Birds Face Weakened Protections Under Trump Move

Birds Face Weakened Protections Under Trump Move

In a reprise of the first Trump administration, migratory birds are again facing weakened protections under federal law. The issue at hand: Should companies be held responsible if birds are killed accidentally, for example in oil spills or waste pits? The answer has ping-ponged back and forth in recent years under different interpretations of the…

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Embracing Darkness on the Isle of Rum

Embracing Darkness on the Isle of Rum

Rum, a diamond-shaped island off the western coast of Scotland, is home to 40 people. Most of the island — 40 square miles of mountains, peatland and heath — is a national nature reserve, with residents mainly nestled around Kinloch Bay to the east. What the Isle of Rum lacks is artificial illumination. There are…

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Birds of Paradise Glow on Their Mating Parade

Birds of Paradise Glow on Their Mating Parade

Elaborate poses, tufts of feathers, flamboyant shuffles along an immaculate forest floor — male birds-of-paradise have many ways to woo a potential mate. But now, by examining prepared specimens at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, scientists have discovered what could be yet another tool in the kit of the tropical birds…

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‘This Is a Dangerous Virus’

‘This Is a Dangerous Virus’

When bird flu first struck dairy cattle a year ago, it seemed possible that it might affect a few isolated herds and disappear as quickly as it had appeared. Instead, the virus has infected more than 900 herds and dozens of people, killing one, and the outbreak shows no signs of abating. A pandemic is…

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