A new evolutionary analysis suggests the behavior appears across many bird groups

The steroid-friendly sports experiment failed to deliver the revolution it sold.

Male bowerbirds are notorious for their complex mating rituals. They build intricate tunnels out of twigs—the bowers from which they get their name—and then decorate them with random colorful items gleaned from the environment. When a female of the species shows up to check out a male's fancy digs, the male tosses his shiniest objects in her direction and shows off his plumage in hopes of impressing her.

According to a new paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science by University of Exeter scientists, urbanization and the associated growing availability of brightly colored human-made items have had a significant impact on courtship display behavior in Australian male bowerbirds. There are marked differences in the choice of decorations for bowerbirds in urban versus rural environments. This might be because urban birds simply have greater access to the items than their rural counterparts, since birds in both environments show a marked preference for human items.

The University of Exeter researchers monitored the bowers of 61 male great bowerbirds in two sites in Australia's northern Queensland—the rural Dreghorn Cattle Station and the urban Townsville City—during the prime breeding season (September–December 2023). Then they photographed the bower decorations in situ from above in both visible and UV light (bowerbirds can see in the UV range), using an umbrella to create diffuse lighting.

Read full article

Comments

© Caitlin Evans

I premiere my 2013 video lecture "8 Reasons Why Evolution is Foolish" on YouTube. I present 8 reasons why evolution is impossible. I cover questions on cosmogony, the origin of the universe, the stars and galaxies, the Earth, and the origin of life.

The Epstein files expose a multi-millennia long conspiracy, really a Satanic religion that has been around since Adam's rebellion against God. The elites worship Satan and he gives them all their desires, wealth and power in exchange for the ritual sexual abuse, rape, torture, sacrifice, and cannibalism of very young children.

The UK has initiated a digital ID system required for employment, paralleling increased online censorship through the Online "Safety" Act. Protests against these authoritarian measures are suppressed, warning of potential totalitarianism in Europe. The U.S. must resist similar oppression to safeguard free speech. Australia faces similar controls starting December 10, 2025.

Human hands exhibit unparalleled complexity and dexterity, revealing the mastery of their Creator. Despite advancements in robotics, replicating the nuanced movements and strength of human hands remains a significant challenge. Companies like Proception are striving to develop robotic hands, yet authentic human hand functionality remains unmatched, highlighting the intricacies of divine design.

Tucker Carlson correctly stated that modern so-called aliens are just demons, which are described in the Old Testament of the Bible. These same demons are still around. They haven't gone anywhere. And there are many who worship them seeking after power and wealth, believing their deceptive promises.

The WSJ reports that the Pentagon fabricated UFO evidence. They faked it to cover up secret weapons development! However the belief in aliens and UFOs stems from a rejection of the Creator, leading to deception fueled by spiritual forces.

In 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope discovered six massive Little Red Dot galaxies dated 500–800 million years post-Big Bang. Their presence challenges the ΛCDM cosmological model, as they contain unexpectedly high stellar masses. Recent findings have increased their count to 341, raising questions about galaxy formation and the validity of current theories.

Ezekiel's vision is discussed, questioning whether it depicts a divine encounter or ancient astronauts. I critique Erich von Däniken's theories on UFOs, emphasize that advanced propulsion technologies have military origins, and confirm that true anti-gravity remains unattainable within known physics, dismissing claims of reverse-engineered alien technology.

UArizona Team Creates Instrument to Study Invisible Clouds that Warm Earth The doctoral student leading the project ushered the instrument from concept to launch into near space. The instrument will eventually be deployed onboard a NASA CubeSat to monitor invisible clouds. Mikayla Mace Kelley Today University Communications IMG_1250.jpeg Kira Hart Shanks’ instrument takes it first […]

The post UArizona Team Creates Instrument to Study Invisible Clouds that Warm Earth appeared first on Science Bulletin.

Once widespread in Japan, the colorful birds went from being fairly commonplace in the country to being on the verge of extinction.

NASA shared an initial analysis of a 5-foot-wide fireball meteor that exploded in the sky over the northeastern U.S. on Saturday, May 30.

New guidance from the Energy Department would prevent people from receiving rebates after making such swaps.

© Bing Guan for The New York Times

© <p> </p><p>Alohalika / Getty Images</p>

Researchers say the isolated white dwarfs Gandalf and Moon-Sized define a new class of stellar remnant because they share five traits, including X-ray emission. Across the immense scale of the Universe, a single unusual object can prompt astronomers to look for others like it, sometimes leading to the recognition of an entirely new class of [...]

Scientists have achieved a first in studying lanthanum superhydrides, a class of materials that could help unlock superconductivity at much higher temperatures. The dream of transmitting electricity without energy loss has driven decades of superconductivity research. Some of the most promising candidates yet are superhydrides, hydrogen-rich materials that, under immense pressures, have exhibited superconducting behavior [...]

A newly described fossil goose shows that New Zealand’s bird history involved repeated arrivals, extinctions, and rapid island evolution. A rare fossil goose found in the remains of an ancient lake in Central Otago is changing how scientists understand the bird history of Aotearoa New Zealand, according to a researcher at the University of Otago [...]

António Ambrósio, an independent researcher who describes himself as trained in Egyptology through Barcelona’s Institut d’Estudis del Pròxim Orient Antic at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, is promoting a claim that the pyramids of Giza were not built for the pharaohs traditionally linked to them. In a short, non–peer-reviewed essay posted online as The Pyramids […]

The post This research paper claims Giza pyramids are 12,000 years old appeared first on Curiosmos.