ecology | 88.5 WFDD

Christian Ziegler/ Minden Pictures / Getty Images

5:18pm Apr 04, 2017

National National Science Environment

Sound Matters: Sex And Death In The Rain Forest

Scientists eavesdropping in trees have decoded a high stakes game of hide and seek. Katydids rely on ultrasound to find mates and listen for bats, which use ultrasound to find the bugs, and eat them.
Hanna_M_Rowan2, North Carolina's Candid Critters Project. Creative Commons

1:01pm Feb 24, 2017

Science Science

Catch A Critter On Candid Camera - For Science!

by Shawn Fitzmaurice

North Carolina Candid Critters is on a mission to fill in the gaps in our wildlife knowledge. Strap on your science sealbelt, because they want your help!

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Jordan Wilkerson

1:00pm Jul 29, 2016

Science Science

Atomic Bombs Help Hawksbill Turtle Preservation

by Shawn Fitzmaurice

How can you tell the age of a turtle? This is an important question, especially when it concerns the critically endangered Hawaiian hawksbill turtle. The answer is the bomb!

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Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images

6:26pm Mar 02, 2016

National National Science Environment

To Make A Wild Comeback, Cranes Need More Than Flying Lessons

by Christopher Joyce

The 15-year project wasn't a flight of fancy. Biologists used a plane to successfully teach many young, captive-bred whooping cranes to migrate cross-country. But the birds aren't reproducing well.
Courtesy of Rohan Cleave/Melbourne Zoo

2:33pm Feb 11, 2016

National National Science Environment

Love Giant Insects? Meet The Tree Lobster, Back From The Brink

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The 8-inch insect nearly went extinct when hungry rats overran its island. But Melbourne scientists found a few in 2001 and started a thriving colony. Now the San Diego Zoo is hatching them, too.

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6:57pm Jun 26, 2015

Science Science Environment Health & Safety

Save Wildlife, Save Yourself?

by Jessie Rack

Protecting the environment may reduce many diseases, such as Lyme and West Nile, a study finds. The tantalizing idea suggests that conservation and human health may be more connected than we thought.
Courtesy of Rob Pringle

6:04pm Jun 02, 2015

Science Science Environment

Grass Gourmands: A Herbivore Food Mystery On The African Savanna

by Sujata Gupta

A new study sheds light on a longstanding ecological question: How do so many species like impalas and elephants co-exist when they're all feeding on the same limited foods?
Michele P. Verderane/IP-USP

3:29pm May 06, 2015

National National Science

Why Some Mushrooms Glow In The Dark

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Scientists outfitted some fake fungi with LEDs and put them in a Brazilian forest to test their theory that light, not some funky mushroom fragrance, was luring bugs.

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Debbie Elliott / NPR

12:23am Apr 27, 2015

National National Science Environment

5 Years After BP Oil Spill, Experts Debate Damage To Ecosystem

by Debbie Elliott

An effort is underway to figure out how the BP oil spill harmed the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. The damage may not be as dire as feared, but researchers say it's too soon to know the long-term impacts.

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Courtesy Gregory Asner

10:02am Jan 23, 2015

World News World News Science Environment

Ecologist's Airborne Scanners See The Forest And The Trees — All Of Them

by Laura Secorun Palet

Gregory Asner has loaded a plane with lasers, spectrometers and computers to create models so detailed, they distinguish between and count plant species in even the densest biomes, like the Amazon.
Kevin Olival/EcoHealth Alliance

12:45pm Jan 03, 2015

World News World News Science Environment Health & Safety

Where Could Ebola Strike Next? Scientists Hunt Virus In Asia

by Michaeleen Doucleff

A handful of ecologists knew for years that West Africa was at risk for an Ebola outbreak. Now they're figuring out where else in the world the virus could be hiding. Many signs point to Asia.

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