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Ornithologists Describe New Bird Species from Remote Indonesian Islands

The cheerful fantail (Rhipidura laguceria) in November 2022. Image credit: James A. Eaton.

A small songbird inhabiting the Babar Islands, in the Banda Sea, Indonesia, has been identified as a new species after a duo of researchers discovered that its distinctive song sets it apart from its closest relative.

The post Ornithologists Describe New Bird Species from Remote Indonesian Islands appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

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Taiwan’s tallest tree found with help of citizen science

Deep in Taiwan’s misty mountains, researchers have confirmed the tallest tree in the country: a thousand-year-old fir tree higher than a 20-story building, which they’ve named “the heaven sword of the Da’an River.” Climbers scaled the tree and dropped a measuring tape from the top to the forest floor during the Lunar New Year holiday in January 2023. The tree measured 84.1-meters (276-feet). The findings have been published in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change. A team of ecologists, geologists, remote-sensing specialists, professional climbers and Indigenous people that calls itself the “Taiwan tree seekers” began the search in 2014. “The common characteristics [of the team] are probably that we are all tree lovers and like adventures,” Rebecca Chia-Chun Hsu, lead author from Division of Forest Ecology, Institute of Taiwan Forestry Research, told CNN. ‘The Heaven Sword’, Taiwan’s tallest tree, measures 84.1 meters. Photo courtesy of Steven Pearce. Taiwan is one of the few places on Earth where trees can grow this tall. The island sits where the tropics meet the subtropics, and its mountains host several giant conifer species. The species behind the new record, Taiwania cryptomerioides, is known to the Indigenous Rukai people as “the tree that hits the moon.” Although nearly 60% of Taiwan is covered in forest, loggers cleared much of the island’s old-growth forest between 1912 and 1991. However, its steep slopes were too dangerous to reach, and pockets of ancient forest survived. Still, finding the tallest tree amid the rugged terrain was a task. Taiwan…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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The fastest humans in the galaxy just got a spiffy patch to prove it

NASA's Artemis II crew are the fastest people alive, and now they have the patch to prove it.

Mission Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen (the latter with the Canadian Space Agency) spent 10 days in early April flying by the Moon. Their journey took them farther away from Earth than any humans have gone (52,756 miles [406,771 km]) and then, on the way back on board their Orion spacecraft Integrity, they sped up to about 24,664 miles per hour (39,693 k/ph) reentering the atmosphere.

Only three other people in history have traveled faster. NASA's Apollo 10 astronauts Thomas Stafford, John Young, and Eugene Cernan set the record for the highest speed attained by a crewed vehicle relative to the Earth's surface: 24,791 mph (39,897 kph) on May 26, 1969.

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Need for early, institution-wide AI literacy education highlighted in study

Along with researchers from James Madison University, three collaborators in the Office of the Provost recently published in Research & Practice in Assessment. Jaime Miller, Stuart Miller and Rachel Whitman Rotch began gathering data in the summer of 2025, investigating students' artificial intelligence (AI) literacy levels using the Generative AI Literacy Assessment Test (GLAT).

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A year on, Australia’s biggest harmful algal bloom continues to wreak havoc

PORT HUGHES, Australia — Situated midway along the Great Southern Reef that spans Australia’s southern coastline, the waters off Port Hughes typically teem with life. The coastal hamlet northwest of Adelaide plays host to a multitude of coral, bivalve and fish species. But in late March, the largest and longest harmful algal bloom (HAB) in Australian history arrived to Port Hughes, depleting its waters’ rich biodiversity. The bloom had first appeared elsewhere off the state of South Australia’s coast a year earlier, causing eye and skin irritation and respiratory symptoms among beachgoers. Then, along with waves of acrid-smelling sea foam, scores of dead marine animals began washing ashore. In Port Hughes, the HAB’s impacts were most visible below the surface. The town’s wooden jetty had previously been one of the most consistent locations in South Australia to observe temperate species, said Stefan Andrews, co-founder of the Great Southern Reef Foundation, a conservation advocacy group. But by mid-April, when Mongabay joined Andrews on a dive, the site was drab compared with vibrant photographs taken in February and March. Under the jetty, sponges and corals that had previously adorned its pylons in a brilliantly hued mosaic appeared colorless. Apart from a short-headed seahorse (Hippocampus breviceps) — a “sign of hope,” Andrews called it — little life was visible in the murky waters. The reef, he said, had become quieter, lacking the sounds of snapping shrimp and other creatures that once played in the underwater soundtrack. “There’s a sense of loss when you…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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When ‘BeKind’ Protesters Were Invited to Join a Clap to Remember Henry Nowak Their Nasty Core Was Revealed

When 'BeKind' counter-protesters in Crowborough were invited by protesters against the town's migrant camp to join in a clap to remember Henry Nowak their nasty core was revealed, says Madeleine Gillies.

The post When ‘BeKind’ Protesters Were Invited to Join a Clap to Remember Henry Nowak Their Nasty Core Was Revealed appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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En plaçant la science au cœur de son action, Danone met la nutrition au service de la vie

Fondée en 1919 par Isaac Carasso, pionnier dans l'invention du yaourt moderne, Danone est un acteur alimentaire de premier plan qui aide les Français à mieux manger, pour mieux grandir, mieux guérir et mieux vieillir.

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Virus mutants, Ebola, Covid, grippe aviaire… : des chercheurs ont conçu avec l’IA un « super vaccin » révolutionnaire

Fini les vaccins à reformuler chaque année ? Une équipe de Cambridge teste une technologie révolutionnaire capable d’anticiper les mutations virales grâce à l’IA. Une avancée qui pourrait changer durablement notre réponse aux épidémies.

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Google Met Top German Government Officials Dozens of Times to Discuss Online “Hate Speech” and “Disinformation”

Google held at least 34 meetings with top German government officials – including the Chancellor – to discuss suppressing "hate speech" and "disinformation" online, reveals John Rosenthal.

The post Google Met Top German Government Officials Dozens of Times to Discuss Online “Hate Speech” and “Disinformation” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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The SNP Must Be Held to Account Over the Embezzlement Scandal

John Swinney has finally admitted SNP funds raised for independence were spent on something else. This is fraud and the people of Scotland cannot shrug and move on – the reckoning must begin now.

The post The SNP Must Be Held to Account Over the Embezzlement Scandal appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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The Tories Co-Authored The Henry Nowak Tragedy. Can Kemi Badenoch Tear up the Script?

In charge for 14 years at the Home Office and 10 at Hampshire police, the Tories co-authored the Henry Nowak tragedy, says Clive Pinder. But Kemi Badenoch has shown she is determined to do something about it.

The post The Tories Co-Authored The Henry Nowak Tragedy. Can Kemi Badenoch Tear up the Script? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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