Exploding Spores High Speed Video

Scientists have discovered that by forcibly ejecting thousands of spores into still air, fungi create a little puff that can carry the fungal offspring 20 times farther than a single spore travels alone.

By working together to stir the air around them, the spores can dodge nearby obstacles such as leaves, reach other air currents, and ultimately land on real estate prime for infection.

Using high speed video, a team of researchers clocked the launch speed of spores of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, an omnivorous fungus that attacks numerous plants. The spores initially blasted off at speeds near 20 miles per hour. But the distance they traveled depended on whether they launched alone or en masse. Spores sprung singly were quickly brought down by drag, traveling a mere 0.1 inches before decelerating to zero. But when the fungus ejected waves of spores in quick succession, it created currents that carried spores farther at a slow but steady pace of just over 1 mile per hour.


When the fungus Sclerotinia launches its spores, the first ones to emerge (blue, on right) create a wind that carries subsequent spores (yellow) higher. The last spores to emerge (red) can fly as high as 20 centimeters, much farther than any single spore could go by itself.

Original article here.

The Hidden World of Insect Flight

Using high-speed video cameras that capture more than a thousand frames per second, Andrew Mountcastle's videos reveal an insect ballet hidden to plain sight.  He and another scientist filmed garden-variety insects in flight, their everyday glory unmasked in slow motion.  See more videos here.

New Aurora Webcam Captures Spectacular Videos, Images

The return of winter darkness and sub-zero temperatures comes with at least one bright side for residents of Northern Canada — the return of aurora borealis displays.  For those of us living in southern latitudes, we too can now watch the show from the relative comfort of warmer climates.

The live webcam, called AuroraMax, was launched by the Canadian Space Agency. The camera, located in Yellowknife, Northern Territories, shoots an 180-degree view of the sky, which produces a circular image.

Original article here.

Cameras on a Peregrine Falcon and a Goshawk

These are two of the fastest maneuvering birds in the world -- the Peregrine falcon and the Goshawk.   Rarely do we get to see them in action, at least to this extent. But, some have decided to take it a step further by attaching cameras on the back of these magnificent creatures. And what was captured on camera for the first time ever, was proof once again, that nature in it’s glory is a sight to behold.

The video includes speeds of nearly 200mph, dives and turns that produce 10+ G's, maneuvering through dense forests at high speed only inches from the ground, and only a fraction of a second from impact.

The fastest Peregrine falcon ever has been clocked at 242 miles per hour.  During flight, the change in direction from a 150 mph dive, then to a sudden lift, would make a human lose consciousness, and that’s only at it’s "playful" speed of 150 mph.  They can dive at unfathomable speeds, and suddenly lift only inches from the ground.

Maneuvering through the dense forests as Goshawks do is something that no computer or human invention has been able to duplicate fully. Their precision and accuracy is flawless.


Original article here.

Rare ‘Asian Unicorn’ Caught in Laos

One of the rarest creatures on the planet has been sighted in Laos. The saola, which has been dubbed the ‘Asian unicorn’ despite being double horned, hasn’t been photographed since 1999. The individual pictured above was captured and taken back to a small village, where it unfortunately died in captivity several days later.

The saola first became known to science in 1992 in Vietnam, near the country’s border with Laos. It lives in very dense forest, and has been rarely seen since. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists the species as critically endangered.

The carcass of the captured saola was preserved, providing the first complete specimen for study and reference.
Original article here.

Native Toad Fights Back Against Yellow Crazy-Ant Invasion

After so many tales of invasive species overwhelming hapless natives, scientists have found a native toad in Indonesia that’s fighting back.

The common Sulawesi toad turns out to be a prodigious eater of ants, even aggressive invading ones.  On the island of Sulawesi, the Ingerophrynus celebensis toads readily feast on yellow crazy ants, which are colonizing the island as well as other tropical locations.

Yellow crazy ants get their name from their color and their zigzag scurrying, and they have crowded out native ants and disrupted ecosystems elsewhere. The invaders meet any foe aggressively, releasing noxious chemicals during battle. The Sulawesi toads eat them nonetheless.

During a week of toad abundance on Sulawesi farms, test plots hopping with toads had as little as one-third of the invasive-ant populations found on plots where fencing kept toads out.  The study could be a first in suggesting that a native toad might control populations of invasive ants.

Read more in the original article here.