Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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More whales in Icelandic waters

Published 18 August 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus).

A large number of whales have been observed around Iceland after the summer whale count. Fin whales are the main species observed by the researchers.

The Marine and Freshwater Research Institute of Iceland (MFRI) has recently conducted a census of whales in Icelandic waters. The count, which took place over a month, shows that the whale forecast for the year was very good with over 4000 whales counted.

– A great number of whales were spotted, MFRI whale expert Guðjón Már Sigurðsson told Icelandic state broadcaster RUV. Most of all, fin whales. After those, long-finned pilot whales, northern bottlenose whales, and humpback whales.

There have also been reports of large pods of humpback whales near the island of Grímsey, north of Iceland, according to Sigurðsson. It is believed that these particular whales were following a school of mackerel, but the expert also believes that humpback whales in general have increased in numbers.

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Nanoplastics spread to remote mountain peaks

Published 16 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff

Researchers from Norway, among others, have discovered nanoplastics in the snow in the Alps. The particles were found at over 3,100 meters altitude.

Previous studies have detected microplastics in remote locations, including mountainous areas. Therefore, researchers from the University of Leipzig in Germany, the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands and NILU in Norway also investigated the presence of nanoplastics plastic particles smaller than 1 micrometer (μm) in high-altitude glaciers.

In the study, published in Scientific Reports, the researchers hired experienced mountaineers to collect snow samples in the Alps. The samples were taken from 14 sites in the French, Italian and Swiss parts of the mountain range, 13 of which were above 3100 meters above sea level.

According to the study, nanoplastics were found at five of the sites examined. Levels ranged from 2 to 80 ng/mL of snow. The most common plastic particles came from car tire wear, but polystyrene and polyethylene were also found.

– Our findings merely show that plastic pollution on a micro- and nano scale may be more widespread than earlier assumed. Due to their minuscule size, these particles have large potential to be transported through the atmosphere over long distances, contributing to global pollution, said NILU researcher Nikolaos Evangeliou in a press release.

Unusually cold in Iceland last year

Published 23 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Snæfellsnes in January 2024.

2024 was recorded as the coldest year in Iceland in the last 27 years, according to the country’s meteorological office. Temperatures were below average for most of the year.

The national average temperature in Iceland was 0.8°C below the average for the period 1991-2020 last year, Icelandic state broadcaster RUV reports. Winter temperatures were below the national average, and although spring was close to average, April was particularly cold with heavy precipitation and snow in the north-east until the end of the month.

Summer was also unusually cold, with temperatures below normal in all summer months except July. In the fall, November offered an unusual contrast: the first half was very warm, while the second half was significantly colder than average.

According to Veðurstofa Íslands, Iceland’s meteorological office, 2024 was the coldest year since 1998.

The highest temperature of the year, 27.5°C, was recorded at Egilsstaðir Airport in eastern Iceland on July 14. The lowest temperature of the year, -28.6°C, was recorded at Svartárkot in northern Iceland on December 31.

Elephant uses hose for shower – surprises researchers

Published 21 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff

Mary the elephant at Berlin Zoo has not only learned to shower all by herself. Her advanced showering technique using a water hose has surprised scientists studying Mary’s behavior.

Jane Goodall, who lived with chimpanzees for 25 years, was among the first scientists to notice that animals can use tools. She observed a chimpanzee named David using a blade of grass to fish termites out of a termite mound. Since then, scientists have discovered that many more animals, such as dolphins, crows and other primates, also use tools in different ways.

A study published in Current Biology reports that German researchers have discovered a new form of tool use in animals. The study focused in particular on the elephants at Berlin Zoo, where the Asian elephant Mary has developed a technique to shower completely on her own, without the help of keepers.

Lena Kaufmann, a PhD student and one of the study’s authors, discovered Mary’s showering behavior during the keepers’ morning rounds, when they rinsed off the elephants with a hose. When they reached Mary, they gave her the hose, and she began to rinse herself off. According to the keepers, she also learned this on her own.

Different showering techniques

Mary used different techniques to rinse her whole body by gripping the hose in different ways. To rinse off her back, she held the hose further from the end and swung it like a lasso behind her head.

– Mary is so superb at showering, Michael Brecht, a neuroscientist at Humboldt University in Berlin and one of the authors of the article, notes to The New York Times.

According to Kaufmann, a hose is “very complex” for an animal, but speculates that an elephant might have “a somewhat intuitive understanding for a hose, because it’s super similar to the trunk”.

Mary wasn’t the only elephant at the zoo to use the hose, either. The younger elephant Anchali had also developed techniques to use it, but instead of showering herself, she seemed to use it mainly to interfere with Mary’s showers.

Possible sabotage

Anchali developed two different techniques to interrupt the flow of water to Mary’s shower hose. One was to bend the hose to stop the flow, and the other was to use her trunk to push the hose down so that the water stopped flowing. The significance of the behavior was hotly debated in the lab, according to Dr. Brecht.

The younger elephant’s behavior occurred shortly after Mary had begun to show aggression toward her, leading the researchers to speculate that it might be a form of revenge.

To test the hypothesis, the researchers gave Anchali access to two tubes, hoping that she would prefer to bend the tube that Mary used instead of choosing at random. However, Anchali tended to clamp the hose that was closest. The researchers were reluctant to draw definitive conclusions and suggested that the behavior could also be a way for Anchali to get attention while the researchers’ focus was very much on Mary.

Planetary alignment – six planets to appear together in night sky

Published 20 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff

By the end of January, several planets will be visible from Earth and at least four will be visible to the naked eye, without the aid of telescopes.

The phenomenon, known colloquially as planetary alignment, occurs when several of the solar system’s planets are visible simultaneously in the night sky, usually close to the ecliptic – the path the Sun follows across the sky. The term “planetary alignment” can be misleading because the planets do not line up perfectly, either in the sky or in the solar system as a whole.

The planets become visible because they are on roughly the same side of the Sun and are therefore well-positioned relative to the Earth, allowing them to be seen in the night sky. These events are relatively rare and vary in magnitude depending on the number of visible planets and their brightness.

In January, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune and Saturn will be visible in the night sky, CNET reports. They are estimated to become visible a few days before January 21 and remain visible for about four weeks. The fifth week of the year, during the new moon, is expected to be the best time for observation because of the darker skies.

Seen with the naked eye

Provided there is no interference from artificial light where you are, the planets may become visible as soon as the Sun sets. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can be seen with the naked eye from northern Europe, according to Astroinfo. Jupiter and Venus are the easiest to observe, while Saturn can be difficult to spot in poorer visibility conditions. To see Neptune and Uranus, however, a telescope is required, as well as good visibility conditions.

If you want a chance to see all six planets, head out early in the evening, as Venus and Saturn will soon dip below the horizon. However, Mars and Jupiter will be visible for most of the night.

In the first week of March, Mercury will also become visible, which means a new planetary parade with all the planets in the solar system except Earth. March 8 is predicted to be a good day to see Mercury. The planet will be difficult to see, but the best chance is in the southern parts of Sweden. If you are going out with a telescope at this time, you should be careful as some of the planets will be close to the Sun, and as it can damage your eyes, you should be careful where you point the telescope.

However, this planetary parade is short-lived, as Saturn, Neptune and Mercury will be too close to the Sun shortly afterwards and will no longer be visible.

Finding the planets

Locating the planets in the sky can be challenging. Venus and Saturn are low in the southwest, while Jupiter is high in the east-southeast, according to Astrokonsult. Mars is in the east-northeast, Uranus in the constellation Aries and Neptune in Aquarius. Mercury can be seen low above the horizon in the south-east. Tools such as the Stellarium and Star Walk 2 apps can help you navigate the night sky.