First picture of a sunlike star with multiple exoplanets
Unlike our solar system, this one has two massive gas giants with far-out orbits.
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Meatier meals and more playtime might reduce cats’ toll on wildlife
Surprisingly simple measures might keep domestic cats from killing a lot of wildlife.
Estimates vary, but it’s likely that billions of birds and mammals succumb each year to our outdoor-ranging feline friends. Calls to keep cats indoors are often contentious among cat owners, and cats can sometimes reject colorful collars or loud bells designed to make them more noticeable.
But a meat-rich diet or a few minutes of hunting-like play each day can significantly reduce the amount of wildlife they bring home, researchers report February 11 in Current Biology.
Interventions that reduce cat predation and have buy-in from cat owners “are so important because we’re just decimating bird populations,” says Susan Willson, an ecologist at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., who wasn’t involved in the study. While preliminary, she says this study shows that “simply feeding your cat a high-meat diet might actually work.”
Tiny, sunlight-powered aircraft could soar beyond airplanes’ reach
Light is all that’s needed to levitate these microfliers.
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Fin whale songs can reveal hidden features of the ocean floor
Fin whale calls can penetrate into Earth’s crust.
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