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.
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Cougars actively avoid contact with humans, a US study shows.In areas of high human activity, cougars became more nocturnal, while in remote regions they were more often active during dawn and dusk.
In Los Angeles, mountain lions live in several natural areas that also attract many people to the outdoors. In a study published in the scientific journal Biological Conservation, researchers tracked 22 mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains with GPS between 2011 and 2018. The aim was to investigate how cougars’ activity patterns adapt to increased human presence. The study was conducted by the University of California, Davis, Cal Poly Pomona and the National Park Service.
The movement patterns of the cougars were compared to a comprehensive database of human GPS-tracked activities in the area. The results showed that cougars in areas of high human activity adapted by becoming more nocturnal, instead of being active at dawn and dusk, which is their natural activity time.
– The study also continues to drive home the amazing fact that a population of a large felid predator persists in one of the largest urban areas in the world. That would not be possible if mountain lions weren’t able to adjust to human activity in ways like this, said Seth Riley, wildlife division chief at the National Park Service, in a press release.
“Coexistence is happening”
Cougars in areas with less human activity were more active at dawn and dusk, according to the study. In general, females showed greater activity closer to sunrise and during daylight hours compared to males.
– They are flexible in the timing of their activity. Coexistence is happening, and it’s in large part because of what mountain lions are doing, says lead author Ellie Bolas, a doctoral student in the UC Davis Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology.
The researchers emphasize that humans must also contribute to coexistence, both to protect themselves and the cougars. Residents in areas with cougars are urged to exercise caution at night, especially when driving, and to be aware that cougars are often active at dawn and dusk.
Previous studies in Norway have also shown that wolves avoid humans as much as possible, according to a report by Norwegian state broadcaster NRK. In the study, conducted at the University of Innlandet, all wolves that participated fled when humans approached or stayed hidden.
Italian scientists have discovered a juniper bush in northern Finland that could be the oldest in the world.It is estimated to be 1,647 years old.
Researchers from the University of Padua discovered a dead juniper bush during a visit to the Kevo Subarctic Research Institute in Utsjoki, Lapland, in 2021. Initial analysis of the annual rings dated the bush to 1,242 years.
A new analysis of the tree rings in 2024 showed that the shrub is 1,647 years old. Scientists estimate that it started growing around 260 AD and died in 1906, but it is possible that it is even older as it is difficult to count all the years accurately.
– Juniper is the most widespread woody species in the world. It is found from sea level to the upper limits of vegetation, from Alaska to Etna, from Japan to Scotland. It is an extremely eclectic species, capable of tolerating scorching temperatures and aridity, such as in sandy dunes, or, conversely, in freezing environments near glaciers. Today, this record is joined by that of being the world’s oldest shrub, said the leader of the research group, Professor Marco Carrer of the University of Padua in a press release.
The shrub is the oldest ever dated by tree rings and the oldest woody plant in Europe determined by this method. Previously, other old junipers have also been found in Finland.
– The oldest juniper and the oldest woody plant in Finland was a 1,070-year-old specimen found in Lemmenjoki before this discovery. The age record of Finnish junipers has now been improved by almost 600 years, says Otso Suominen, Director of the Kevo Subarctic Research Institute.
In addition, four other juniper trees were found in Utsjoki that were over a thousand years old.
Air quality has deteriorated in some parts of Finland and Sweden in recent days.In Finland, the levels of microparticles are the highest measured in the last ten years.
Next year, the EU will introduce a limit of 50 micrograms of microparticles per cubic meter, which means that the public must be warned if this limit is exceeded. On Monday, a daily average of almost 40 micrograms of microparticles per cubic meter was measured in Finland.
In Sweden, there have been locally high levels in several parts of the country for most of February. Levels have been particularly high on Gotland, and on Wednesday as many as 997.4 microparticles per cubic meter were measured in Visby, according to preliminary figures from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. According to the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute’s (SMHI) air web, however, the levels have fallen during the night, but also showed unhealthy levels on Thursday morning. Gävle also showed high levels in the morning.
Measured pollution in Visby during the morning. Photo: facsimile/SMHIAccording to the Finnish state broadcaster Yle, the deterioration in air quality is due to the introduction of large amounts of microparticles into the air mass from Central and Eastern Europe. It is also reported that it may worsen in the coming days.
Pollution measured during the morning. Photo: facsimile/SMHI
Poor air quality affects people with conditions such as asthma and cardiovascular disease, as well as older people and children, but can also affect healthy people. For example, eyes, nose and throat can be irritated by microparticles in the air. According to Yle, you should stay indoors if you experience symptoms.
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.
