Jammin' Bats to Keep Them Safe
Wind turbines are a valuable source of renewable energy, but they’reeco-unfriendly in one particular way: the giant spinning bladesfrequently kill birds and bats.
A new system that jams bats’ echolocation with ultrasound is showing promise in reducing fatalities at wind energy facilities. Researchers at Texas State University, in partnership with Bat Conservation International (BCI), found that the ultrasonic Bat Deterrent System developed by NRG Systems reduced overall bat fatalities at the Los Vientos Wind Energy Facility in Starr county, Texas, by 54 percent.
Read the whole story, my first for Mongabay: Jammin' at Wind Farms May Help Save Bats.
Workaholic Naked Mole Rats
In the wild, naked mole rats dig a complex tunnel system, complete with chambers for different purposes, covering several hundred meters. It’s hard work, but they accomplish it together. So why do naked mole rats sometimes interfere with the work of their colony mates via a behavior scientists call “tail-tugging?”
Read my latest Animal Minds blog post: Workaholic Naked Mole Rats.
Our Robotic Future
In my latest "Beyond the Gates" piece for the Brown Alumni Magazine, I profile Ayanna Howard '93, director of the Human-Automation Systems Lab (HumAnS) at Georgia Tech. Howard’s lab focuses on how humans and robots interact. Much of this work involves humanized intelligence, the process of imbuing autonomous systems with human cognitive capabilities.
Read the story here: The Ideal Robot.
Crows Infer Weight of Objects by Observing Them in a Breeze
Humans use a variety of cues to gauge an object’s weight without directly handling it, including how easily it can be moved. For instance, if we see one object blowing down the street in the wind while another object remains stationary, we can infer which object is heavier.
But what about other animals? I take a look at a clever new experiment with New Caledonian crows that suggests they possess this ability, too.
Read it here: Observant Crows Make Weighty Decisions.
