Animals

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Using AI to ‘talk to animals’ might make us feel clever – but what, if anything, does it do for them?

As animal behaviorists increasingly use AI in their research, they grapple with how to wield the technology responsiblyI’m sitting in a small boat in Shark Bay, Australia, eavesdropping on a conversation between some of Earth’s most intelligent beings. The motor is off, the turquoise sea is glassy, and Stephanie King and I are motionless, transfixed […]

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‘Once I started zooming in, I never stopped’: the mesmerising art of macro photography

Converts describe a demanding form of capturing nature very close up that has grown in popularity in last few yearsVote here for your favourite invertebrate of the year“I always just pray ‘please don’t fly away’,” says Dara Ojo. As a wildlife photographer, he can handle spending minutes, hours and sometimes days waiting for the shot,

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Gen Z flocks to BirdTok as birding takes flight: ‘It’s a craving for something real’

Social media and Shazam-like birdsong apps drawing young people to hobby as they seek a gentler connection to the outside worldSorry Elon, but they’re not your kind of tweets. Social media users are flocking to TikTok to join a burgeoning trend for birding videos as the hobby attracts a younger demographic.With the internet ever more

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The ornithological artist drawing 1,000 birds by hand – all for an app that wants you off your phone

The mission of the Flock app is quietly subversive: to encourage users to ditch their screens and explore the wonderful world of birdingOn a brilliantly bright afternoon in his gallery and studio in Bolinas, a small town on the northern California coast, Keith Hansen was putting the finishing touches on a watercolor of an almost

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Google wants to release 32 million sterile mosquitoes. Our Australian tests offer a valuable lesson | Nigel Beebe for the Conversation

Google’s ‘Debug’ project in California and Florida aims to reduce mosquito numbers by releasing millions of sterilised malesIn the United States, Google’s (now Alphabet) Debug initiative has asked the federal government for permission to release up to 32 million sterilised male mosquitoes in California and Florida.Male mosquitoes don’t bite or carry disease. The hope is

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Al-altered images on birdwatching forums putting research at risk

Experts warn increase in enhanced photos on birding platforms creating fake sightings, threatening credibility of tool used by scientistsFor many birdwatchers, recording a species outside its normal range is the holy grail. In the UK, the discoveries often make national headlinesThe western reef heron, for example, usually found in Africa and southern Europe, spotted in

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A little bird told her: scientist wins $100,000 prize for decoding birdsong

Julie Elie worked out how zebra finches announce who they are, what they are doing and use individual signaturesA scientist who decoded the dictionary that a bird uses to communicate has won a $100,000 prize for making progress towards a world in which humans can talk to the animals – without being met with a

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Fitness tracker for Fido? Experts split on benefits of pet tech

As sales soar, some say trackers can help animal anxiety or weight loss while others advise leaving diagnoses to the vetPet health and activity trackers are bounding on to the market but experts are split on whether they are the cat’s pyjamas or barking up the wrong tree.As owners monitor their own step count, heart

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World’s oldest tortoise caught in viral crypto death scam

Fake X account posing as his vet sparked global false reports of Jonathan’s death while soliciting crypto donationsAt 194 years old, Jonathan, the giant tortoise, was a youngster when Queen Victoria ascended to the throne – and has now lived long enough to fall victim to a crypto scam.News outlets including the BBC, Daily Mail

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Augmenting citizen science with computer vision for fish monitoring

Each spring, river herring populations migrate from Massachusetts coastal waters to begin their annual journey up rivers and streams to freshwater spawning habitat. River herring have faced severe population declines over the past several decades, and their migration is extensively monitored across the region, primarily through traditional visual counting and volunteer-based programs. Monitoring fish movement and understanding

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