Kothamangalam, Kerala
Bird of the Day: Grey Indian Junglefowl
Kothamangalam, Kerala
National Park of the Week: Canaima National Park, Venezuela
Photo by Brad Wilson
Best known for its characteristic flat-topped mountain formations known as “tepuis,” Canaima National Park is a geologic marvel that astounds the most experienced geologists and intrepid travelers alike. Between the table-top mountains, grassy savannah blankets the valleys and the perimeters of the tepuis, which cover about 65% of the park. The park is the sixth largest park in the world, measuring three million (yes, million) hectares, and is located in Venezuela close to the border between Brazil and Guyana.
Be The Bee
SAM DROEGE/UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Science, as a section of the daily newspaper of old, was geek-out territory. In the modernizing news organization, it has every bit of that old intensity, magnified by the wonders of technology. This little item demonstrates the point:
You’re a Bee. This Is What It Feels Like.
We’re taking you on a journey to help you understand how bees, while hunting for pollen, use all of their senses — taste, touch, smell and more — to decide what to pick up and bring home.
Set your meetings, phone calls and emails aside, at least for the next several minutes. That’s because today you’re a bee.
Anthropocene Urban Wonder
Central Park, New York City. Credit: Anthony Quintano via Flickr.
Thanks to Anthropocene:
Looking for the next miracle drug? Try searching city soils
Many drugs are based on molecules produced by bacteria. Previously, the search for such drugs has mostly focused on “pristine” environments in far-flung locales. But a new study shows that many useful molecules could already be, quite literally, at our feet. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Brandt’s Cormorant (Villa del Faro)
Baja California Sur, Mexico
Banks, Rainforests, We The People
Young orphaned orangutans on a climbing expedition with their keeper at International Animal Rescue’s orangutan school in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Credit Kemal Jufri for The New York Times
We first started paying close attention to the plight of the ecosystem in the image above when we saw the talk given by Willie Smits, who has taken action, to say the least, in the interest of protecting that rainforest and its inhabitants. It is not because of the orangutans (though see the photo below and try to resist reading on) that we find this article compelling; it is because there is a clear and compelling call to action on holding our institutions accountable:
How Big Banks Are Putting Rain Forests in Peril
By
In early 2015, scientists monitoring satellite images at Global Forest Watch raised the alarm about the destruction of rain forests in Indonesia.
Environmental groups raced to the scene in West Kalimantan province, on the island of Borneo, to find a charred wasteland: smoldering fires, orangutans driven from their nests, and signs of an extensive release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Continue reading
Urban Cycle Heaven
Copenhagen has recorded 13,100 more bikes than cars in the city centre over the past year. Photograph: Michal Krakowiak/Getty Images
Scandinavia in general (and Denmark in particular) is famous for forward thinking initiates, both socially and environmentally. Thanks to the Guardian for sharing this milestone.
Two-wheel takeover: bikes outnumber cars for the first time in Copenhagen
Denmark’s capital has reached a milestone in its journey to become a cycling city – there are now more bikes than cars on the streets. Can other cities follow? Continue reading
Bird of the Day: White-browed Fantail Flycatcher
Pangot, Uttarakhand
World Class Recycling
Recycling bins for glass bottles — both clear and colored — in Potsdam, Germany. Credit Gordon Welters for The New York Times
Thanks to the New York Times for reminding us who’s who in the world of recycling:
Germany Gleefully Leads List of World’s Top Recyclers
By
The praise from a German friend was the first sign that I had gone native.
“You see?” he said to his American wife, pointing to the sink where, without thinking, I was rinsing out the plastic yogurt cup I’d just emptied, unwrapping its cardboard sleeve and separating the foil from the lip of the container. “That is how to recycle!”
What may sound like a lot of extra fuss over trash has become second nature among Germans, the world’s recycling champions. Continue reading
Birdsong, Beauty & Beholder
Getty Images
Thanks as always to Barbara King, who we link to from time to time on topics of simple, natural beauty:
What Do Birds Hear When They Sing Beautiful Songs?
Birdsong is music to human ears.
It has inspired famous composers. For the rest of us, it may uplift the spirit and improve attention or simply be a source of delight, fun and learning.
But have you ever wondered what birds themselves hear when they sing? Continue reading
Liquid Cultural Heritage
UNESCO cited Belgians’ affinity for a wide range of beer in its official recognition of the beer culture of Belgium as a treasure of human culture that should be protected. Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
We might have assumed that yoga had already been recognized as intangible patrimony worthy of UNESCO status. But, surprisingly, that is just happening now, according to the Guardian. Speaking of surprises, beer culture–specifically that of Belgium–makes the cut as well. We are impressed with variety within this brewing heritage and hope the classification helps preserve the knowledge for all of us to get to sample all those styles. Thanks to National Public Radio (USA) for this story:
UNESCO Deems Belgium’s Beer Culture A Treasure Of Humanity
BILL CHAPPELL
Citing Belgian beer’s integral role in social and culinary life, UNESCO is putting the country’s rich brewing scene (with nearly 1,500 styles) on its list representing the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Belgium’s beer culture is one of 16 new additions that were announced Thursday. Continue reading
Mexico’s Experimentation With Community-Based Forestry
Thanks to Discover magazine for this (subscription required):
Can Community-Based Logging Fight Climate Change?
In Mexico, conservationists hope sustainable logging can provide jobs, protect the habitat and keep carbon from the atmosphere. Continue reading
Planet Earth II
Planet Earth II has attracted audiences of up to 10.6 million. Photograph: David Willis/BBC
Thanks to the Guardian for this:
Planet Earth II a form of therapy for viewers, says Attenborough
Veteran broadcaster says blockbuster BBC nature show offers audiences respite from their concerns about the world
by Esther Addley
Millions of people are tuning into the BBC’s nature series Planet Earth II because they crave a respite from their concerns about the future of the planet, Sir David Attenborough has said. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: California Quail
male – Baja California Sur, Mexico
New Directions In Art
Flexn artists, photo by Sodium for MIF 2015
We had not heard of Flexn until this week, when they were mentioned in a podcast with the phenomenal Peter Sellars (alluded to once previously in these pages, and linked to another time directly). Now we want to know more. And it looks like one way to learn more will happen at The Shed. Back in August, when we first heard about The Shed, it was a quick glance at the future. Now we have more detail, thanks to this early release of a profile in next week’s New Yorker:
ALEX POOTS, PERFORMANCE ART IMPRESARIO
How will the director of New York’s ambitious experimental cultural center change the city?
By Calvin Tomkins
Every so often, it seems, visual artists are stricken by the urge to perform. The “happenings” movement in the nineteen-sixties—young painters and sculptors doing nonverbal theatre—was explained as a response to Pollock, de Kooning, and other gestural Abstract Expressionists: it was the gesture without the painting. Continue reading
Amazing Amazonian Arapaima
Thanks to Wired, this minute+ video (click image above) introduces an oddball:
Meet the Arapaima, the Swimming Tank of the Amazon
What’s 10 feet long, 440 pounds, and armored like a tank? The arapaima, perhaps the most peculiar fish in the Amazon.
Living Walls
As Kochi is awash with participating artists putting finishing touches on their Kochi-Muziris Biennale works, it’s exciting to see art flourishing in other cities on a regular basis.
Atlanta’s Living Walls seeks to promote, educate and change perspectives about public space in local communities via street art. Dozens of international artists participate in an annual conference on street art and urbanism that began in August 2010 in the city of Atlanta. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Peregrine Falcon
Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat
Photosynthetic Solutions
Wilerson S. Andrade/Flickr.com
Thanks to Anthropocene:
Could more efficient photosynthesis help feed the world?
Finding A Mate In The Camargue
Flamingos strutting their stuff at a park in the Camargue region of southern France. Credit Jean E. Roche/Minden Pictures
Thanks to Tuesday’s Science section in the New York Times:
Flamingo Mating Rules: 1. Learn the Funky Chicken
By
Flamingos are very good dancers. They twist and preen, they scratch their heads, they march in unison. They poke a wing in one direction and a leg in another. Continue reading
Organikos 