Cher never intended to get involved in the rescue of a 8,700-pound elephant from a zoo in Pakistan. But after seeing copious calls on Twitter in 2016 to “Free Kaavan,” the “Goddess of Pop” found herself phoning Mark Cowne, a businessman she met at a party once, who she recalled had experience helping to move elephants in Africa.“All of a sudden, I was just doing it,” Cher says. “I didn’t expect anything, but I was going to say to myself, ‘Yeah, you tried.’”To her surprise, though, Cowne agreed to fly to Pakistan later that week. Cowne was previously involved with reintroducing elephants and...…Cher never intended to get involved in the rescue of a 8,700-pound elephant from a zoo in Pakistan. But after seeing copious calls on Twitter in 2016 to “Free Kaavan,” the “Goddess of Pop” found herself phoning Mark Cowne, a businessman she met at a party once, who she recalled had experience helping to move elephants in Africa.“All of a sudden, I was just doing it,” Cher says. “I didn’t expect anything, but I was going to say to myself, ‘Yeah, you tried.’”To her surprise, though, Cowne agreed to fly to Pakistan later that week. Cowne was previously involved with reintroducing elephants and...WW…

Dinosaur and fossil aficionados are intimately familiar with the meteorite strike that drove Tyrannosaurus rex and all nonavian dinosaurs to extinction around 66 million years ago. But it is often overlooked that the impact also wiped out entire ecosystems. A new study shows how those casualties, in turn, led to another particularly profound evolutionary outcome: the emergence of the , the most spectacularly diverse environment on the planet. Yet the Amazon’s bounty of tropical species and habitats now face their own existential threat because of unprecedented destruction from human...…Dinosaur and fossil aficionados are intimately familiar with the meteorite strike that drove Tyrannosaurus rex and all nonavian dinosaurs to extinction around 66 million years ago. But it is often overlooked that the impact also wiped out entire ecosystems. A new study shows how those casualties, in turn, led to another particularly profound evolutionary outcome: the emergence of the , the most spectacularly diverse environment on the planet. Yet the Amazon’s bounty of tropical species and habitats now face their own existential threat because of unprecedented destruction from human...WW…

PanamaExploring history, culture and natural wondersMade Possible Through the Support ofAt first glance, frog number 307457, also known as “the Old Man,” looks no different from the 30-odd Panamanian golden frogs he shares a basement room with at the . His personality, though, is more muted. Although he has an entire enclosure to himself, he often prefers to hide among the leaves rather than bask under the warm lights like the others.But the Old Man’s understated demeanor belies his outsized importance. He is not just any Panamanian golden frog, which, despite the name, is technically a...…PanamaExploring history, culture and natural wondersMade Possible Through the Support ofAt first glance, frog number 307457, also known as “the Old Man,” looks no different from the 30-odd Panamanian golden frogs he shares a basement room with at the . His personality, though, is more muted. Although he has an entire enclosure to himself, he often prefers to hide among the leaves rather than bask under the warm lights like the others.But the Old Man’s understated demeanor belies his outsized importance. He is not just any Panamanian golden frog, which, despite the name, is technically a...WW…

One evening Adam Mastroianni was reluctantly putting on his bow tie for yet another black-tie party at the University of Oxford that he had no interest in attending. Inevitably, Mastroianni, then a master’s student in psychology at the university, knew that he would wind up stuck in some endless conversation that he did not want with no way to politely extricate himself. Even worse, he suddenly realized, he might unknowingly be the one to perpetuate unwanted conversation traps for others. “What if both people are thinking exactly the same thing, but we’re both stuck because we can’t move on...…One evening Adam Mastroianni was reluctantly putting on his bow tie for yet another black-tie party at the University of Oxford that he had no interest in attending. Inevitably, Mastroianni, then a master’s student in psychology at the university, knew that he would wind up stuck in some endless conversation that he did not want with no way to politely extricate himself. Even worse, he suddenly realized, he might unknowingly be the one to perpetuate unwanted conversation traps for others. “What if both people are thinking exactly the same thing, but we’re both stuck because we can’t move on...WW…

Spider legs seem to have minds of their own. According to findings published , each leg functions as a semi-independent “computer,” with sensors that read the immediate environment and trigger movements accordingly. This autonomy helps the arachnids quickly spin perfect webs with minimal brain use. The study authors simulated surprisingly simple rules to govern this complex behavior—which could eventually be applied to robotics.“The novelty of this paper is really to lay out an interesting and potentially very important paradigm to study and test new ideas about the next generation of...…Spider legs seem to have minds of their own. According to findings published , each leg functions as a semi-independent “computer,” with sensors that read the immediate environment and trigger movements accordingly. This autonomy helps the arachnids quickly spin perfect webs with minimal brain use. The study authors simulated surprisingly simple rules to govern this complex behavior—which could eventually be applied to robotics.“The novelty of this paper is really to lay out an interesting and potentially very important paradigm to study and test new ideas about the next generation of...WW…

More than 30 years after the Chernobyl nuclear plant's meltdown, an 18-mile radius around the site remains almost entirely devoid of human activity—. But scientists disagree over lingering radiation's effects on animal populations in this region, called the Exclusion Zone. A new analysis, based on estimating the actual doses animals receive in various parts of the zone, supports the hypothesis that areas with the most radiation have the fewest mammals.“The effects we saw are consistent with conventional wisdom about radiation,” says University of South Carolina biologist Timothy Mousseau,...…More than 30 years after the Chernobyl nuclear plant's meltdown, an 18-mile radius around the site remains almost entirely devoid of human activity—. But scientists disagree over lingering radiation's effects on animal populations in this region, called the Exclusion Zone. A new analysis, based on estimating the actual doses animals receive in various parts of the zone, supports the hypothesis that areas with the most radiation have the fewest mammals.“The effects we saw are consistent with conventional wisdom about radiation,” says University of South Carolina biologist Timothy Mousseau,...WW…

Naples is known for its crime and mafia ties, but the city also has another issue plaguing residents: dog poop. Now, the city is taking a stance on the problem. , pet dogs' DNA will be entered into a city-wide registry. Samples from piles of poo left on the street will then be entered into the database and be used to identify the irresponsible owner behind the mess. The city will fine culprits around $685, the Times reports. Naples, however, is not the first to do take extreme measures to counter canine waste in public spaces. Here's the Times: Cities have...…Naples is known for its crime and mafia ties, but the city also has another issue plaguing residents: dog poop. Now, the city is taking a stance on the problem. , pet dogs' DNA will be entered into a city-wide registry. Samples from piles of poo left on the street will then be entered into the database and be used to identify the irresponsible owner behind the mess. The city will fine culprits around $685, the Times reports. Naples, however, is not the first to do take extreme measures to counter canine waste in public spaces. Here's the Times: Cities have...WW…

For years scientists have sought to create the ultimate cancer-screening test—one that can reliably detect a malignancy early, before tumor cells spread and when treatments are more effective. A new method reported today in Nature Communications brings researchers a step closer to that goal. By using a blood test, the international team was able to who went on to develop cancer.“What we showed is: up to four years before these people walk into the hospital, there are already signatures in their blood that show they have cancer,” says , a bioengineer at the University of California, San...…For years scientists have sought to create the ultimate cancer-screening test—one that can reliably detect a malignancy early, before tumor cells spread and when treatments are more effective. A new method reported today in Nature Communications brings researchers a step closer to that goal. By using a blood test, the international team was able to who went on to develop cancer.“What we showed is: up to four years before these people walk into the hospital, there are already signatures in their blood that show they have cancer,” says , a bioengineer at the University of California, San...WW…

| Longreads | March 2020 | 28 minutes (7,033 words)You can listen to our four-part “Cat People” podcast series on , , or wherever you get your podcasts.It’s a gloomy April afternoon in rural Oklahoma, and I’m sitting on the floor of a fluorescent-lit room at a roadside zoo with Nova, a 12-week-old tiliger. She looks like a tiger cub, but she’s actually a crossbreed, an unnatural combination of a tiger father and a mother born of a tiger and a lion. That unique genetic makeup places a higher price tag on cubs like Nova, and makes it easier, legally speaking, to abuse and exploit them....…| Longreads | March 2020 | 28 minutes (7,033 words)You can listen to our four-part “Cat People” podcast series on , , or wherever you get your podcasts.It’s a gloomy April afternoon in rural Oklahoma, and I’m sitting on the floor of a fluorescent-lit room at a roadside zoo with Nova, a 12-week-old tiliger. She looks like a tiger cub, but she’s actually a crossbreed, an unnatural combination of a tiger father and a mother born of a tiger and a lion. That unique genetic makeup places a higher price tag on cubs like Nova, and makes it easier, legally speaking, to abuse and exploit them....WW…