Science of Christmas | What was the star of Bethlehem?

The story of the Star of Bethlehem appears only in the Book of Matthew. The gospel tells us that a bright star appeared in the eastern sky when Jesus was born, famously seen by a group of wise men. These biblical “Magi,” sometimes called kings, now adorn nativity scenes around the world. Matthew 2:1-12 Tree of Life Version Wise Men Follow His Star 2 Now after Yeshua was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, magi from...

Creature Feature | Kangaroo

  * Photo by Henricus Peters at Lone Pine Sanctuary  Here are some facts you might not know about kangaroo… Kangaroo joeys are the size of a jellybean * Photo by Henricus Peters at Lone Pine Sanctuary  They can’t move backwards. “Kangaroos can not walk backward. Kangaroos hopping motion is called Saltation. They hop off their feet and use their tail to balance. That combined with muscular legs make it easy for them to move forward effectively but those appendages...

Learn From Nature | Conservation News Review – December 18

  A snapshot of the last week in the environmental field * Christmas is now but a week away – read more about “Christmas Animals” Australia – giant wombats roamed the continent – https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2022/12/giant-wombats-roamed-the-continent-and-now-we-have-a-complete-description-of-its-melon/ New Zealand – Forest & Bird, New Zealand’s largest conservation organisation, is preparing to celebrate 100 years  United Kingdom – BBC Wildlife Mag is 60 years old! The magazine was instrumental in highlighting wildlife photography  Global news – Conference of Parties on biodiversity was held in...

Nature Q&A | How do birds sing?

Have you heard that beautiful calls of the dawn chorus? Or noticed that some birds can exactly mimic specific sounds such as  car alarms? Birds produce more complex sounds than any other animal. The physiology and acoustics of bird vocalisation are unique in the animal kingdom. Bronchial tubes When a bird breathes it takes in air through its bill, draws it in past its throat and into its windpipe (or trachea). The windpipe forks to carry some air to each of...

A to Z of Nature | Birds

  Total amazing what birds can do and what makes them special.. The total of discovered bird species is roughly 10,000, but there are some characteristics that are common regardless of what species you’re talking about. Creatures resembling modern birds first appeared 60 million years ago, but they’ve taken many evolutionary turns since then. In most cases, these features remain because they’ve proven to be beneficial across a variety of landscapes and for birds with otherwise unique physiologies. Birds developed...

A to Z of Nature | Amphibians

What makes amphibians different? Amphibians, like any animal group, have unique traits that are unique to their classification. If you aren’t sure if the animal is an amphibian, check out this list of amphibians characteristics. External egg fertilization. When it comes to reproduction, amphibians don’t require mating before they release clear eggs with a jelly-like texture. Instead, their eggs are fertilized after. During metamorphosis, amphibians develop fair beyond this state. Grows 4 legs as an adult. While there are a...

Forest & Bird will celebrate 100 years in 2023!

A year of Forest & Bird celebration will kick off in March 2023. Here’s a sneak preview of the theme and some of the events already under way. The theme for the upcoming Centennial Celebrations is “What is your legacy? Most New Zealanders love nature – it’s part of who they are. During 2023, we hope to encourage thousands of small actions to help protect and restore our environment. There are lots of ways people can leave a legacy for...

Creature feature | the kiwi

  The kiwi is a unique and curious bird: it cannot fly, has loose, hair-like feathers, strong legs and no tail. Learn more about the kiwi, the national icon of New Zealand and unofficial national emblem. New Zealanders have been called ‘Kiwis’ since the nickname was bestowed by Australian soldiers in the First World War. New Zealanders have been called ‘Kiwis’ since the nickname was bestowed by Australian soldiers in the First World War. Today a lot of dedicated people...

Biomes – where life on Earth lives

What’s a Biome? Here we see two different biomes—deserts on the left and grasslands on the right. But both are land environments. Images by Bob Protus and Bkell. To make sense of complexity, humans often need to categorize, or group, things. We have food groups, sexes, eye colors, ages, and movie genres, to name a few. We categorize all types of things, whether they are ideas or objects, and whether they are small or large. One of the largest things...

Biodiversity conference 2022 ( COP 15 )

COP15 is shorthand for the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the UN Biodiversity Conference will convene governments from around the world to agree to a new set of goals to halt and reverse biodiversity loss over the next decade and beyond through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). While they are both Conferences of the Parties, and numbered similarly, COP15 and COP26...

Soil where food begins

  World Soil Day- December 5th. Soil is the heart and soul of our planet. We can’t live without it. It sustains us, captures carbon, provides a home for billions of organisms and can help defend us against flooding and drought, but too often we’re taught to think of it as dirt! As a result, many of the world’s soils are now in crisis – degraded and eroding, often as a result of intensive farming practices. The good news is that...

Fast facts about fastest creature!

  This is International Cheetah Day … You may already know that cheetahs are the world’s fastest land animal. But did you know their tails play a crucial role in hunting? Check out these and other fun facts about cheetahs. The planet’s fastest land animal is built for super speed, rather than stamina. … When they do stir, cheetahs can accelerate faster than most sports cars. … The name cheetah comes from a Hindi word, chita, meaning ‘spotted one’ …...

Earthshot Prize 2022 winners announced

The 2022 Earthshot Prize winners – an accomplished group of entrepreneurs and innovators spearheading ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet – are…. below…. Each winner was awarded a £1 million prize at the second-annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony, which will be broadcast Sunday, December 4 at 17:30pm GMT on BBC and will begin streaming on Monday, December 5 at 2:00pm EST on PBS.org and the PBS app.n Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot challenge in the 1960s, which...

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