Magpies have been on my radar ever since I took my first animal cognition class. My professor was a big fan of these feathered, and had studied them at length. Ever since then I have looked at bird brains in a whole new light. So now, after weeks of stalling I have finally decided to write about a fascinating study I found on the brilliant minds of these unsuspecting avian species.
I’ve always admired bees, but before I admired them from a safe distance. We have all heard of how bees are nature’s tireless workers, buzzing from flower to flower in a golden blur of determination. But until I started studying them, I had no idea just how clever they really are. If you picture ‘intelligence’ in the animal world, you probably think of dolphins, crows, or even primates. But bees and insects? Mostly they are just see as instinct-driven creatures, with little ability to make conscious decisions. Yet, beneath those delicate wings and fuzzy little bodies lies a brain, all be it a brain no bigger than a single grain of sand. But nonetheless, it’s a brain capable of amazing things!
The first frost arrived last night, and it got me thinking, there’s something magical about how winter changes everything. I’ve always loved winter, the quite air, breathing out tiny steam clouds like a dragon. Nothing makes me happier then pulling up my blanket tighter around my shoulders during those cold winter months. But I cant help but wonder about our wildlife who don’t have the luxury of a warming brew or a crackling fire.
For our wildlife, winter is a test of endurance, resilience, and smarts. Often their survival depends on clever tricks. Some creatures curl up and sleep, others embark on epic journeys, and a few simply embrace the cold in ways that seem almost bizarre.
Ecological traps are nature's version of a "too-good-to-be-true" scenario. Imagine you’re a butterfly, and you come across the most delicious-smelling flower. It’s bright, beautiful, and practically calling your name. You land, expecting to sip nectar, but surprise! It’s a plastic, and you’ve fallen into an ecological trap.
Here we will explore how marine animals sometimes make wrong choices due to human-made signals. For a free version of the ecological infography, feel free to get in touch for a pfd copy!
Solar energy has been around for longer than you might expect. Before Edison and his lightbulb, the world worked in a very different way; think back to old panemone windmills used for grinding down grains and drawing up water. Of course, the world has changed a lot since then and so has the way in which we use energy. To date the global consumption of renewable energy is roughly 20% and continuing to rise, with solar energy taking centre stage in everyday households. But is solar energy really the way forward, and is it the right choice for UK homes? Let’s take a look at the benefits and drawbacks of solar energy so you can decide!
Want to know how big your carbon footprint is? You have probably heard the term 'carbon footprint' before, but to the fresh-faced conservationist jargon like this can be confusing. So today let's take it back to basics. Here we are going to help you take your first steps into the world of carbon footprints and share some easy tips and tricks to shrink down your shoesize. Let's get started!
‘Global warming’ isn’t a new concept by any means, and it’s not the first time our planet has seen a peak in temperatures. Earth is pretty old, and over the last 100 million years it has been fluctuating. So, if global warming is normal why should we be concerned and what happened the last time it heated? Well, you probably know more about the last global warming than you might think. Ever heard of dinosaurs? How about the cretaceous period? Scientists believe that roughly 92 million years ago during the cretaceous our planet was at its hottest. In fact, it was so warm that Champsosaurs (crocodile like dinsoaurs) were found in the Canadian arctic! So now that we know that global warming is nothing new, let's find out how today’s global warming affects us, and what we can do to help cool things down.
Recently a certain string of protests has been getting a lot of media coverage. You would have to be living under a rock not to have heard the shouts to "Just Stop Oil". As a conservation scientist it is hard not to watch the protests and grimace just a little, but at Earth Nerd we are about a positive spin and the spread of useful information. So instead of complaining we had to stop and ask ourselves, is this really the future of conservation awareness campaigns? Let's take a closer look at this controversial protest approach and how effective it really is.
‘Good food warms the heart and feeds the soul’, or so the saying goes but what is ‘good’ food? If you're already a vegan or simply curious about the lifestyle, let's delve into the arguments surrounding veganism, its impact on the environment, and its place in UK agriculture. We will embark on a journey into the world of veganism in order to understand more about our diets and answer the question; is being vegan worth it?
How do documentaries move us emotionally? Most of us can recall being brought to tears when a lioness pounces on a helpless baby wildebeest, or overjoyed when that tiny turtle finally finds the safety of the sea. There can be no doubt that the way in which we watch shapes our view of the natural world, but is it just movie magic? Let’s take a deeper look and figure out how the media moves us.
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