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124 PAGES OF AMAZING ANIMALS, IDEAS AND SCIENCE
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February
073
THE RIGHT STUFF
FEEDBACK
Could you be an astronaut? after reading Matilda Battersby's piece (page 52)
That's one of the questions on the real women behind the story, and how they
we pose in this month's issue put the US back in the Cold War space race, all the while
of BBC Earth. An upcoming experiencing sexism and segregation.
BBC reality TV show puts It's not a completely spacey issue this month,
12 volunteers through some however. We celebrate Valentine's Day by looking
of the actual training that NASA at the animals that pair up for life, and Angela Saini
applicants undergo, so we look uncovers some fascinating insights into the
at what qualities you need to do one of the toughest neuroscience of bonding on page 80.
jobs in the universe. The first Brit in space, Helen We also salute the Gyps vulture, an unsung hero
Sharman, tells us how she earned her place on the Juno whose natural instincts at waste disposal save humans
mission, and we get a sneak peek inside the capsule billions each year. I was shocked at the stats showing
that took Tim Peake to the International Space Station their steep decline in numbers over the past 30 years.
- and back again - and which you can now see at the And we go down to the woods - or ancient woodland
Science Museum in London. specifically - to find out what Team Earth can do
I am pretty sure I will never be an astronaut (I don't to protect an irreplaceable part of our landscape.
have the maths for one thing, and long-haul travel is I love plants, so the feature on the freakiest
not my favourite activity) but the more I look, the more frankenflowers you'll ever come
fascinating I am finding the whole subject of our place across, with Katie Scott's
in space. I'll be heading to the South Downs Dark Sky illustrations, was a joy, too.
Reserve for some of its stargazing events this month As always, let us know what
for sure, and cannot wait to see the film Hidden Figures you think of the issue.
earth / 003
I Contents
SCIENCE
3
1
080
TRUE ROMANCE
0*43
BUG DETECTIVES
062
HANDS-ON
:-g0 SCIENCE
020
MEET THE ANIMAL SPY BOTS
SPACE
Kit- REGULARS
102 SUBSCRIPTIONS
SPECIAL OFFER
Get three issues ot BBC Earth for just 3
112 COMPETITION
Win a luxury family holiday worth 3,000
Editor CeliaWoolfrey
Art director Matt Ford
PHOTOJOURNALIST Consultant editor Carolyn Fry
Acting managing editor Matilda Battersby
VIV GUMMING Chief sub-editors Jo Hooper/Vic Davies
Editorial assistant Yashi Banymadhub
Viv Gumming is an earth Picture editor Beverley Ballard
scientist andphotojournalist Production director Nigel Mackay
who loves to teltetories where Senior production manager Martin Black
Tt-
science and humanity are Advertising director Daniel Connor
interlinked. On page 34 she Ad production manager David Ryder
meets the Bajau people of the Sales exec Bethany Stuart
Coral Triangle, who spend Classified executive Paul Aird
their entire lives at sea and
Inserts manager Tszkwan Chan
catch fish by diving without
tanks of air. What struck her Head of digital Pares Tailor
most about the people she Digital manager Andy Greening
met was how relaxed they Group promotions manager Sally Gue
were in the water, as if they Promotions manager
belonged among the fish. 'This Kelly Ashoush
assignment was special as Creative director, new business
I've never before met people development Jonathan Clayton-Jones
i
so in tune with nature; every Editorial operations director
a
aspect of their lives involves i MaryFrances
the sea,'she says. Group publisher (launches) Sharon Kirby
Publisher (launches) Becca Bailey
Publisher's assistant (launches)
KateMcGovern
ILLUSTRATOR Financial controller Gavin Love
Editorial content director Claire Irvin
KATIE SCOTT Managing director Jackie Garf ord
Finance director Keith Amess
Katie Scott is an illustrator Chief executive officer Nicola Murphy
* who has worked with Kew
Gardens onBotanicum, anew BBC Worldwide
book featuring incredible
Director of editorial governance
plant species (page 66). The
weirdest plant she illustrated Nicholas Brett
WRITER WRITER Director of consumer products and
was the stinking corpse flower,
DAVID CROOKES which looks like something MATILDA BATTERSBY publishing Andrew Moultrie
from an alien planet. She says, Head of UK publishing Chris Ker win
Journalist David Crookes Tt was the most fun I've had Freelance journalist Matilda Commercial brand manager
is from Manchester, so he as an illustrator.' Battersby is our acting Jonathan Williams
knows a thing or two about managing editor. She has Publisher Mandy Ihwaites
the weather! Not only does he a passion for history and Publishing co-ordinator Eva Abramik
always keep a brolly handy science, which converge
he's never too far from his in 'Reaching for the Moon'
phone, so he was interested - (page 52), about the African-
to learn that scientists are American women who helped LIB UK.Publishing(a)bbc.
using data collected from propel the first US astronauts com; bbcworldwide.
smartphones to make more into space. She says she was earth com/ukanz/
precise forecasts (page 96). overawed by their strength. ukpublishing.aspx
Publishedby The River Group, Garden Floor, 16 Connaught Place, London W2 2ES Telephone 020 7420 7000 Fax 020 7583 8598 Email bbcearth magazine(a) f
therivergroup.co.uk: bbcearthmagazine.com River Publishing Ltd 2016 ISSN: 2398-9645 To advertise in BBC Earth, call 020 7420 6527. No part of this PEFC Certifiec
magazine may be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Colour reproduction by Zebra. Printed by Precision Colour Printing Ltd. This magazine
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Prices correct at time of going to press. Subscriptions andback issues: Telephone 01293 312135 Email bbcearthmagazine(a)subscriptionhelpline.co.uk PEFC"
Post BBCEarth Magazine, Intermedia Brand Marketing Ltd, Unit 6 The Enterprise Centre, Kelvin Lane, Manor Royal, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 9PE, PEFC/16-33-1007
Subscriptions for 12 issues: UK 47.88; Europe and Eire 60; Rest of World 72
All about us
11
. N
imuW
Hi1
11
I i/lv i
nature science
xtiatis i
TEAM
Look out for these icons
TEAM EARTH
that appear throughout the It
Get behind
magazine. They signpost DID YOU KNOW? FIND OUT MORE solutions to the
ways to drill down into Fascinating facts and Follow links for more issues facing
content and get involved. background to the stories in-depth information earth our planet
nm
Letters bbcearthmagazine(a)therivergroup.co.uk (please mark if 'not for publication')
Saleros harvesting
the salt create these
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February
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season for wildebeest in
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sn vast numbers help to shield
the calves from predators
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conditions are perfect
- the rays of the setting
sun fall on Yosemite's
Horsetail waterfall
and set it 'alight'
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In full glow
ou'd be forgiven for mistaking this clear, there must be snow at the very top of
cascade of red for volcanic lava.' El Capitan mountain (to feed the waterfall with
But it is actually the wet stuff - snowmelt) - but the temperatures need to be
a waterfall transformed into a warm enough for the water to be flowing.
'firefall', one of nature's rarest phenomena. If it is too cold, it is raining, or the sky is overcast
It's a spectacle you might get the chance to see at then the many photographers and spectators who
the 300m Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park, gather here annually will go home disappointed.
California, on just a few days in February each year. The first well-known colour photograph of the
When the conditions are right, the rays of the firefall was taken in 1973 by Galen Powell. But it
setting sun seem to set the stream of water ablaze, wasn't until the dawn of digital cameras and
creating a luminescence lasting up to 10 minutes. photo-sharing sites like Instagram that this
But it doesn't happen every year: the sky must be Yosemite firefall achieved worldwide fame.
Listen to a clip
about what it's like
to witness the
Horsetail firefall at
bbc.in/2hLsnCU
Wangchuk (standing, far
right) with students who
helped build an ice stupa
a that brought irrigation water
to Ladakhi farmers; he plans
to build 20 more
News
of the
Earth
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think of chimpanzees. Researchers have
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Guinea, West Africa, are helping farmers to
cultivate cocoa plants by dispersing the seeds.
After eating the pulp, chimpanzees spit out rV
the seeds - or, erm, expel them from the
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other end. Farmers later tend to the saplings,
clearing trees so sunlight can reach them. ^' /- V
This symbiosis reveals 'the ability of wildlife 1
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News from the museum
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The Natural History Museum is set for a big
1 transformation this year. Dippy the Diplodocus,
the 21m replica that has had pride of place in
Hintze Hall since 1979, is to be replaced with
a vast blue whale skeleton. The blue whale
ipmini "inm was one of the first animals that humans took
the decision to protect from extinction, so Sir
Li Hi ii Michael Dixon.directorof the Natural History
Museum, thinks it is 'a perfect symbol of hope' for
a sustainable future. The museum will also bring
back its Sensational Butterflies exhibition next
month, and introduce after-hours events such as
grown-up sleepovers throughout the year.
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Taking in some epic locations from Norway to Japan, this vertigo-inducing short film
tells the story of two incredible young climbers: 15-year-old Ashima Shiraishi from i-
New York and 16-year-old Kai Lightner from North Carolina (pictured). Hanshelleren
cave, capped by a 260-foot slab of overhanging granite, can intimidate even the
most experienced of climbers, but not Ashima. For her, this is just a warm-up,
and the climax of the film documents her journey to the far east, where she scales
Mount Hiei and becomes the first woman and the youngest person to climb a grade
V15 boulder problem (a type of rock-climbing performed without harnesses).
senderfilms.com, 16 to download, 20 on DVD
BOOK
Trm\y m
Quantum nonsense?
w TOO
t Everything You Know About Science is Wrong is the
V ftnow latest hilarious myth-busting book from Matt Brown App: 3D Bones and Organs
Discover the intricacies of the human
m & flDOUT (following on from Everything You Know About London body with this free educational app.
is Wrong). This time he's challenging the basic facts Choose from 10 different organs and
of our existence, covering everything from the laws body parts, then conduct a virtual
('J3K] dissection, navigating your way
of nature to the theoretical physics proposition that through the human anatomy. You
particles can pop in and out of reality - or 'quantum can tilt each organ to view it from
nonsense', as he calls it. You'll find yourself questioning different angles and test yourself
if you are actually human or whether we live in a with a quiz. The new version now
comes with audio pronunciation
four-dimensional universe. It's a highly entertaining read for bone names, great for helping
from the former stand-up comedian, and it'll leave you children learn how to say these long
questioning everything you've ever thought to be true. words, and a memory aid for older
medical students. Available on
Pavilion Books, 9.99 Android and iPhone.
BOOK
The UK and Ireland leg of the
2017 Banff Tour begins this Total eclipse
month, featuring the best films Eclipse chasers are devoted astronomers who
from the Banff Mountain Film spend their time travelling the world to get the best
Festival that takes place in view of these celestial phenomena. One such is
Canada each year. Some 60 films Frank Close, Professor of Physics at the University
celebrating mountain culture and of Oxford, and his book, Eclipse, Journeys to the Dark
adventure sports are chosen from Side of the Moon, documents his lifelong obsession
the 300 entered. A jury then that began when he first observed a solar eclipse,
selects the top films for awards, aged eight. Compelled to discover more about them,
among them Young Guns (left) he braves a war zone in the Western Sahara to try to
which won the People's Choice for understand the 3,000-year-old mystery described in
Radical Reels. Don't miss Dog the Book of Joshua, in which the moon was said to
Power (below) for a celebration of move backwards. These optical illusions, and the pi Vitf
mountain spirit across the globe. myths and legends woven around them, make for
For tickets, go to banff-uk.com. some fascinating reading.
Oxford University Press, 12.99
Dog Power
In the world of action sports, a good teammate is loyal, doesn't judge you and has got
your back in any situation. Which is why dogs make such great team players! The
unbreakable bond between human and dog is at the heart of this short film about
canine-powered sports - activities that attract tens of thousands of people around O
the world, from Europe to South America and Australia. We meet dozens of canine
athletes and their human teammates, and watch them train, play and race
together. We also learn about the growing number of sports that people and their
pooches can take part in, including dog sled racing, canicross (running with
dogs), skijoring (dog-powered skiing) and scooter-joring (you've guessed it
- scootering with dogs). It's the ultimate feel-good film for dog lovers.
dogpowermovie.com, 5.75
t.
BOOK
Journey into space
Shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book award for 'Best Book With Facts',
Destination: Space is a vividly illustrated, encyclopedic hardback covering
1 all aspects of space for inquisitive minds - from interstellar clouds
to black holes, space robots to aliens, earth cycles to moon phases.
Astrophysics professor Dr Christoph Englert's insightful depictions
of our universe are brought to life by Tom Clohosy Cole's eye-popping
illustrations, plus it comes with a giant double-sided poster showing the
beauty of the night sky on one side and an illustration of our galaxy on
MCKHtErfimtMLERT the other. Sure to keep budding astronomers engrossed for hours.
Wide Eyed Editions, 12.99
Charlton & Jenrick A*
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WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER
OF THE YEAR, UNTIL
19 FEBRUARY, EDINBURGH
3
The most prestigious collection of
nature photography comes to Scotland.
What's See 100 stunning images of wild
animals and landscape from the nature
photographers of 96 different countries,
on this and experience events in nature that you
may never get to see with your own eyes.
Free entry. Visit nms.ac.uk
monlh.'JB
earth /019
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viewing
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Best of Uganda Ocean Giants of Baja California Borneo: Festival of Wildlife
Uganda is a land full of stunning landscapes A leviathan adventure of a lifetime! Join our Join us in Borneo's Danum Valley for a series of
and remarkable wildlife. Explore the Bwindi exclusive charter on a 600-kilometre voyage presentations, workshops and masterclasses
Impenetrable Forest in search of mountain gorillas around Baja California to witness the thrilling by some of the world's leading naturalists to
and relax on the tranquil shores of Lake Victoria. spectacle of grey whales in their calving lagoons. celebrate 25 years of Wildlife Worldwide.
13 days from 5,295 14 days from 5,395 10 days from 5,195
tsem
The animatronic
Oow would you feel if a robot that looked like animals are designed
you, and even sounded a lot like you, joined to look, move and
your family uninvited and turned its beady make the same
sounds as the species
camera eyes on what you were up to? they are 'spying on'
We might not like it much ourselves, but animals respond
quite differently, which has made for brilliant TV in Spy in the yi
Wild, as a host of animatronic animals housing top camera
equipment brought us up close to some eye-opening
behaviour. In fact, the programme revealed a greater
spectrum of emotions and understanding among our furry
and scaled cousins than we humans give them credit for.
We saw langur monkeys in India adopt - and then grieve
for - a baby monkey that was actually an animatronic; we
witnessed the first wobbly steps of a newborn elephant calf
thanks to an animatronic tortoise so realistic it wandered n
undetected among the herd; and we watched a procession W-' K1',.
ilWiSIr
of giraffes apparently paying respect to a deceased elder.
It's not the first time cameras have been hidden in this way: .
we saw it in Dolphins: Spy in the Pod and Penguins: Spy in the '!4;i V-
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Huddle, which used a camera hidden in a remote-controlled mm ?
ice boulder. But Spy in the Wild is some of the most creative
V.-.V
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filming yet to hit our screens - more details of which are
revealed in the 'making of episode screened in early February, [ V
John Downer is the man behind all these covert animal-
surveillance documentaries, including Snow Chick:
r irf
The programme
revealed a greater M
spectrum of emotions .-
and understanding
among animals than
we give them credit for animal counterparts and work out the right
behaviours so that the cameras can ingratiate
themselves into animal groups. For example the
A Penguin's Tale, broadcast just before 'pup-cam' has submissive movements and can
Christmas. His groundbreaking techniques wag its tail to indicate it wants to play,
*
turn the idea of 'fly on the wall' into 'The first "spy film" went out in 2000,' Downer
something more literal than viewers are used says. Dions: Spy in the Den featured a
to - we wouldn't put it past him to make bouldercam that could safely carry a camera into
fly-size cameras in the future. the pride to capture never-seen-before footage.'
All the 'spy-cams', many of which have As technology has evolved, with cameras
robotic capabilities, have been carefully getting smaller and lighter and still producing
invented by Downer and his team using broadcast-quality footage, so, too, have the
technology normally only seen in Hollywood possibilities for Downer, and Spy in the Wild is
films. But the filmmakers have had to think the first series shot fully in ultra high definition.
beyond making a robot look like an animal, f. 'After Lions, we developed the concept of
they've had to make them move like their using animatronic cameras further on Dolphins:
Spy in the Pod [broadcast in 2014], where 13
different spy creatures were deployed,' says
Right: spy-bowerbird, spy-prairie dog and spy-tortoise Downer. '[The technique] pioneered the idea of
are the stars of the new BBC Spy in the Wild television
series, filming animal behaviours that long-lens getting cameras close to the subject, allowing
photography would struggle to capture the conventional long lens to take a lesser role.' O
earth / 023
Television
February
v>
A
d time
Watches today do so much more than just tell the time. They underwater adventures, GPS navigation for activities on
are like mini computers on your wrist, packed with advanced land or at sea, and a built-in mobile phone. One of them is
technology to give you vital information in extreme even powered by the person who wears it. But are these
environments. They are a tool to help you be bolder in your fancy modern functions a necessity for everyday life or are
adventures - and can even show you the way home if you you wasting your money? We tell you how they work and
get lost. This month we check out the latest smart watches, whether they are worth splashing out on, plus we ask
with features such as depth and pressure sensors for some sports enthusiasts for their verdicts.
earth / 025
Photographer Luke
Massey blends creativity
with conservation
and says he soaks up
knowledge like a sponge'.
He shares his opinions
on the natural world and
reveals how he uses his
skills to make a difference
-m:y V
^4.;
in dangerous situations
to highlight issues'
U]]
Get a detective's
nose for a story
^ Keep a cool head. The Iberian species. Seeing them at a weekend market was like dump. I was retching every few steps, yet there
lynx is the rarest cat in the world, seeing an amur leopard for sale at a car boot sale. were seven-year-old kids combing the heaps for
so when we went to Spain last scraps to sell. They'll probably do that all their lives
Bh year it took us two months to I get funny looks going through airport security, and only live to 40.1 think the 'I can't go on holiday
jhl ' find one. I was lining up the shot as I have cable ties and tape in my bag, like a serial this year' unhappiness we see in the UK is a result
and there was a grass stem in killer might! I use them for attaching cameras and of consumerism. The happiest people I've met were
H the way, so I took a step to the flashes to trees. I also always have bird seed or dried the islanders of Moturiki, in Fiji. When I first visited,
left. Always think about your dog food, for attracting birds or foxes. It's sometimes they had no electricity, they lived off the land and
frame, even when you're madly excited. frowned upon, but as long as the creature doesn't sea, and hung out with each other. No hot showers,
become dependent on it, I don't see the issue. but a coral reef to swim in. Then the government
I won the Urban category at 2016's Wildlife gave them solar panels. Now, some of the islanders
Photographer of the Year awards with an image I never complain about life in the UK now. I once have TVs and fridges, while others can't afford
of meat being tossed to kites in Delhi. Locals in the spent a morning shooting on Delhi's biggest rubbish them. It's created a 'keeping up with the Joneses'
Muslim Quarter feed the kites as a mark of giving to divide. When I returned, they didn't seem as happy.
those less fortunate, which seems like an ideal way
to help Delhi's 30,000 breeding pairs of kites thrive. Use the long waits to quiz local guides. I spent
But it's being done in the afternoon, when locals fly IN FOCUS three months tracking a leopard family in South
paper kites. I worked with a bird rehab clinic, and Luangwa National Park. I'd often wait for three
over 90 per cent of the kites they treat are hurt in Leave a little patch of your garden hours while the leopards slept. My Zambian guides
collisions with the kite strings. Locals are now wild, rather than paving it or putting were hilarious and full of knowledge about the
being asked to only feed the kites in the morning. down a lawn. Plant wildflowers, if there wildlife, so I used the opportunity to soak it up like
are none. You'll see a lot more wildlife. a sponge. You can predict the shot better, once you
Wildlife black markets are shocking. There's a Find someone objective to choose understand the species.
saying in Indonesia that a man is only a 'real man' your best shots. My girlfriend, also
once he has a house, a wife, a horse, a dagger and a a photographer, edits my work. If I could only choose one shooting location,
bird in a cage. So it's tradition for most households My favourite shots don't win awards. it would be Zambia. There's something about
to have a caged bird. I once saw a pair of javan African light. We only get really spectacular golden
green magpies in a market, a critically endangered light once or twice a year in the UK. They get it
Give it time
r > A
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Photography
#Earthcapture
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1 tookthis photo of Loch Fyne on
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a weekend trip from Glasgow,
where 1 live. 1 work as a doctor in a
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department in the city, and 1 can
find it difficult to relax, and 1 don't
often get the chance to escape to
sunnier climes. 1 like this photo as
it shows an area only an hour from
Glasgow where 1 found the time to
unwind in my own country.'
^ Mike Allen | Gemma Lochhead^H
Want to share your work with the rest of the world? BBC #earthcapture makes that possible. Just
download the BBC Earth Capture app (it's available on iTunes and Google Play) on your smartphone
and it will explain how to share your photograph or video. Selected pictures are then posted on #earthcapture
bbc.com/earth and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To see the stunning photographs taken
by people all over the world, search for #earthcapture and prepare to be amazed. O
FERNE CORRIGAN
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Skilled f reedivers and
spear-fishermen, the
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Triangle have traditionally
lived almost entirely at
sea. Vivien Gumming
meets the last true
nomads of the ocean
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}S& W. CHANGE
FOR
Wa
NOMADS
tide comes m, the village is accessible by
only one means of transport - boats.
The Bajau people have lived in the
Coral Triangle - the area of ocean north
of Australia, between Indonesia the
Philippines and Papua New Guinea - for
centuries. They traditionally spent their
entire lives on houseboats at sea. Only
two generations ago many Bajau would
have been born, lived and died at sea,
rying to keep up, I dive as deep as I can, but but this existence is at odds with the boundaries of modern
it isn't long before La Uda disappears below nation states. Over past decades, under government pressure,
me. I can barely make him out as he dives most Bajau have been forced to settle and have chosen to
deeper and deeper, over the lip of a coral wall build villages such as Sampela entirely on water. Even with
and down its cliff-like face past a myriad of coral and sponges. a settlement, some of the 1,500 residents haven't set foot on
Suddenly, I realise that I'm out of breath. Looking upwards, air land for several years. One man gestures towards the coast
seems to be far above me. I kick frantically to reach the surface and says: 'When I'm on land, it moves.' It's as though he gets
and gasp -1 must have been down there for a minute. La Uda is Tandsick', his body more in tune with the rhythms of the ocean.
still going and it seems like an age before he reappears nearly
five minutes later, proudly bearing a fish on his spear gun. Deep respect
La Uda and his father, La Udedi, are Bajau spear-fishermen. Hundreds of children greet our arrival, showing off their
They are from one of the few families that still solely spearfish. acrobatics and swimming skills by launching themselves into
They live in the village of Sampela, off the coast of Indonesia's the nearby water. The village is made up of rickety wooden
Kaledupa Island in Southeast Sulawesi in the heart of the Coral walkways that lead you around a maze of houses. Endless
Triangle, a region so-called for its incredible biodiversity. It is no battering by the ocean means that occasionally the walkways
ordinary village. Built entirely on wooden stilts and piles of dead collapse and sometimes you have to circumnavigate the entire
coral in the shallow water, it's nearly a kilometre from the coast. village before reaching your destination.
At low tide the seabed is exposed, with meadows of seagrass There is no past or future tense in the Bajau language,
lying ready to be scavenged for their shellfish. Then, when the so asking when the village was built brings only baffled
expressions. The generally used frame of
reference for when something happened
is: 'My grandfather first came here',
Top left and right: -
Sampela's stilt houses, or 'my father first came here', rather
a kilometre from !> than talking about years or dates.
land, with fish pens In the early days, many of the
for aquaculture in the
foreground. Right: walkways were made up of just two
everyday food staples r* lengths of bamboo, and practising the
art of acrobatics to get from A to B was
i
.l v' commonplace. Today the easiest way to
get around, when the tide is high, is by
m small dugout canoe, paddling between
u.
the houses, under the walkways, and
avoiding the occasional child's head as it
\ d pops up to say hello. Watching children
036/ earth/FEBRUARY2017
People special
Bajau spear-fishermen
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earth / 039
During a Bajau healing
ceremony at a family
house in Sampela,
a shaman heats a cup
over burning embers
The Bajau
flows. Sue
to eooi
has been working in the region for
some 15 years.
'Our data suggests an average 75 per
cent reduction in fish abundance since
we started recording in 2002,' he says.
'I would argue that habitat degradation
and overfrshing are the key.'
There's no doubt that unsound
fishing practices and Asia's booming
live fish trade have not helped, with
the majority of reef fish swimming in
restaurant aquariums coming from the
pristine waters of the Coral Triangle.
tm
visit rainforestconcern.org
66 Great Pulteney Street, Bath BA2 4DL | info@rainforestconcern.org | Charity no. 1028947
Adventure hackers I
Bug detectives I
I ADVENTURE-0^0-HACKERS |
W
w
SO YOU
WANT TO
BE A BUG
CATCHER?
earth /043
rica McAlister was bitten by the insect bug
while studying for a degree in environmental
biology. She went on a placement year at
what was then the Institute of Terrestrial
Ecology (now the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology) in Dorset.
'I was studying the effects of climate change on heather
beetles,' she recalls. 'I'd spend my lunchtime eating
sandwiches and watching parasites emerge from the beetles'
abdomens. The more I learnt, the more I wanted to know.'
Dr McAlister went on to gain a PhD in ecological
entomology, which involved studying invertebrates on a
wetland, before joining the Natural History Museum (NHM)
10 years ago. Today she is the NHM's collections manager of
diptera (flies); siphonaptera (fleas); arachnida (spiders, ticks,
scorpions, mites, harvestmen and their cousins); and JW1'-
myriapoda (millipedes and centipedes). 'Anything that bites,
pierces, maims; they're my babies,' she says, grinning.
Specifically, her 'babies' are some 3-4 million specimens
of insects and arachnids held at the NHM, either in spirit jars,
on slides or pinned in glass-topped drawers. McAlister and
the five staff she manages divide up responsibility for this
collection between themselves. McAlister is in charge of
part of the fly collection, including the horse flies and robber
Dr Erica McAlister
is collections
manager at the
Natural History
Museum, and
has particular
responsibility for
the fly collection
Did you
know? &
The titan beetle (below), which
lives in South America, can grow
up to 20cm long.
- 1
il
The traditional route to becoming an that museum and university staff are very
entomologist is to studyfor a degree in welcoming to amateurs if they know we're
biological sciences and then a further serious about what we're doing,' says retired
master's degree or PhD in entomology. maths teacher and amateur entomologist
You don't need to be a professional Howard Bentley. Despite his amateur status, Immature male bees make a
bug-catcher to work with insects however. Bentley grew so skilled at identifying the tasty snack; the Nordic Food Lab
The Amateur Entomologists' Society dolichopodidae family of long-legged flies (nordicfoodlab.org) has made
(amentsoc.org) is a good place to find out that he was asked by the NHM to help sort granola out of them.
about alternative opportunities. 'The great and identify specimens in a collection
thing about entomology in this country is bequeathed to the museum.
ivrh-
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Jordan
visitjordan.com
'vv..
Adventure hackers
Bug detectives
WA
THE VOLUNTEER ft
'I THINK IT
WOULD BE GREAT
TO DISCOVER A
NEW SPECIES'
earth /047
Have a bone to pick with the scraggy
vulture? Just remember they're vita!
as nature's waste disposers - which i
why their decline is very bad news..
4-
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Bflr
K 4
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hey say behind every great
man is a great woman. But,
behind every giant leap for
mankind is a group of
i
individuals far larger than the names that
history remembers - many of whom don't
get the credit they deserve.
You'd be forgiven for not having heard ( %
of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan -1 u
and Mary Jackson. These were three
extraordinary mathematicians who worked
at NASA during the space race and whose
intelligence, rigour and determination i
overcame the prejudices they lived with as
black women in a white man's world. Bfih
They were crucial in putting the first
m/A
Americans in space - Alan Shepard and John
Glenn. Their calculations helped Neil 1
Armstrong to step onto the moon in 1969,
putting the USA ahead of Russia in the Cold
War-era battle for space supremacy, and starring Taraji P Henson (who plays Johnson),
inspiring awe worldwide. Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer (Vaughan)
But their remarkable contribution was and singer Janelle Monae (Jackson). It
almost forgotten. That was until 2010, when captures the irony of a time in US history that
they came to the attention of author Margot was forward-thinking enough for the
Lee Shetterly, whose father had worked at brightest minds to be working to put a man
Langley, the NASA station in Hampton, on the moon, while also refusing to drink
Virginia, and who as a girl saw that 'the face coffee from the same pot as a black person.
of science was brown like mine'. She Virginia, where these women lived and
discovered that few people knew there had worked, was one of the worst states for racial
been women at NASA, let alone black women, inequality. Black people had to sit at the back
and she wrote their stories in Hidden Figures. of the bus, couldn't attend public schools and Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA),
The book, which came out in September even had to use separate rubbish bins on the as early as 1935. They were hired to do
2016, has been made into a Hollywood movie street. When Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson important number crunching and were called
worked at Langley, in their early days at least, 'computers' - long before the invention of
they were placed in a separate wing from computers as we now know them.
These black female their white counterparts, and were forced to 'Computers were women,' says Shetterly.
use 'coloured' bathrooms and dine separately. 'It was a job title, and it was seen as women's
mathematicians
With such narrow thinking the norm, it is work just like being a writer or a driver.
were forced to use perhaps surprising to learn that there were Computers wore skirts and blouses.'
women working as mathematicians at NASA During the Second World War, when male
'coloured' bathrooms
at all. But in fact the first female members personnel were in short supply, there was an
and dine separately arrived at what was then the National influx of female computers at the NACA,
f
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KATHERINE JOHNSON
BORN: 26 AUGUST 1918
WORKED AT NASA: 1933-1986
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Hiss
Snakes have a small opening
behind the tongue called the
glottis, which opens into the
windpipe. A small piece of
cartilage inside it vibrates
when the snake breathes
out, which produces the
characteristic hiss.
Jacobson's organ
When the snake's tongue
retreats into its mouth, the
fork touches the Jacobson's
organ, a sensory part of the
roof of the mouth, which tells
the snake what it is smelling
- and whether it is good
enough to eat.
Skeleton
Contrary to popular opinion
snakes do have a backbone.
In fact, they are virtually
all backbone, their spinal
column extending from
skull to tail with fragile ribs
curving outwards from it.
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Eyes
Snakes have eyes but no
eyelids. Instead, they have
what's known as a spectacle Teeth
- a transparent scale that is Those sharp teeth aren't there
part of their skin. It is shed for chewing. They are designed
along with the rest of its to grasp and propel backwards,
skin, on average two to ensuring that, once bitten, prey
four times a year. can only move in the direction
of the snake's stomach. Non-
venomous snakes don't have
Ears fangs like rattlesnakes. Instead
While snakes lack external they have extra upper teeth.
ears, they do have internal
ones that are capable of
detecting low-frequency
sounds. The inner ear can
also detect motion and
soundwaves travelling W3
through the ground.
4'
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Snakes smell with their forked
/ tongues. That characteristic flick
/
of the tongue shows a snake is
s / W actually sniffing and tasting the
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INSTlTl TE
TOP 0 F
THE POP
S C I E N C E
Bonnin started as a
presenter on music
OF IHE shows, but her work
now revolves around
her love of wildlife.
Bottom left: she
filmed with Siberian
I'D ADVISE tigers in 2013
BUDDING
SCIENTISTS
TO BE CREATIVE College, Dublin, and has a master's degree
AND HAVE FUN'
in wild animal biology from the Zoological
I m lucky that I have Society of London and the Royal Veterinary
these TV programmes to College. She started her career presenting
J
immortalise my experiences prime-time TV shows including Top of the
but I write down special t" Pops and RI:SE, before realising she could
w.
moments and things that don't 1 combine her broadcast experience with her
always make the cut. I never 0
travel without my big yellow passion for science.
notebook: I don't want to Presenting programmes such as Operation
forget a second of it. Snow Tiger in 2013, has had a lasting effect.
/My favourite nature T worked with scientists in Russia who are
tA/atnhinn cnnt
watching spot iqis the
thp IT trying to protect the last remaining Siberian
Cairngorm mountain - I'm
W tigers,' she says. 'It was an incredibly special
passionately in love with it. V iff trip that changed my life. It made me realise
I also went to Mull last May
with the Hebridian Whale that I'm not doing enough.' There were around
and Dolphin Trust and we 300 of these wild animals during filming, but
were on the water when the numbers have since risen to more than 500.
first pod of dolphins arrived. Liz lives in London and admits that it takes
It was incredible.
I really believe there's some adjustment when she comes home
a science-related subject a from a trip. T spent quite
to suit every child. I'd advise a lot of time in Botswana,
budding scientists to be and landing at Heathrow
creative and have fun and was such a shock to the
never think that a question I. I U ' i J* I To ensure a
system. People behave
has been answered.
I 'v.- more positive differently in a city like
this,' she says.
future we need
When she's at home
to make in London, she gets her
nature fix by going for
science the
France, before her long walks in Kensington
family moved to new rock 'n' roll' Gardens and Hyde Park.
Ireland. 'I remember 'When I surround myself
being obsessed with with trees, it just does
the birds that used to land on my balcony,' something to me. I find myself getting
she says. 'I wanted to know how their eyes bogged down by little things in the city. But
moved, how their little hearts beat. I can be filming on a mountain in the middle
'Before we moved to Ireland, my sister and of Alaska, and all my stresses and worries
I were outdoors all the time with our dogs, dissipate. Nature is the best medicine,
playing with bugs. There were 'And studying nature and
snakes, too. After we moved, we'd science is all about being curious
i / go to Trinidad or Martinique on about the world around you.
holiday. They are such beautiful I've seen so many different
To find out
parts of the world; they ignited more visit types of scientist in my career:
my love of the great outdoors.' bbc.co.uk/ adventurers, innovators,
Bonnin studied for a bachelor's terrificscientific creatives. It shows how
degree in biochemistry at Trinity exciting and fun science is.' Ei
BIZARRE
B O
imi
n
Js H
r
m
Venus flytrap
T A leaves snap shut
when they feel the
movement of prey
CARNIVOROUS PLANTS
'The parasites are some 'Normally, I think about the science first, but Scott's
coloured line drawings convey the dazzling beauty
of my favourites because and variety of plants so brilliantly that we decided to
choose plants that were visually stunning and then
I love plants that do
find out what made them extraordinary. It took about
something weird' a year altogether and I learnt a lot,' she says.
Among the inclusions in the book is the greater
dodder (Cuscuta europaea), a parasitic plant that
coldest, driest and wettest places on Earth,' says Willis knew very little about. 'But once I started the
Willis. 'They can be huge or tiny, beautiful or ugly, research, I found it was fascinating and quite scary
scented or smelly, weird or frightening. For instance, - it seems to "smell" its host plant and grow towards
one of the largest pitcher plants {Nepenthes rajah) it.' Willis says parasites 'are some of my favourites
has pitchers [urn-like modified leaves] the size of a because I love plants that do something weird'.
rugby ball that can trap rats, which it then eats.' What are the other more unusual plants Willis has
What's more, we have onlyjust begun to scratch come across in her research for the book? 'The huge,
the surface of mapping and understanding the plants stinking corpse flower {Rafflesia arnoldii) captures
that provide a habitat for us. 'So far, scientists have the imagination because it is almost more animal
counted over 400,000 plant species, but about 2,000 than vegetable. It is bright red, not green, because
new ones are discovered each year,' says Willis. it gets another plant to do its photosynthesising
Botanicum showcases plants that feed off each [converting light energy into chemical energy],
other, snack on raw meat, or smell peculiar, with but not only does it look like an alien and feed off
striking illustrations by Katie Scott. 'The book was another plant, it stinks like rotting flesh,' she says.
really fun to do but also quite Evolution has resulted in
a challenge because, for me, other fascinating monster
it was a completely different plants. 'Carnivorous plants
way of working,' says Willis. are also brilliant, because O
m*
ORCHIDS
There are about 28,000 known species of tabby spots and tiny freckles to checks Though one seedpod can contain up
orchid. They're some of the most complex and neat stripes. This is because they are to 3 million seeds, germination is so
and highly evolved flowering plants on not self-pollinating so have become complex that relatively few orchids ever
Earth. They are found on every continent skilled mimics in order to attract their flower. For some species this makes
bar Antarctica and can live for decades. pollinator, which may be an insect or survival in the wild precarious.
More than half are epiphytes, known as even a hummingbird. It also makes them hugely desirable.
'air plants' because they grow high up in Some, such as the fringed orchid The slipper orchid {Paphiopedilum
the branches of another plant with their {Catasetum hmbhatum, 1) are aggressive rothschildianum, 2), which helped to
roots sticking out, and draw their water and shoot pollen at their pollinator, trigger orchid fever when it was
and nutrients from the air. usually an insect. Some, such as the bee discovered in Borneo in the 19th century,
Orchids come in every size, shape and orchid {Ophrys apifera, 3) have evolved is one such living legend and is now
colour, with dazzling markings from to look like their pollinator's ideal mate. highly endangered.
PARASITIC PLANTS
Some species of plants are parasites, and is generally hidden until it produces Not all parasites are unpleasant,
meaning that they suck their food, water a single, massive, fleshy flower, which can however. With attractive white berries,
and nutrients from another living plant. reach 1m in diameter and weigh up to 11kg. mistletoe (Viscum album, 2), the
All parasites have a specially modified root At its centre is a deep bowl, into which its traditional plant we kiss under at
called a haustorium, which they use as a pollinator, the carrion fly, is enticed by its Christmas, is a hemiparasite, because
pipeline to feed from their host. awful scent of rotting flesh. This although it lives on the branches of other
Stinking corpse flower (Rafflesia frankenflower, the world's largest, trees and shrubs, it also sustains itself
arnoldii, 1), a native of southeast Asia, appears infrequently and lasts for only through its decorative green leaves
is one such parasite. It lives on a host vine five days in the gloom of the rainforest. and photosynthesis.
Ha
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they are so well adapted to do truly horrible things. form in more than 300 million years. If you think of
And bromeliads are really cool: they don't follow any that in terms of the survival of the fittest, algae are
of the normal plant rules - the pineapple, for instance, the Usain Bolt of the plant world.'
is not one fruit but a whole bunch moulded together. There are still gaps in our knowledge, and areas
In the wild they create a sort of micro-climate, and where plants have yet to be studied, but Willis is
often have tiny frogs living in the water trapped in confident we'll get there. 'If life on Earth is to thrive,
their rosette of spiny leaves.' we need to start educating the next generation
But it isn't just the big, impressive-looking, rat- of scientists so that they can protect our plants
trapping or frog-hosting plants that do extraordinary from pests and climate change. More than 40,000
things, says Willis, every species has incredible people came to our inaugural science festival at Kew
attributes and abilities. 'All plants are amazing, even last year, many of them children. My hope is that
tiny ones like lichens - there are some that produce Botanicum will inspire young people to learn more
their own sunscreen. Algae, which tend to get about the science of plants,1 S
dismissed as squidgy green blobs, are mind-blowing; Botanicum is published by Big Picture Press in
some varieties have had no evolutionary change in association with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 20
070/ earth/FEBRUARY2017
Nature
Botanical thrillers
mm m- ^
it.. L A
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Managing your staff
easier.
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earth /073
brand-new BBC Two series
recently put out a call to find
Britain's next Tim Peake. With
the working title The Toughest
Job in the Universe, it's looking
for budding astronauts to take part in a series of
challenges to see if they have what it takes to make
it to space. The appeal has garnered a huge
response, and of those who applied from around
the UK, 12 men and women will be selected to
undergo hard training exercises, including a zero-g
flight and a real NASA mission in an underwater lab.
They'll be tested on their self-discipline, personality
and ability to learn new skills - and whether they can
make life-or-death decisions.
Overseeing the 'recruitment' process (after all,
it's just for fun) will be Colonel Chris Hadfield,
retired astronaut and a former commander of the
International Space Station (ISS). 'To be selected
as an astronaut is intensely demanding and
competitive,' he says. Tm looking forward to
meeting these 12 top finalists - the very best of all
who apply - and testing and getting to know them
to see who has what it truly takes.'
After all, the real selection process is no picnic.
Astronauts chosen by NASA and the European
Space Agency (ESA) have to beat thousands,
sometimes tens of thousands, of applicants to the
job and will undergo rigorous physical, mental and
psychological tests and profiling.
There's no obvious career path for astronauts,
no universities offering degrees in space travel,
or designated A levels that are needed in order to
qualify. Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut,
was a chemist. She was in her mid-twenties and
had just completed a PhD at Birkbeck University
074/ earth/FEBRUARY2017
Space I
Be an astronaut I
Council shop:
shop.sciencecouncil.org
Space
Be an astronaut
depressive; they
shouldn't be extreme'
earth /077
ff
A H
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Russian Soyuz space capsules have been the only way to
travel to the International Space Station (ISS) since NASA
retired the space shuttle in 2011. Each spacecraft comes in
1
three parts: the lower instrument module holds an on-board
computer, communications kit, thrusters and propellants;
the central descent module is where the three crew members
sit during the launch and the return journey to Earth;
and the upper orbital module provides storage and living
quarters during the journey (including a loo, in case you were
wondering), along with the exit hatch and equipment needed ~r *
to dock to the ISS. Only the descent module part of Soyuz
TMA-19M will be on display at the Science Museum, as the
other modules are jettisoned on the return journey before the
capsule enters the Earth's atmosphere.
BURNING UP
The outside of the Dalek-
;y shaped descent module is NOT COLDPLAY AGAIN!
black and charred, as its This is the instrument display
heat-resistant covering is system (IDS), which includes
designed to burn and slow the two display screens and
craft down as it travels back various system buttons and
through the atmosphere. The J lights. The three black knobs
two window-like holes are, are the audio controls for the
in fact, where there would be astronaut who occupied the
containers for the main (left) left-hand seat, Tim Kopra.
and reserve (right) parachutes. HARIBO, ANYONE? These and the identical dials in
The huge main parachute, As well as carrying refreshments front of the other seats enabled
which was activated just for the journey, the capsule has a the crew to control their audio
before the module landed, survival kit containing everything inputs, through which they
is the size of two tennis the crew would need to survive listened to each other, the
courts. Although descent back on Earth if they happen to mission-control team, and a
modules are never used again land in a spot that will take a pre-flight playlist. Tim Peake
after a mission, some parts while to reach. It includes food, listened to Queen's Don't Stop
of it are taken and recycled fishing tackle, a knife and a gun. Me Now, U2's Beautiful Day
- the reserve parachute of this and Coldplay's A Sky Full of
craft wasn't needed so it will Stars, while doing last-minute
be used on another flight. checks before blast-off.
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These two cylindrical controls .
enable the craft's commander
to manually pilot the capsule.
The grey control on the left
moves you in the three axes UNDERPRESSURE 1
of direction - pitch, roll and These orange valves control
yaw - and the control on the the cabin pressure. The air
right moves you forward or supply to the capsule is very
backwards,' explains the similar to that of an airplane, YOU ARE HERE EASY RIDER
Science Museum's Doug mimicking the atmosphere This display on the IDS shows This was Tim Peake's seat.
Millard, deputy keeper, of Earth (around 80 per cent the capsule's location and Each seat is made from
technologies and engineering. nitrogen and almost 20 per trajectory, in the same way a mould of the astronaut's
The commander of this cent oxygen). There is a main that screens on the back of back to ensure a very snug fit.
capsule was Russian Yuri air supply and a backup one, airplane seats show passengers A hydraulic system lifts the
Malenchenko, so he occupied plus the crew wear Sokol how far the plane has travelled seat a little before touchdown,
the central seat. He skilfully survival suits. Complete with towards its destination. to help absorb the violent
docked the capsule to the ISS a built-in helmet, these suits As they are very expensive to impact of landing.
manually after the control can keep the astronauts produce, the capsule's original
system generated a 'general alive for two hours if the IDS will be used again,
failure' message. spacecraft springs a leak. so this one is a replica.
Valent:
but we
have a g it d ne ua
Animal behaviour
Monogamous mates
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icture the most romantic creatures in the
animal kingdom. Perhaps some elegant mute
swans? A couple of cooing turtle doves? Or .n
maybe an adorably faithful pair of macaroni
penguins? One of the most loved-up animals you probably
aren't thinking about is a shy little rodent that lives in North
America. The prairie vole isn't much to look at, with its coarse
pepper-shaded fur, but it's rare among mammals for being
unwaveringly loyal to its mate. In fact, it's such a perfect
model of lifelong love that scientists use it to better
understand how we, too, can plunge head over heels.
The crucial chemical that makes female prairie voles attach
themselves tenderly to their mates is the very same that
human mothers produce when they're in labour and
breastfeeding - oxytocin. A related hormone, known as Can promiscuous
vasopressin, has similar effects on the male vole. 'Mating
really seals the deal when it comes to pair bonding,' says partners be turned
psychiatry professor Larry Young at Emory University
into loyal ones with
School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, who has been studying
prairie voles since 1994. 'When virgin male and female prairie a little biological
voles first mate, there is a release of several chemicals in the
brain, including oxytocin, vasopressin and dopamine, that tweaking?
creates the bond between them.'
Young believes that a similar process goes on in us. 'In
human men, oxytocin makes our partners, but not other
women, more attractive,' he says. 'There is lots of evidence
that oxytocin plays an important role in social bonding,
including romantic love in humans.'
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Animal behaviour
Monogamous mates
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Octopuses are the biggest hearted in order to stop themselves drifting
creatures around - they have three! away from each other. Did you
r.
Rafting sea otter couples have Gibbons were once regarded as know? &
been noted to sometimes hold exemplars of faithfulness but are
hands while they are asleep, now known to 'divorce' each other.
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A trunk call
for trees
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Team Earth I
Ancient woodlands I
Trees might not have a legal status, but that doesn't threats of pollution, diseases - such as chalara
mean they're totally unprotected. Humans have long which has plagued the domestic Ash population -
banded together to stand up for the rights of our pests, overgrazing and invasive non-native species.
deeply rooted companions - and you can help, too. With environmental change happening at an
Organisations like the Woodland Trust and The unprecedented rate, we need to adapt, and fast,
Tree Council are committed to safeguarding old to protect our ecosystems - and trees, which are
forests and mature trees, as well as planting new a habitat in their own right, are an essential part of
ones. They work to protect trees from the increasing that. Here's how to take a leaf out of their book... S
what
can you
do to
help?
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earth /091
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY
Environment Department
field trip to Iceland, 2016
i Photo by David Rippin
Untravelledl
Expedition
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Combine cultural discoveries with world-class wildlife watching
on an adventure into the heart of traditional First Nations'
territory of the Kwakwaka wakw: Vancouver Island North.
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Weather
Future forecasting
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THE WEATHER
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As a nation, we're obsessed with the weather forecast which,
despite the specialised technology, sometimes leaves us unprepared
Joe Shute reveals how traditional methods might still have a role,
while David Crookes looks at the future of prediction
or as long as humans have
existed on this planet,
we have been attempting to
second-guess the weather
- and it remains an imperfect art.
Organisations such as the Met Office and
MeteoGroup (Europe's largest forecaster) rely
on so-called 'super computers'. The Met
Office model cost 97m and is capable of
making 23,000 trillion calculations a second,
drawing in hundreds of thousands
of weather observations from across the
globe. The organisation claims its four-day
forecast is today as accurate as its one-day
forecast was 30 years ago.
Yet we still seem to hear of barbecue
summers and polar blasts that never
transpire. The winter of 2014 was supposed
to be 'exceptionally dry'. Instead it turned
out to be the wettest on record. Before the
great storm of 1987, many took forecaster
Michael Fish at his word when he famously
dismissed talk of a hurricane swirling in.
Despite the best efforts of TV weather
forecasters, including the late, great Ian
McCaskill (who passed away in December
last year), many still value the old ways -
knowledge passed down through the ages, vv
based on close observation of how the
natural world can give us clues to what our
country's capricious weather holds in store.
According to some, you can get warning of
a hurricane by watching for gulls flying inland
from the coast - a dead cert in folklore that a
storm is coming. For many naturalists even
today, the arrival of Bewick's swans in Britain
from Arctic Russia each October marks the
onset of winter. And there are plenty of other
natural clues. Did you know, for example, that
the height of burdock and teasel in late
summer is an indicator of autumn rain (the
wetter it is going to be, the taller the plants
will grow)? Similarly, when lily pads bloom on
11
2016: Hottest-ever April
Last year, April felt like
WEATHER early summer, with
I temperatures breaking
HIGHS AND
LOWS the previous record
for the month by the
largest margin on file.
098/ earth/FEBRUARY2017
Weather
Future forecasting
II
u
Much weather
lore dates back
to when whole
* : communities
depended on
a good harvest
WM
rivers it is a sure sign that the height of
Given the damage that storms do summer is on its way.
(left), perhaps we should watch for If you were paying attention at the start of
gull activity (below left) to predict the year, then it's possible you already know
them, as naturalists do. Migrating the weather for the year ahead: an old
swans (below right) and waterlilies
in flower (below centre) hold clues method of forecasting recorded by the writer
to other key weather events Lodowick Lloyd in 1590 has it that the first 12
days of lanuary predict whether it will rain or
shine during each month for the following
year. The temperature on 12 lanuary,
meanwhile, is a rough summary of what the
weather will be like overall - which isn't great
news for 2017, as we saw the first flurry of
snow of the year that day.
Much weather lore dates back to long
before the industrial revolution when whole
communities depended on a good harvest for
survival. By the late 17th century, farmers'
almanacs were second only to the Bible in
sales. These detailed not just astronomical
events but also saint's days, which were
deemed a key indicator of weather.
St Swithin's Day on 15 luly was (and to
some, still is) regarded as a key moment
in the meteorological calendar, whereby
whatever the weather was doing that day,
it would remain so for the next 40 days.
% Long before clouds were officially
categorised in the 19th century, numerous
sayings existed for the forecasting
m possibilities in the sky. Mackerel sky and
mares' tails make lofty ships carry low sails',
describes a mix of wispy cirrus uncinus O
Professor Mass. 'The data from smartphones 200,000 users), says: 'The density of reliable
can be used to improve forecasters' models.' sensor data across large geographies is
Certainly, the idea of using phones as always a challenge.
forecasters has taken hold and there are 'But the data needs to be clean, too, so that
now phone apps, including The Weather it's reliable and quality-controlled before it's
Channel, Dark Sky and WeatherSignal, that used in a weather model. This includes
contribute pressure readings to the major removing noise in the data from altitude
meteorological agencies. You simply changes, sensor errors and so on.'
download the app, and your phone does the There is still frustration because of how
rest, though you can also upload information few people are actually using their phones
about the weather where to collect data at present.
you are, too, if you want. Professor Mass has been
WeatherSignal was trying to encourage Google
inspired by the barometer 4 and Apple to integrate
in the Motorola Xoom five air pressure data
years ago. We thought it gathering into their
would be cool to create live operating systems,
pressure maps with no which would make the app
fancy equipment needed, automatically available
just users of apps,' says # to every phone owner
James Robinson from with one of their devices,
maker OpenSignal. but Apple has yet to bite.
But that's not all. 'If Google or Apple would
OpenSignal realised the help, the implications
temperature of a phone battery could also would be revolutionary,' he says. In the
measure the outdoor air temperature, and meantime, experiments continue.
this ability has also been incorporated into 'There are many groups working to
WeatherSignal, with the data shared with the incorporate smartphone sensor data into
Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, weather models,' says Sheehy. 'But there's
Jacob Sheehy, who, along with Phil Jones, still a lot of work to do to find out how much
devised the now defunct PressureNet more accurate forecasts can get.' Ei
(the first smartphone network of atmosphere Joe Shute writes for The Daily Telegraph;
sensors, which at one time had around David Crookesisa technology writer
np-IHI;
#. Search for
7 ANIMALS M an astronaut
THAT LOVE :
EACH OTHER f / W J / Reality TV
FOR LIFE f Jj f goes orbital
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MEET THE
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HOW'HUMAN 'It's the new
COMPUTERS'
WON THE rock'n'roll!'
SPACE RACE _ Liz Bonnin
.Issue four 3.99 February 2017 'SCIENCE1
THE WILD YOSEMITE ON FIRE EXTREME WEATHER
F AMAZING ANIMALS, IDEAS AND SCIENCE
per issue!
102/earth /February2017
H -|
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h
DANGER
ELECTRIC
ANIMALS
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dying and the native fishermen kept them in the swamp... It's from biological or external sources, Mary Shelley was so
quite a gruesome story, but the way [Humboldt] writes about intrigued by the notion of a spark somehow reanimating the
it is very compelling,' says Garde. dead that it would inspire her to write Frankenstein.
Galvani later proved, conclusively, the existence of
Highly charged rivalry internal animal electricity. But his work did not succeed in
But the arrival of the electric eel in America and Europe convincing Volta - who objected to the notion on religious
wasn't just the biggest electrical event on the block. 'The grounds. Galvani's theory was largely ignored by the scientific
electric eel was critical in our understanding of how to develop community until his experiments were picked up again
electrical currents for our own use,' says Garde. decades later, according to Marco Piccolino, the co-author of
Alessandro Volta, the Italian physicist who invented the The Shocking History of Electric Fishes.
electric battery (or Voltaic pile) and after whom the unit of Modern science accepts that all muscle cells, human or
electric potential is named, based his work on the anatomy of animal, have electrical potential. A further two centuries of
the electric eel. 'Volta called his earliest device an "organ" - experimentation have confirmed that muscle contractions
a direct reference to its biological roots,' Garde says. are initiated by electrical-nerve impulses and that a potential
In fact, the invention of the electric battery was an electrical energy is present across the membranes of all cells.
unexpected but happy consequence of Volta's research Why are some animals more electric than others? It
into the then controversial subject of animal electricity. seems to be a quirk of evolution that certain muscle cells
He had been a critic of the 1780s changed over millions of years into
experiments of Italian physician electrocytes generating much higher
Luigi Galvani, who connected the Electric fish fed voltages than ordinary muscle cells.
nerves of a dead frog to a metal wire 'Electric fish fed our understanding
our understanding
and pointed it toward the sky during of what electricity is,' says Garde. 'It
a thunderstorm. The frog's legs of what electricity led to our understanding that
twitched as if it were alive. electricity is in our body, how it works
is... that electricity
While Volta and Galvani were through our bodies and how it might
debating whether electricity came is in our body' be sent through the body to help it.' S
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ECTOPISTES MIGRATORIUS
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CONSERVATION STATUS EXTINCT
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In our latest feature on intriguing specimens in half a day at a time. Flocks stretched as far as a person
could see, one tier above another.' The American
Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History, we profile naturalist and ornithologist John James Audubon
the passenger pigeon - the biggest bird population observed one flock for three days and estimated the
birds were flying past at a rate of 300 million per hour.
the world has ever seen, hunted from billions to zero Professional hunters tracked the nomadic flocks
in just a few decades in the late 19th century and met the demand for meat and feathers by
knocking nests and squabs (young pigeons) from
trees, suffocating birds nesting in trees with
Five billion. It's estimated that when Europeans first settled in sulphurous fires, baiting and intoxicating them with alcohol-soaked
North America in the late 1500s, there were 3-5 billion passenger grain to make them easier to catch,
pigeons in the forests of eastern North America. How many are there and using live decoys with their eyes
now? Zero. And we know the exact date that this bird became extinct: sewn shut. In April 1896, hunters
1 September 1914. It remains the only species for which we know the found the last remnant flock of
exact date of extinction. How do we know?The last passenger pigeon, 250,000 and, in one day, killed all but
Martha, was in a cage at Cincinnati Zoo. 5,000 birds - with some accounts
In the late 16th century, it's thought that the Ectopistes migratorius claiming all were killed.
population comprised up to 40 per cent of the total bird population Even without commercial hunting,
on the North American continent. Yet just afew decades of reckless the passenger pigeon probably
overhunting and deforestation in the late 1800s decimated the would not have survived, because
world's largest-ever bird population to extinction. of the progressive loss of its
In the mid-1800s,flocks of passenger pigeons had been so dense, woodland habitat.
the birds could simply be batted out of the air with clubs as they flew Captive breeding efforts failed.
over ridges: one shotgun blast could bring down as many as 50 birds. Martha, the last passenger pigeon, is
A description from 1854 says, 'There would be days and days when now preserved in the collections at the
the air was alive with them, hardly a break occurring in the flocks for Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC. S
Competition
Family holiday
Exchange the winter blues for the white sands As well as elephants, rhinos, deer and big
and aquamarine waters of Alicante in eastern cats, family-friendly Terra Natura has a
Spain - with some exciting wildlife-spotting petting zoo where little ones can get up close
and water-park fun thrown in. to creatures their own size. Both the water
We're offering readers the chance to win a park and Terra Natura belong to the European
luxury break for a family of four at the Magic Association of Zoos and Aquaria and are
Natura resort just 4km outside of Benidorm. committed to animal-welfare best practice. RPi
' 'i-'m
The hotel, located close to the Mediterranean At the hotel, which hosts guests in spacious
coast, combines a relaxing beach vibe with bungalows set in a Polynesian-style landscape,
unlimited access to the neighbouring Terra you can swim in one of three pools, eat at one ir. n . ^
' v ' - - -
Natura zoo and Aqua Natura water park. of several restaurants (providing all-inclusive
Zip down multi-lane slides, splash in crystalline breakfast, lunch and dinner) and party away the V1
. I
waters and careen down dizzying chutes (age night at the poolside bars. The children can enrol
and height restrictions apply) at the huge Aqua in family-friendly activities by day, too, and the
Natura park, which boasts a super- fast 15m ride bungalows come with TV, Wi-Fi, minibar
that gives you a zero-gravity feeling. and wood-decked terrace.
If you want a break from the wave machines,
head to the water park's aquarium where you
can see sharks and rays, and spot Nemo among The holiday is for two adults and two children
the colourful shoals of fish. You'll also learn (aged 12 and under) for seven nights.
about caring for our marine friends and can Accommodation is all-inclusive at the
watch sea lion demonstrations. four-star Magic Natura resort, just 10 minutes
Back on dry land, take a night-time safari by car from the beach.
through the famous Terra Natura zoo, home Return flights from UK airports, as well as
to 1,500 animals and 200 species - 50 of which transfers from Benidorm Airport, are included.
are on the endangered list. The animal park Includes free entrance to Terra Natura for Benidorm
has been designed to closely recreate the duration of your stay.
the habitats of these animals and it runs Includes free entrance to the neighbouring
environmental workshops to teach children Aqua Natura water park with sea lion
important lessons about conservation. demonstrations and night safari.
->
i Fir-
TERMS AND CONDITIONS The promoter is River Group. A winner is picked at random from all entries submitted before the closing date
that comply with the full terms. No purchase necessary. RRP value of prize is approximately 3,000. This prize must be taken before the
end of 2017 and is subject to availability. It cannot be taken over bank holidays, Easter, July, August or during any UK school holidays. The fF
Aqua Natura park is open May-October. The prize is non-returnable and non-transferable.
' Jl1
112/ eaith/FEBRUARY 2017
Letters
February
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN Inbox
Get in touch to tell us your views on nature, science, space and everything else about BBC Earth magazine
WEATHER WATCH caravan near Aberystwy th and head there PROMOTING DIVERSITY
I just wanted to say that I absolutely loved for the peace and tranquillity and to de-stress Thank you for the January issue of
the first issue of BBC Earth, and I'm loving as often as we can. A massive part of why we BBC Earth - the diversity of information,
the latest issue now, too. I especially continue to go back is the outstanding photography and features was
enjoyed the 'Shipping Forecasts' feature in wildlife and scenery all around this magical astonishing. I really loved the animal
the December issue (above) - my partner place. Withdrawal symptoms have kicked in symphony and the Egyptology features.
is in the merchant navy so we both share and we'll be heading back in February. This The 'Cabinet of Curiosities' is also a
an interest there. I enjoyed the space visit, I'm hoping for some proper winter favourite of mine. The magazine simply
features, too. To be honest, I think I've weather to get out and photograph. combines every subject I'm interested in -
just enjoyed every article! Brian Taylor wildlife, photography, science, culture...
Gemma Mooney Louise Thacker
TEEN DREAM
HAPPY VALLEYS My granddaughter asked me if I would get
I found your magazine totally by accident her a subscription to your magazine as her
Email us at
while browsing in my local supermarket but Christmas present, and I'm chuffed that a bbcearthmagazine
I am loving it. While I live in the northwest of 16-year-girl should be interested in the @therivergroup.co.uk
England and appreciate all the wonderful world around her. She loved the BBC's
wildlife and scenery on my doorstep, I must Planet Earth Has well and was also given
admit that my heart is firmly routed in Mid the DVD as a gift. We all think it's superb!
Wales. We are lucky enough to own a static Irene Semple
earth /113
k' v
-.% :'' . .: .
; :
-; - .-
LTC '" 7 .' -J-"-? '
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114/ earth/FEBRUARY2017
Travel I
Astro-tourism I
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'j
7I
"'i. "I
m to to
to to
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Jt MB
IS
PIC DU MIDI, FRANCE There are just 15 guest rooms and the are projected onto screens. With some of the
In southwest France, you can have a stargazing overnight visit includes a spectacular 1,000m clearest skies in the world, guests can gaze at
experience like no other, and stay overnight in cable-car ascent up to the observatory, a sunset Saturn's rings, Jupiter's moons and the
an observatory on a mountain peak. Perched pre-dinner cocktail while admiring nearly Andromeda galaxy. Then, the following morning,
2,877m above sea level in the Pyrenees, the 200 miles of mountain summits, and a mouth- breakfast is served as the sun rises.
Pic du Midi de Bigorre observatory is open for watering meal of traditional Pyrenean cuisine. The overnight experience costs from around
both day trips and exciting overnight stays. The astronomy action takes place in the 260 for a single room; picdumidi.com.
Plus, this year sees the launch of its own observatory's iconic Charvin dome, where views Easyjet, Ryanair, British Airways and Flybe
planetarium - the highest in Europe. from the 400mm Smith-Cassegrain telescope all fly to Toulouse. S
116/ earth/FEBRUARY2017
World uncovered
February
x-
f
A
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M
%
1
What is the
happiest The Australian quokka, part of the kangaroo family,
is the happiest animal on earth. At least, that's how
animal in it appears. Once described by a Dutch sea captain
as 'a kind of rat as big as a common cat', the furry
the world? creatures always wear a cheeky grin - even when
asleep... Scientists still don't understand why the
quokkas are always smiling but they put it down to an
'accident of evolution'. That can make it pretty hard to
judge their character. Quokkas bite dozens of people
each year on Rottnest Island off Western Australia
(their primary home), normally when snatching food.
Who knew that appearances could be so deceptive? O
earth /117
World uncovered
February
^1r
Why do we dream?
Curious
have emotions?
Artificial intelligence is developing at
a rapid pace and so-called 'emotional
robots', such as Pepper in Japan, are Have I shrunk?
now on the market and designed to live Feel like you were taller last time you
with humans. Pepper is said to feel 'joy, checked? You're not imagining it: we do
surprise, anger, doubt and sadness'. actually shrink during the day as the
But are robotfeelings real enough for #
cartilage in our spine compresses, making
humans to build meaningful relationships
with them? Currently, these Al emotions us l1/2-2cm shorter. Thankfully, as we sleep,
are only superficial, and many scientists the pressure on our spine eases and we
doubt that consciousness, which enables regain the lost height in the morning.
humans to experience emotions, will However, over time the effects do become
ever be replicated by a machine. In the
permanent, and that, along with flatter feet
meantime, robots like Pepper are
programmed to mimic what humans and loss of muscle mass, means we can lose
would do in a certain situation up to 5cm in height by the time we are 70, S
and can gauge human emotion
by detecting changes in facial
expression and tone of voice.
I J
Download intricate illustrations from Planet Earth II with the BBC Earth
colouring app. Then watch them come to life when you add colour!
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Fuel consumption figures for Fiat 500X Range in mpg (l/IOOkm): Urban 32.5 (8.7) - 61.4 (4.6); Extra Urban 49.6 (5.7) - 74.3
(3.8); Combined 42.2 (6.7) - 68.9 (4.1). COj emissions 157 - 107 g/km. Fuel consumption and CO2 figures based on standard EU tests for comparative
purposes and may not reflect real driving results. Model shown is a Fiat 500X Cross Plus. All vehicle images are for illustration purposes only and may include options or body paint
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