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☆ The Prize for the Longest Pregnancy in Mammals May Go to This Whale
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Miriam Fauzia | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For animals that humans almost drove into extinction, there’s a lot about whales we still don’t know. Consider the bowhead whale in particular. “But even today, we’re still learning very basic things about the reproductive cycle of animals like these. That would edge out elephant pregnancies — the longest known within the mammalian kingdom — by a month. Their findings, published on Wednesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science, illuminate the complexities underlying the whale’s population growth, which Dr. Lysiak hopes can guide conservation efforts, especially as an inhospitable climate looms.

Persons: ”, Nadine Lysiak, Lysiak Organizations: Royal Society Open Science

LONDON/JOHANNESBURG, July 25 (Reuters) - Gabon launched what is set to be Africa's first debt-for-nature swap on Tuesday, with a plan to buy up at least $450 million of its government debt and switch it to an eco-friendly blue bond. The February 2031 maturity rose 2.203 cents to 83.702 cents and November 2031 maturity jumped 2.129 cents to 83.573 cents, compared to Gabonese government's offer to buy back the bonds for 85 cents per $1 of the bond. ,The 2025 maturity rose 1.194 cents to 95.4 cents, also still below the offer price of 96.75 cents.. Ecuador pulled off a record $1.1 billion debt-for-nature swap in May, freeing up $18 million annually for the next 20 years for conservation of the Galapagos Islands. The African Development Bank and European Investment Bank are interested in providing credit guarantees.

Persons: Marc Jones, Rachel Savage, Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Karin Strohecker, Ed Osmond, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: London Stock Exchange, Republic, Industry, U.S . International Development Finance Corporation, African Development Bank, European Investment Bank, Bank of America, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, Gabon, Gabonese, Ecuador, Belize, Galapagos, Sri Lanka, Indian, Libreville

☆ The world’s most shark-filled waters
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

There were just 57 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks last year, out of a global population of 8 billion, five of which were fatal. However, some places around the world have much higher rates of shark attacks than others, with the numbers rising with the passing years. Let’s take a look at the locations worldwide with the highest rates of shark attacks between 2012 and 2021 and the reasons they’ve become hot spots. South Africa (29 bites)South Africa had 29 unprovoked shark bites between 2012 and 2021, of which six were fatal. South Carolina (45 bites)None of the 45 unprovoked attacks in South Carolina in the decade-long time frame were fatal.

Persons: Let’s, ”, Gavin Naylor, Gansbaai, they’ve, ” Neil Hammerschlag, “, ” Richard Peirce, orcas, Brad Leue, Chuck Bangley, Fernando de Noronha, Katarina Zarutskie, ” Zarutskie Organizations: CNN, Discovery, Discovery Channel, Warner Bros ., ISAF, Volusia, Florida Program, Shark Research, orcas, Conservation, University of Miami Rosenstiel School, Shark Conservation Society, International, of Oceanography, Aquaculture Locations: New York, Florida, Florida’s Volusia County, ”, Smyrna Beach, Australia, New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria, Hawaii, Windward Oahu, South Africa, Carolina, South Carolina, Charleston, Horry, Beaufort, ” California, San Diego, California, Brunswick County, North, North Carolina, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Brazil, Pernambuco, Bahamas, Staniel Cay

☆ A Backyard Struggle for Survival Between Birds - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Margaret Renkl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The problem is that birds are in profound trouble, both on our suffering planet and in this rapidly changing neighborhood. And as I watch developers slaughter tree after neighborhood tree, I can offer nest boxes to compensate in some small way for the loss of natural nest sites. I walked to the jungly back of the yard to check on the nest box they’d already claimed. The wren nest in the chickadee box came to a bad end, too, as it turns out. One of the eggs had been pierced — almost certainly by another house wren — and ants had claimed that box, too.

Persons: aren’t, I’ve

☆ Oppenheimer never won a Nobel Prize, but these 31 scientists with ties to the Manhattan Project did
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +26 min

Manhattan Project: After a harrowing escape from Nazi-occupied Denmark in 1943, Bohr began consulting on the Manhattan Project. Manhattan Project: Between 1943 and 1944, Muller was a civilian advisor for the Manhattan Project, consulting on experiments studying the effects of radiation. Maria Goeppert Mayer, Nobel Prize in Physics, 1963Maria Goeppert Mayer worked on the Manhattan Project and later won the Nobel Prize in physics. Manhattan Project: Working as an assistant to his father, Niels Bohr, Aage Bohr proved instrumental in interpreting for some members of the Manhattan Project. Manhattan Project: At 18, Glauber was still a student at Harvard when he became one of the youngest scientists to join the Manhattan Project.

Persons: Robert Oppenheimer, Alfred Nobel, Joseph Rotblat, Albert Einstein, Christopher Nolan's, Oppenheimer, Niels Bohr, Bohr, Nicholas Baker, Nick, James Franck, Boyer, Roger Viollet, Gustav Ludwig Hertz, Niels Bohr's, Franck, Arthur Compton, Imagno, Compton, Harold Urey, Harold, Urey, James Chadwick, Chadwick, Enrico Fermi, Fermi, Ernest Lawrence, Lawrence, Isidor Isaac Rabi, Nancy R, Schiff, Rabi, Hermann Muller, Muller, Edwin McMillan, Bettmann, Glenn Seaborg, McMillan, Elsie McMillan, Seaborg, Felix Bloch, Edward Purcell, Nobel, Hans Bethe, Bloch, Purcell, Emilio Segrè, Owen Chamberlain, Chamberlain, Segrè, Willard Libby, Leona Libby, Lowell, Libby, Linus Pauling, Leona Woods Marshall Libby, Eugene Wigner, Wigner, Leo Szilard's, Einstein, Franklin D, Roosevelt, Maria Goeppert Mayer, J, Hans Jensen, Goeppert Mayer, Teller, Richard Feynman, Tomonaga, Julian Schwinger, Fenynman, Hans Bethe's, Feynmwan, Feynman, Schwinger, Robert Mulliken, Mulliken, Szilard, Hans A, Bethe, Luis Alvarez, Alvarez, Enola Gay, Walter Alvarez, James Rainwater, Aage Bohr, Ben Mottelson, Rainwater, Wu, Aage Niels Bohr, Mottelson, mumbled, Val Fitch, James Cronin, Fitch, Jerome Karle, Isabelle, Larry Morris, Herbert Hauptman, Karle, Isabella Karle, Norman Ramsey, Ellie Welch, Ramsey, Norman Ramsey's Nobel, David Cheskin, Rotblat, Russell, Bertrand Russell, Enstinen, Frederick Reines, Philippe Caron, Sygma, Reines, Roy Glauber, Gail Oskin, Glauber Organizations: Manhattan Project, Service, Manhattan, US Army, AP, Getty, University of Chicago's Metallurgical Laboratory, Chicago Met, Los Angeles Examiner, USC, Columbia, Keystone, Gamma, Columbia University, University of Chicago, Trinity Test, University of California, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Hulton, Trinity, Deutsch, Los Alamos, University of Chicago's Metallurgical, Atomic Energy Commission, Harvard University, MIT Rad Lab, Denver, Chicago Met Lab, Materials Laboratory, Los, Radiation Laboratory, MIT, University of Chicago's, Princeton University, Naval Research Lab, Washington, US Naval Research Laboratory, Science, World Affairs, Einstein, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Harvard, Institute for Locations: Wall, Silicon, Polish, Denmark, Copenhagen, Nazi, London , Washington, Los Alamos, German, Germany, Japan, Manhattan, British, France, Washington, DC, Berkeley, Ridge , Tennessee, Los, New Mexico, Hanford, antiprotons, Hiroshima, Lowell Georgia, San Diego, Chicago, Washington ,

☆ New Zealand justice minister quits after being charged following car crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 24 (Reuters) - New Zealand's justice minister resigned on Monday after being arrested in relation to a car crash the previous day, the fourth minister to quit the cabinet in as many months in an election year. "She understood that retaining her ministerial warrant was untenable, especially for a justice minister to be charged with criminal offending," Hipkins said. Hipkins said Allan's "recent personal struggles with mental health have been well documented and it appears some of those issues came to a head yesterday." Once touted as a potential successor to previous prime minister Jacinda Ardern, Allan said she will take time to consider her future in politics. My actions yesterday show I wasn't okay," Allan said in a statement.

Persons: Kiri Allan, Chris Hipkins, Allan, Hipkins, Jacinda Ardern, I've, Renju Jose, Lincoln Organizations: Labour, National Party, Thomson Locations: Wellington, Sydney

☆ Scorching summer temperatures could strain the economy even further
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“The recent heat waves and scorching summer temperatures demonstrate the economic cost of heat stress,” Chris Lafakis, Moody’s Analytics’ director of economic research, wrote in an emailed response to a CNN query. Moody’s Analytics estimates that chronic physical risk from heat stress could reduce worldwide GDP by up to 17.6% by 2100. The losses are steepest in sectors such as agriculture and construction, but no industry or business is immune, she said. “Every summer we have a stretch [of excessively hot weather], where it might last from four days up to a week,” he said. “We have to look at the potential of our business model shifting to a nine-month facility going forward,” she said.

Persons: Lyn Thomas, there’s, Thomas, she’s, “, it’s, Chris Lafakis, Liliana Salgado, ”, Kathy Baughman McLeod, Adrienne Arsht, Cesar Chavez, Damian Dovarganes, That’s, Jack Vessey wasn’t, He’s, “ It’s, Vessey, Zeyla Alcantara, Patrick Tiseth, Jobs, Ami Feller, I’ve, Los Cerrillos, Harrold Granthan, Bonnie Mendoza, David Wagner, bloodsicles, Mendoza, Zach Fowle, Kyle Ledeboer, ” Fowle, ” They’ve, Justus Swanick, Joshua Graff Zivin, ” Graff Zivin Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, Phoenix, CNN, Reuters Workers, Rockefeller Foundation Resilience, Atlantic Council, Rockefeller, IBEW, Company, Lone Star, Roofer, Saddle Riding Company, Phoenix Zoo, Arizona Wilderness, Arizona Wilderness Brewing, University of California San Locations: Minneapolis, Louisiana, United States, California, Los Angeles, Holtville , California, Imperial County, Texas, New Braunfels, Santa Fe , New Mexico, Los, “, Arizona, Phoenix, University of California San Diego

☆ Amsterdam banning cruise ships kills 2 birds with one stone: rampant tourism and environmental damage. It's just the latest place to do it, and probably won't be the last.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Amsterdam, Venice, and French Polynesia are among the places that have banned cruise ships. Banning cruise ships addresses two major problems that tourism destinations around the world are struggling to contain: hoards of people and environmental destruction. The Amsterdam City Council passed a measure Thursday that will ban cruise ships from docking in the Dutch capital. French Polynesia also banned mega cruise ships last year, citing concerns about the burden on local infrastructure and ecosystem conservation. So whether they are full bans or just limits, the cruise industry is likely to face more restrictions at the local levels in the future.

Organizations: Amsterdam City, Officials, Cruises, Hakai Magazine Locations: Amsterdam, Venice, Polynesia, Barcelona, city's, Santorini, Alaska, Juneau

☆ Project Wild Earth: This family of four has just embarked on a 5-year adventure around the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Kate Springer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

They instantly connected and maintained a long-distance relationship for a year after his road trip ended before moving to Hong Kong to start a life together. During the project, dubbed “Project Wild Earth,” they will also share stories on their website and social media accounts about inspiring rangers, support organizations, government officials and entrepreneurs they work or come in contact with. Leah, an American, worked as a primary school teacher and helped establish a Sudbury school in Hong Kong that empowers children to direct their own education. The Priors found themselves stuck in Hong Kong, which had some of the strictest pandemic restrictions in the world due to its “zero-Covid” approach. “When these things unfolded in Hong Kong, we had to reconsider everything.

Persons: we’re, Matt, Leah Prior, Leah, Zapp, Graham, Paige, “ Leah, ” Matt, ”, “, AdventureX, Jack, Matt couldn’t, “ Jack, Sai Kung, “ It’s, Dr, Jane Goodall, Tompkins, Allen, –, Reinhard Dirscherl, Charlotte, they’ll Organizations: CNN, The Explorers Club, Sumy Sadurni, Getty, Allen Coral Atlas, Jane, Jane Goodall Institute and, Bank Locations: Charlotte, Laos, London, South Korea, Hong Kong, Europe, Central Asia, China, Southeast Asia, Asia, Pacific, Africa, Americas, American, Sudbury, British, Indonesia, Hong, New Territories, AFP, Patagonia, agroforestry

CNN —Zookeepers at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium arrived to a pair of unexpected discoveries Thursday morning: a newborn baby gorilla and the news that its mother wasn’t a male gorilla. The gorilla, Sully, has lived at the facility with her mother since 2019 and was thought to be male until “the gorilla care team discovered her holding the unexpected baby gorilla early Thursday,” the zoo announced in a news release. There are an estimated 100,000 left in the wild across central Africa, says the Columbus Zoo. The surprise discovery builds on a history of gorilla conservation at the Columbus Zoo. The facility “was the first zoo in the world to welcome the birth of a baby gorilla” in 1956, according to the release.

Persons: CNN — Zookeepers, Sully, it’s, “ Organizations: CNN, Columbus Zoo, Aquarium, International Union for, Nature Locations: Columbus, Africa

☆ Hong Kong's golfers gird up for battle as housing policy threatens famed course
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Miguel Angel Jimenez from Spain hits a shot on the 18th fairway during the final day of the Hong Kong Open Championship at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Hong Kong, China November 18, 2012. The rare measure drew criticism from NGOs who questioned whether the golf course would be redeveloped as planned by 2029. Three of these courses are in the Fanling golf course located close to the border with mainland China. "If you see the aggressiveness of the branding by other countries, Hong Kong is really under the gun. "The (Hong Kong) government absolutely should not allow populism and antagonism against the wealthy to spread," Tong said.

Persons: Miguel Angel Jimenez, Tyrone Siu, Hong Kong's, John Lee, Lee, Simon Yau, Sze Lai Shan, LIV Golf, Amr El Henawy, El Henawy, Ronny Tong, Tong, Clare Jim, Justin Fung, Anne Marie Roantree Organizations: Hong Kong, Hong Kong Golf Club, REUTERS, Hong, Urban Studies, Lingnan University of Hong, Development Bureau, Reuters, Town, Society of Community Organization, HIT, HONG, UNESCO, Pacific Cultural Heritage, Team, Thomson Locations: Spain, Hong Kong, China, Tyrone Siu HONG KONG, Lingnan University of Hong Kong, HONG KONG, Asia, Saudi

[1/5] A killer whale member of the Bigg's orca T65B pod is seen in the Salish Sea near Eastsound, Washington, U.S., July 7, 2023. While the interactions may be frightening, they have also spawned a popular social media trend that humorously suggests killer whales are rising up to attack wealthy yacht owners. Dr. Michael Weiss, research director of the Center for Whale Research, has another theory for the orcas’ behavior – it’s a fad. "We've seen killer whales do fad-like behavior, and other cetaceans have fads. In 1987, Washington’s Southern Resident orcas suddenly began wearing dead salmon on their heads, like hats.

Persons: Matt Mills McKnight, orcas, Deborah Giles, Giles, Olivia Hafey, Hafey, it's, Dr, Michael Weiss, Weiss, We're, Matt McKnight, Jane Ross, Mary Milliken, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Puget Sound, University of Washington’s, Harbor Laboratories, Southern, Center for Whale Research, Reuters, Washington’s, Thomson Locations: Eastsound , Washington , U.S, Matt Mills McKnight SEATTLE, . Washington, Portuguese, Washington’s San Juan Island, Seattle

☆ Australia's 'seahorse hotels' aim to save endangered species
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Cordelia Hsu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A White's Seahorse feeds at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science aquarium in Sydney, Australia, June 22, 2023. REUTERS/Cordelia HsuSYDNEY, July 20 (Reuters) - Nestled beneath the surface of Sydney’s harbour, over 350 newly released White’s Seahorses make themselves at home in their seahorse hotels. Made from biodegradable metal, the eight new hotels installed will provide much needed homes for the endangered seahorses. “It was really fantastic,” said marine biologist Mitchell Brennan, the project manager of the Sydney Seahorse Project. White’s Seahorses are endemic to the waters surrounding Australia’s east coast and were classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2017 due to loss of habitat.

Persons: Cordelia Hsu SYDNEY, ”, Mitchell Brennan, ” Brennan, “ We’ve, Cordelia Hsu, Alasdair Pal, Stephen Coates Organizations: Sydney Institute of Marine Science, REUTERS, Sydney Seahorse, University of Technology, New, Department of Primary Industries, IUCN, seahorses, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales, NSW, Sydney Harbour, NSW’s, Chowder Bay

☆ New York Governor Hochul directs agencies to probe toxic lead cables
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 20 (Reuters) - Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday directed the public service, health and environmental conservation departments to investigate risks associated with old lead-clad cables left by telecommunication companies following a recent report. The Wall Street Journal earlier this month reported that telecom companies including AT&T (T.N) had left toxic lead cables on poles, underwater and buried under ground across the U.S. including the State of New York. The purpose of the investigation is to better understand the inventory and ownership of such cables in New York, according to a statement from the governor's office. "Lead-covered cables pose a serious threat to communities across New York ... We will hold the telecommunication companies responsible and take swift action to remediate any problems," Hochul said in a statement. Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, Hochul, Mrinalika Roy, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: Democratic, Street, Thomson Locations: New York, Bengaluru

☆ Amazon used 11.6% less plastic for shipping last year and is phasing out those blue and white plastic mailers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon used nearly 86,000 tons of single-use plastic packaging last year, an 11.6% drop. Amazon is also ditching its blue and white padded plastic mailers in favor of easier-to-recycle paper packaging. Oceana for several years has tried to put numbers on how much plastic Amazon is using. Oceana's analysis for 2021 found Amazon used about 709 million pounds of plastic packaging — some 355,000 tons. Amazon said it used less plastic in 2022 by expanding packaging made with recyclable paper across the US, Canada, and Europe.

Persons: —, Matt Littlejohn, Littlejohn, Oceana Organizations: Amazon, Service, Oceana Locations: Oceana, Canada, Europe, Australia

☆ Using AI to monitor orphaned elephants in Botswana could usher in the return of the woolly mammoth
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Tom Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The startup has entered a collaboration with Elephant Havens, a wildlife foundation based in the Okavango Delta that cares for orphaned elephants. The findings, the organizations hope, could provide a blueprint for releasing the elephants into the wild and mammoth hybrids to the tundra. A new system for elephant monitoringHuman-wildlife conflict is the leading cause of elephant orphans in Botswana, says Elephant Havens founder Debra Stevens. After five years in the enclosure, Elephant Havens will reintroduce these bonded herds into the wild, and monitor their progress for a decade. Biotech company Colossal wants to create a hybrid combining mammoth DNA with that of Asian elephants.

Persons: “, –, Elephant, We’ll, ”, Matt James, Debra Stevens, “ That’s, Stevens, revel, Havens, Steve Metzler, Dr, Wendy Kiso, James, Debra, ” James, Ben Lamm, ” Lamm, Lamm Organizations: CNN, Colossal Biosciences, Biotech company Colossal, Colossal Locations: Botswana, Africa, rewilding, America

☆ Arizona continues to allow a company to pump enough water to support a city of 50,000 to grow crops for Saudi Arabia's cows while some state residents have had their water supply cut off
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Arizona has taken steps to lower residents' water consumption as it combats a long-term drought. Meanwhile, the spigot flows freely for the Saudi-owned company, Fondomonte, WaPo reported. For years, that information was unavailable to Arizona due to little state oversight and regulations, the Post reported. Meanwhile, state and city officials throughout Arizona have taken steps to cut back residents' water usage. In January, Scottsdale also cut off the water supply for about a thousand Rio Verde residents, citing extreme drought conditions.

Persons: WaPo, Jordan Rose, Fondomonte, Katie Hobbs, Hobbs Organizations: Saudi, Service, Washington Post, Arizona PBS, Post, Scottsdale City, Gov Locations: Arizona, Wall, Silicon, Saudi, Fondomonte, Butler Valley, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Rio Verde

☆ 4 people were wounded in a spree of rare dolphin attacks off a beach in Japan, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Dolphins wounded four people in attacks off the Japanese coast this weekend, according to local media. Experts say dolphins can become aggressive, but attacks are rare. Local authorities say they have so far recorded six dolphin attacks on humans this year, Asahi Shinbun reported. And last year authorities installed ultrasonic transmitters in Koshino Beach, Fukui Prefecture, after a series of dolphin attacks, according to reports. It's unclear from the reports what kind of dolphin is believed to be responsible for these recent attacks.

Persons: Asahi Shinbun Organizations: Dolphins, Service, Asahi Shinbun, Tsuruga, BBC, Asahi Locations: Mihama, Fukui prefecture, Wall, Silicon, Japan, Fukui Prefecture, Koshino Beach

☆ Oil worker says he was fired for saving a moose calf from being eaten by a black bear, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Canadian man claims he was fired from his job after saving a moose calf from a bear. The man put the calf, who he named Misty, in the passenger seat of his truck and took her to safety. He said he communicated with his supervisor and the Conservation Officer Service and managed to get the moose to safety. "It wasn't just one moose calf that God saved. Black bears are the biggest predators of moose calves in northern areas where grizzly bears are uncommon, with the animals killing about 40% of all moose calves that were born, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Persons: Misty, Mark Skage, Skage, Dale Reimer, Reimer Organizations: Service, Petroleum Inc, CBC News, Alaska Department of Fish, CBC Locations: Wall, Silicon, British Columbia

☆ A Canadian lake best charts humanity’s impact on Earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Fossils embedded in rock reveal intriguing details about animals, plants and other life-forms that once called Earth home. ConsequencesCrawford Lake in Ontario is the geological site that best reflects a new epoch recognizing the impact of human activity on Earth, said geologists of the Anthropocene Working Group. The Anthropocene Working Group determined in 2016 that the epoch began around 1950 — the start of the era of nuclear testing. The international research group says that Crawford Lake in Ontario best charts humanity’s impact on Earth. Back then, it took 10 hours to relay a single image to Earth — incredibly slow by today’s standards.

Persons: Crawford, they’ve, Amenhotep III, didn’t, Philippe Martinez, Mona Lisa of Egypt, Thais Rabito Pansani, —, Webb, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Conservation, Scientists, MAFTO, Sorbonne University, NASA Mariner, Mariner, NASA Jet Propulsion, CNN Space, Science Locations: Ontario, Brazil, South America, Americas

☆ Famed luxury train is returning to Southeast Asia with two new routes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Karla Cripps | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In February 2024, The Eastern & Oriental Express, A Belmond Train will launch two seasonal return-trip journeys out of Singapore that take in the landscapes of its northern neighbor, Malaysia. These routes mark the brand’s official return to Southeast Asia after being forced to cease operations during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Eastern & Oriental Express, A Belmond Train's open-air observation carriage. BelmondAccording to Belmond, operator of the train, the 15 signature green- and cream-colored carriages, once a familiar site for train spotters in the region, have been restyled. Travelers familiar with the luxury train’s long-established presence in Southeast Asia might be asking: why isn’t it traveling up through Thailand to Bangkok?

Persons: George Town, Belmond, ” Organizations: CNN, Oriental Express, Oriental, State, Presidential, Travelers, Orient, CNN Travel Locations: Southeast Asia, Singapore, Malaysia, Singapore’s Woodlands, Penang, Langkawi, Taman, Pullman, Kuala Lumpur, Malay Culture, Alor Setar, George, Malaysian, Thailand, Bangkok, Venice, Kanchanaburi, Thailand’s

☆ Orcas may just be the beginning. Whales and humans are likely to have more strange encounters in the future.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Orcas are targeting boats near Spain while gray whales in Baja let humans pet them. "It isn't people running up to whales, it's whales coming to people." The gray whales befriending boats is especially interesting because just decades ago they were hunted to the brink of extinction in those same lagoons. But after conservation measures made whaling illegal, the North Pacific gray whales have dramatically recovered, allowing for these more friendly, social interactions between whales and humans. And it's not just the gray whales.

Persons: Leigh Torres, —, Andrew Trites, Torres Organizations: Service, Oregon State, Mammal Institute, Marine Mammal Research, University of British Locations: Spain, Baja, Wall, Silicon, Mexico's Baja California, University of British Columbia, Pacific, Atlantic, Portugal

☆ Gray whales were nicknamed 'devil fish' for fighting back when harpooned by whalers. Now they approach boats and let humans pet them, baffling scientists.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Now gray whales in Baja California frequently interact with humans in a remarkable shift. The video showed a gray whale right beside a boat, allowing the captain to pick whale lice off its head. Still, the fact that the gray whales of the Baja lagoons interact with boats and humans at all baffles researchers. The gray whales then make the longest migration of any mammal, with most traveling more than 10,000 miles to their foraging grounds near Alaska. Hunting gray whales is illegal, with some exceptions for Indigenous peoples in Alaska, Canada, and Mexico.

Persons: Gray, that's, Andrew Trites, Trites, he's, Guillermo Arias, Leigh Torres, Torres, it's Organizations: Service, Marine Mammal Research, University of British, Getty, Oregon State, Mammal Institute Locations: Baja California, Wall, Silicon, Ojo, Baja, University of British Columbia, Alaska, Pacific, Canada, Mexico, Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Coast, Pacific Northwest, Oregon

BOGOTA, July 12 (Reuters) - Deforestation in Colombia fell 29.1% in 2022 versus the previous year spurred by sharp decreases in the country's Amazon region, the government said on Wednesday, marking the lowest level since 2013. Nationally, deforestation fell by just over 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) last year to just over 1,235 square kilometers (477 square miles). That is down from 1,741 square kilometers in 2021 and surpassed the government's target of cutting the rate to 1,400 square kilometers a year by 2026. Deforestation in Amazon provinces, where a majority of the activity occurs, fell significantly, the environment ministry said in its report, with a 50% decrease in Caqueta province alone. Despite smashing the deforestation reduction target, both the government and Botero cautioned against declaring victory.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Susana Muhamad, Muhamad, Rodrigo Botero, Botero, audios, Oliver Griffin, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Foundation for Conservation, Sustainable Development, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Colombia, Bogota, Brazil, Amazon, Caqueta

☆ Why did some birds survive when dinosaurs went extinct? Molting feathers could hold a clue
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Fossilized feathers of an extinct bird show it molted differently than modern birds. The prehistoric bird lost its feathers all at once, while many modern birds molt in waves. There doesn't seem to be a singular reason why modern birds' ancestors survived and the others went extinct, O'Connor said in a statement. But it was also born with a full set of flying feathers, a trait found in certain types of modern precocial birds. O'Connor thinks developing a better understanding of molting and how it evolved could have important implications for modern birds.

Persons: Jingmai O'Connor, enantiornithines, O'Connor, would've, enantiornithine, enantiornithine would've, Yu Chen, I'm Organizations: Service, Field Museum Locations: Wall, Silicon

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