A species of fruit fly found on the Seychelles Islands often lays larvae instead of eggs. In other words, it switches between laying eggs and live birth. “Most larvae emerged within two hours compared to an average of nearly 23 hours for the other 10 species in the study”, say biologists at the University of California, San Diego, who have made this discovery. Another fly, Drosophila yakuba, showed the same trait, and most eggs hatched within 14 hours. The cause may be changes in the male reproductive strategy, which depends on proteins in their semen that stimulates egg-laying in females. “That signaling mechanism between the male and the female has changed. We do not know the basis for it, but we ought to be looking,” says Therese Markow, a professor of biology who led the project. And studying this trait may reveal evolutionary step to live birth.
ATTENTION SEEKING
Jungles are noisy places – aurally and visually. So, how do animals convey messages amidst all this? They use body language to alert others before conveying any message! Yes, they use visual displays to grab their neighbours’ attention. For instance, anole lizards found in Puerto Rico forests perform eye-catching push-ups before doing ‘head-bobbing’ displays that announce their territory and status. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, deployed robotic yellow-chinned anoles (Anolis gundlachi) in a forest, and observed how neighbouring anoles responded to the various displays. After analysing over 300 responses. The researchers observed that both the push-ups and rapid dewlap extensions prompted neighbouring lizards to respond more quickly than when head bobs were performed without these alerts.
GREEN VATICAN
The State of the Vatican City, the smallest independent state in the world by both population and area, is going green. It has committed to use renewable energy for 20 per cent of its needs by 2020, and has recently activated a new solar energy system. The system, devised by the German company SolarWorld, will allow the city-state to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by about 225 tonnes. It will now power the City’s several key buildings, including the Nervi Hall, where Popes hold general audiences and concerts are performed. The Hall has been covered with 2,400 photovoltaic panels, which are ‘invisible’ from the ground, leaving the Vatican skyline unchanged. And by producing its own energy, the Vatican will become more autonomous from Italy, from where it currently buys all its energy. Sounds like a great green plan!
URINE PROCESSOR
Urine can be turned into water, and that too, potable water! In National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s International Space Station as of now. The urine processor is part of the US$154 million water recycling system, which was delivered to it by NASA’s space shuttle Endeavour. Samples of the processed urine, sweat and condensation will be tested on Earth before astronauts can start drinking the purified water next year. Think that the idea is yucky? Well, it is a necessity for supporting the space station’s crew, which will double next year.
KOALA CONNECTION
Australian scientists are using mobile telephones to eavesdrop on koalas. No, this is not a spy mission. These scientists want to understand what Koalas say when they bellow. The researchers have tagged koalas on Saint Bees Island, off northeast Australia, with satellite tracking devices to monitor movements and placed mobile telephones in the trees. The mobiles, charged by solar power and car batteries, turn on every 30 minutes and record bellows for two minutes. They download the recordings to a computer at the University of Queensland, Brisbane. The study may help to manage koala populations by informing wildlife officials about various aspects, such as, when is the best time to introduce new animals to a population.
A species of fruit fly found on the Seychelles Islands often lays larvae instead of eggs. In other words, it switches between laying eggs and live birth. “Most larvae emerged within two hours compared to an average of nearly 23 hours for the other 10 species in the study”, say biologists at the University of California, San Diego, who have made this discovery. Another fly, Drosophila yakuba, showed the same trait, and most eggs hatched within 14 hours. The cause may be changes in the male reproductive strategy, which depends on proteins in their semen that stimulates egg-laying in females. “That signaling mechanism between the male and the female has changed. We do not know the basis for it, but we ought to be looking,” says Therese Markow, a professor of biology who led the project. And studying this trait may reveal evolutionary step to live birth.
Jungles are noisy places – aurally and visually. So, how do animals convey messages amidst all this? They use body language to alert others before conveying any message! Yes, they use visual displays to grab their neighbours’ attention. For instance, anole lizards found in Puerto Rico forests perform eye-catching push-ups before doing ‘head-bobbing’ displays that announce their territory and status. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, deployed robotic yellow-chinned anoles (Anolis gundlachi) in a forest, and observed how neighbouring anoles responded to the various displays. After analysing over 300 responses. The researchers observed that both the push-ups and rapid dewlap extensions prompted neighbouring lizards to respond more quickly than when head bobs were performed without these alerts.
The State of the Vatican City, the smallest independent state in the world by both population and area, is going green. It has committed to use renewable energy for 20 per cent of its needs by 2020, and has recently activated a new solar energy system. The system, devised by the German company SolarWorld, will allow the city-state to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by about 225 tonnes. It will now power the City’s several key buildings, including the Nervi Hall, where Popes hold general audiences and concerts are performed. The Hall has been covered with 2,400 photovoltaic panels, which are ‘invisible’ from the ground, leaving the Vatican skyline unchanged. And by producing its own energy, the Vatican will become more autonomous from Italy, from where it currently buys all its energy. Sounds like a great green plan! 
Urine can be turned into water, and that too, potable water! In National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s International Space Station as of now. The urine processor is part of the US$154 million water recycling system, which was delivered to it by NASA’s space shuttle Endeavour. Samples of the processed urine, sweat and condensation will be tested on Earth before astronauts can start drinking the purified water next year. Think that the idea is yucky? Well, it is a necessity for supporting the space station’s crew, which will double next year.
Australian scientists are using mobile telephones to eavesdrop on koalas. No, this is not a spy mission. These scientists want to understand what Koalas say when they bellow. The researchers have tagged koalas on Saint Bees Island, off northeast Australia, with satellite tracking devices to monitor movements and placed mobile telephones in the trees. The mobiles, charged by solar power and car batteries, turn on every 30 minutes and record bellows for two minutes. They download the recordings to a computer at the University of Queensland, Brisbane. The study may help to manage koala populations by informing wildlife officials about various aspects, such as, when is the best time to introduce new animals to a population.