at the North Pole,” the $23 million Tara Polar Station will be the home of a team of 18 people made up of scientists, artists, physicians, journalists, and sailors.
The mission of this drifting science station is to gather data and perform research during the period from November to February, a part of the year that lacks observations because of the dangers inherent in a region of the world that is warming faster than anywhere else.
“We have basically no information,” Tara Ocean Foundation’s Chris Bowler told New Scientist. “Which is alarming, considering it is such a fragile place and it is changing so rapidly.”
