A team of researchers, supported by the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP), the Harrison Institute, the University of Tübingen, and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, has discovered a new species of bat in Vietnam.
Named Hipposideros griffini after Donald Griffin (a famous chiropterologist who revolutionised bat research by explaining echolocation), the species was discovered by Thong et al. and described in the Journal of Mammology.
To date, this species has been found in just two locations: Cat Ba Island in northern Vietnam, and Chu Mom Ray National Park on the mainland some 1,000 km to the south. Researchers believe however that its range may extend to other areas in Vietnam as well as China, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Thailand, where similar karst habitats are found.
Hipposideros (or roundleaf bats) are part of a family commonly known as ‘old world leaf-nosed bats’, so-called because of their distinctive leaf-shaped nose ornaments, which help in the transmission of echolocation signals.
A few house martins join a group of bee-eaters on the reeds (see on the left of the photo); then, they fly away. House martin photos: here.
A Cetti’s warbler sings.
A bit further, a Sardinian warbler sings from a bush.
A crested lark sings while flying.
Then, about seventeen grey plovers on a salt pan dike. Remarkable, as one does not see this species often in big groups. About two of the plovers are already in summer plumage.
As we walk back, the grey plovers are still on the dike. Scores of avocets, a little tern, Kentish plovers, a ringed plover and dunlins are there as well. The birds keep to the side of the dike where they are most protected against the rather strong wind of today. The photo shows only the grey plovers and avocets.
View from Bahrain: ‘Safe? They use so much tear gas we can hardly breathe’: here.
Bahrain Crisis between Hunger Strike and Grand Prix Boycott: here.
Holding Grand Prix in Bahrain Ignores Unrest & Abuses (Video): here.
Tension rises over Bahrain as McLaren usher drivers out of press chat. Sensitivity over next week’s grand prix is continuing to increase, despite the decision to go-ahead with the race: here.
Protesters hurled firebombs and riot police fired tear gas Friday, hours after Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone declared the Gulf nation safe to host a Grand Prix race next week.
“There’s nothing happening (in Bahrain),” Ecclestone said in Shanghai before the Chinese Grand Prix. “I know people that live there and it’s all very quiet and peaceful.”
But clashes broke out after the funeral of activist Ahmed Ismail, who authorities say was killed late last month by gunfire during a protest, although it is still unclear who fired the shots.
“No F1, no F1. … They killed my son in cold blood,” sobbed Ismail’s mother, Makyia Ahmed, who said her son had been a volunteer at previous F1 races.
Protesters chanted anti-government slogans and riot police used tear gas and bird shot to clear the crowds. Several people were injured by the bird-shot pellets.
The Grand Prix is the nation’s biggest sports event, drawing a worldwide TV audience of about 100 million in 187 countries.
Organizers canceled last year’s Grand Prix after the outbreak of violence, which has led to at least 50 deaths. The crackdown by the Sunni-led government was imposed after Bahrain‘s Shiite majority demanded a greater political voice.
Human rights groups criticized the reinstatement of the race this year, and protesters have galvanized supporters by chanting against Formula One in marches, while criticizing Ecclestone and drivers on social media websites.
Amnesty International warned that “the human rights crisis in Bahrain is not over.” The London-based group said that despite authorities’ claims that the country is calm and free of political unrest, the “state violence against those who oppose the Al Khalifa family rule continues,” referring to the family of the king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
“Holding the Grand Prix in Bahrain in 2012 risks being interpreted by the government of Bahrain as symbolizing a return to business as usual,” Amnesty’s statement said.
A group calling itself the Feb. 14 Coalition — named for the anniversary of the uprising — says holding the race is “against our wishes and the feelings of the people of Bahrain.”
Bahrain: Grand Prix Decision Ignores Abuses: here.
Amnesty International says Bahrain crisis no better than when 2011 Formula 1 grand prix was cancelled: here.
From SPEEDtv.com:
F1: Sponsors Nervous About Bahrain
Some sponsors have reportedly pulled the plug on providing hospitality for guests in Bahrain…
SPEED Staff / GMM | Posted April 14, 2012
Bahrain Document: Activists Appeal to BBC and Sky Not to Broadcast Grand Prix: here.
From AFP news agency:
4 April 2012 | Last updated at 02:44PM
Bahrain police wound teenage mourner
DUBAI: A Bahraini 15 year-old was in intensive care on Saturday after being shot by anti-riot police while attending the funeral of a citizen journalist killed during a protest late last month, the opposition said.
Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Aziz was among several people injured during the ceremony for Ahmed Ismail, 22, the main Shiite opposition movement in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, Al-Wefaq, said.
He sustained bullet wounds to the chest as police fired tear gas and live rounds on mourners.
The shooting came as Formula One bosses said the Bahrain Grand Prix would go ahead next week as planned, despite fears it could be targeted by anti-government demonstrations.
The sport’s governing body, the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile), and commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone made separate announcements in Shanghai, venue of this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.
The controversial Bahrain event set for April 22 has overshadowed the lead-up to Sunday’s race in Shanghai and many teams are believed to have grave concerns.
It was postponed last year after protests broke out against the government, and was thought to be in jeopardy once again because of the more than year-long demonstrations.
Egypt: Deportation of Bahraini Activist Nabeel Rajab From Cairo Airport: here.
Demand Good Jobs, Healthcare, Affordable Education, Equality and Peace
Say NO to the Republican Agenda!
Money for human needs, not for corporate greed!
On August 27, 2012, while the Republican National Convention selects a candidate for president, we will be marching in the streets of Tampa, Florida demanding jobs, healthcare, education, equality and peace. We will let the entire world know, “We have had enough of the endless attacks on the rights of working people and our standard of living!” We will defend Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. We will defend ourselves against union busting. We will defend our children’s right to an affordable, quality education. We want money spent on human needs, not on wars overseas and corporate greed.
For too long, too many politicians in both political parties have ignored our needs, while serving the interests of the rich and powerful. We need to take things into our own hands and make them understand the consequences of their actions. Monday, August 27, 2012, is the time to advance the cause of justice and make our voices heard. Tampa, Florida is the place for all of us to raise our demands. Whether you are working to defend reproductive rights, standing up against attacks on immigrants and racist discrimination, resisting attacks on working people, or saying no to government cutbacks, we can come together from across the country to let our voices be heard. From California, to Illinois, to New York, we can join our brothers and sisters in the South in mobilizing and building a united protest with a clear message, “No to the Republicans! We demand good jobs, healthcare, affordable education, equality and peace!”
On Monday, August 27, 2012, the attention of the entire world will be focused on Tampa, Florida. The Republican National Convention brings together some of the worst politicians that this country has to offer. We’re calling on all those ready to fight back against the attacks launched by the Republican Party and their corporate masters to take to the streets and demand a better future for our families, our communities and our children.
Groups interested in organizing with the coalition or finding out more information should submit inquiries to the following locations:
E-Mail: MarchOnTheRNC@gmail.com
Facebook: Coalition to March On The RNC
In the State Trayvon Martin Was Shot In, GOP Convention to Welcome Loaded Guns. Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash at Truthout: “Some days you wake up, rub the sleep dust out of your eyes, fire up the computer, and are convinced that you are reading ‘The Onion’ instead of a mainstream corporate news site. That’s the only response to an ABC News online headline, ‘Water Guns Banned, Handguns Allowed at GOP Convention,’ that I could at first ascertain”: here.
What Obama’s Willingness to Deal with the Tea Party Right Means for Progressive Politics: here.
Former Republican governor of Virginia Robert F. McDonnell and his wife Maureen were found guilty September 4 of 20 felony counts of corruption, conspiracy and fraud. A federal court jury found they used the governor’s office to obtain payoffs from a multimillionaire business crony: here.
THE FALL OF AARON SCHOCK “You know Aaron Schock. We all know Aaron Schock. The Republican from Illinois, who said yesterday he would resign from Congress effective March 31, is the kind of guy who has it all. Looks. Money. Success. A six-pack. Schock’s veneer was so resplendent that when Daily Caller asked him what vices he could possibly have, he seemed genuinely stumped, offering the most harmless of answers: magazines.” [WaPo]
Two Immigrants Killed in Ambush by Arizona Gunmen. Mike Ludwig, Truthout: “Two people were killed on Sunday night when ‘an unknown number of subjects in camouflage clothing armed with rifles’ ambushed a truck carrying 20 to 30 undocumented immigrants near the southern Arizona town of Eloy’ … The attack comes as the Arizona legislature is considering a bill that would create a volunteer, state-sponsored and fully armed militia to aid the Border Patrol along the United States-Mexico border. Militia members would be able to pursue, arrest and detain individuals”: here.
Portuguese biologist makes insect discovery in Algarve
14/4/2012
Europe’s largest underground insect was discovered in caves in the Algarve by Portuguese biologist Ana Sofia Reboleira, increasing the number of newly discovered species in Portugal to seven.
Commonly known as ‘silver fish’ or ‘book worms’, the insect’s scientific name is Squamatinia algharbica. According to biologist Sofia Reboleira, “it is the largest underground insect in Europe and the second largest bristletail in the world.”
Being three centimetres long, without eyes, uncoloured and possessing feelers like antennae “that are extremely developed”, the insect is a new species “that lives solely in caves in the Algarve, developing its life cycle underground and not being able to survive outside,” said the biologist.
According to Sofia Reboleira, it is a “bio-geographical relic that survived various episodes of climate change, taking refuge underground” and inhabits the same cave systems where she discovered a giant pseudoscorpion in 2010.
The discovery was made during research for Ana Sofia Reboleira’s doctorate at the Department of Biology and Centre for Environment and Sea studies at Aveiro University, overseen by professors Fernando Gonçalves from the biology department and Pedro Oromi from the University of Iaguna in Spain.
This new discovery brings the number of new species up to seven described by Ana Reboleira, who has contributed to Portugal’s biological heritage and highlighted … the importance of these species, “which are at risk due to a lack of specific measures to protect underground habitats.”
Reporting this week in the journal PLoS ONE, an international team of scientists describe how they used Very High Resolution (VHR) satellite images to estimate the number of penguins at each colony around the coastline of Antarctica. Using a technique known as pan-sharpening to increase the resolution of the satellite imagery, the science teams were able to differentiate between birds, ice, shadow and penguin poo (guano). They then used ground counts and aerial photography to calibrate the analysis. These birds breed in areas that are very difficult to study because they are remote and often inaccessible with temperatures as low as – 50°C (- 58 degrees Fahrenheit).
595,000 Emperor penguins
Lead author and geographer Peter Fretwell at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) which is funded by the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) explains, “We are delighted to be able to locate and identify such a large number of Emperor penguins. We counted 595,000 birds, which is almost double the previous estimates of 270,000 – 350,000 birds. This is the first comprehensive census of a species taken from space.”
On the ice, Emperor penguins with their black and white plumage stand out against the snow and colonies are clearly visible on satellite imagery. This allowed the team to analyse 44 Emperor penguin colonies around the coast of Antarctica, with seven previously unknown.
“The methods we used are an enormous step forward in Antarctic ecology because we can conduct research safely and efficiently with little environmental impact, and determine estimates of an entire penguin population, said co-author Michelle LaRue from the University of Minnesota and funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. “The implications of this study are far-reaching: we now have a cost-effective way to apply our methods to other poorly-understood species in the Antarctic, to strengthen on-going field research, and to provide accurate information for international conservation efforts.”
BAS biologist Dr Phil Trathan, and co-author, noted, “Current research suggests that Emperor penguin colonies will be seriously affected by climate change. An accurate continent-wide census that can be easily repeated on a regular basis will help us monitor more accurately the impacts of future change on this iconic species.”
Loss of sea ice
Scientists are concerned that in some regions of Antarctica, earlier spring warming is leading to loss of sea ice habitat for Emperor penguins, making their northerly colonies more vulnerable to further climate change.
Dr Trathan continued, “Whilst current research leads us to expect important declines in the number of Emperor penguins over the next century, the effects of warming around Antarctica are regional and uneven. In the future we anticipate that the more southerly colonies should remain, making these important sites for further research and protection.”
April 2012. Sixteen “hidden” cameras planted by scientists have survived some of the planet’s harshest winter conditions to capture the annual activities of penguin colonies in Antarctica: here.
Antarctic ice-sheet loss driven by basal melting of ice shelves: here.
Warm Currents Threaten to Expand Antarctic Melting: here.
On a 1910–1913 Antarctic expedition, surgeon and zoologist George Levick bore witness to some surprising sexual behaviors of Adélie penguins, including coerced sex and necrophilia. In fact, the paper he wrote on the penguins’ sexual habits was considered too explicit to be published during the Edwardian era, and has only recently been rediscovered after spending almost a century hidden away in the Natural History Museum at Tring: here.
Researchers from the Natural History Museum in Madrid, who have been working in the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica, have discovered that the population of chinstrap penguins there has declined by more than a third in the last 20 years: here.
Dear Kitty. Some blog 