A social media celebrity was born last week when the bright lights and camera of NOAA’s remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer zoomed in on a […]

The post Ghost octopod shows how little we know about deep-sea life appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Meet Scorpaenodes barrybrowni is a scorpionfish species newly discovered by Smithsonian scientists using a manned submersible in the deep-reef waters of the Caribbean island of Curaçao. It […]

The post New bright orange-red scorpionfish discovered deep in Caribbean appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

To fully know a species and develop sound conservation efforts, its full life cycle must be understood. But tracking small migratory birds for thousands of […]

The post Keeping Track of Kirtland’s Warbler All Year Long―A Scientific First appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Animal species can become endangered, but what about languages? Around 80 percent of the world’s population speaks just 20 percent of its 7,000 languages. That […]

The post Why languages become endangered, and how we can keep them alive appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post The crane that fell for her keeper appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Scientists from the Smithsonian and the University of Rhode Island have found unsuspected linkages between the oxidation state of iron in volcanic rocks and variations […]

The post Scientists uncover relationship between lavas erupting on sea floor and deep-carbon cycle appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Even tiny crustaceans scuttling across the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean floor will feel the effects of climate change, according to a new study […]

The post Climate change to impact even deep-ocean ecosystems appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

As average annual temperatures increase, mosquitoes have also been on the move—up the mountains of the Hawaiian islands. Once a refuge for native birds susceptible […]

The post Scientists race to find genetic clues as malaria decimates rare Hawaiian honeycreepers appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Keeper Tracey Barnes talks about Billie Jean, an Andean bear, and her two new cubs at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

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The post Learn about the National Zoo’s flamingo flock with keeper Sara Hallager appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo perform an artificial insemination procedure on a pair of Stanley Cranes. A Stanley Crane chick was successfully hatched on May 23, 2011.

The post Bird keepers at the National Zoo demonstrate the art of artificially inseminating Stanley cranes appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

 The zoo extends the collecting mission of the Smithsonian into the realm of the living. From the Series: Stories From the Vault: Random? http://bit.ly/2gfy5hO

The post Keeping zoo animals happy, healthy appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Candy Feller, senior ecologist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Md., will lead an effort to track more than 100 miles of Florida mangrove forests that are encroaching on salt marshes to the north.

The post NASA to help Smithsonian botanists track northern creep of Florida mangroves appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

It is one of the rarest shrubs in the southeastern United States but for scientists trying to save it, the critically endangered Michaux’s sumac (Rhus michauxii) is not cooperating.

The post Super tough seed coat keeps Michaux’s sumac on critically endangered list appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Despite many laws to protect it, a new survey reveals wild ginseng in Maryland is on the decline.

The post Wild ginseng in steep decline in Maryland, survey reveals: Q&A with Smithsonian botanist Christopher Puttock appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

As mangrove trees lose ground to deforestation and urban sprawl, one development seems to be giving them a boost: climate change. Fewer winter cold snaps […]

The post Mangroves creep north in response to warmer temperatures appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Supporters of the late educator and civil rights advocate Sal Castro are working to keep his Chicano Youth Leadership Conference alive.; Credit: Crystal Marie Lopez/Flickr

When he died in 2013, Sal Castro drew praise as a Southern California civil rights leader who championed educational opportunities for generations of students of Mexican descent.

While a high school teacher in 1968, he helped thousands of students stage massive walkouts in Los Angeles' east side to protest high dropout rates and poor schooling that ignored their cultural background.

Supporters say his most influential legacy is the Chicano Youth Leadership Conference that he founded in 1963 as a weekend camp in the Santa Monica mountains. The gathering functioned as a cultural pep rally and intensive college application session.

“There was quite a large group of people that knew that this is not something that could die with him. That is when we had the idea to form a foundation to make sure that we keep his legacy alive,” said Myrna Brutti, the conference’s director.

Castro struggled to raise money for the conference, which counts among its alumni such well-known leaders as former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and filmmaker Moctesuma Esparza.

The Sal Castro Foundation typically spends about $60,000 to pay for the camp, including food and bus transportation. The group raises the money so that students can attend for free.

Applications to the next conference on March 6 have been sent to LAUSD high school campuses, targeting low-income Latinos, with a Feb. 20 deadline. Organizers hope in years ahead to open the conference to other Southland schools.

Brutti, a middle school principal, said she sees many more college application and high school to college bridge programs today. But a large group of high school students still go without college counseling, she said.

“These are 4.0, 3.7, 3.9, 4.2 [grade-point average] students that graduate from high school and go directly into the workforce because no one has taken the time to really go in depth on…what is available to them,” Brutti said.

The conference gives students like high school junior Savannah Pierce a broader view of their post-graduation choices. She attended the conference in October.

“I never really gave much thought to getting a doctorate degree,” Pierce said. “I thought I was going to do my four years of undergraduate and maybe graduate school. I never realized how many options and opportunities there were.”

When Castro talked to students of Mexican descent, he often transitioned seamlessly between English and Spanish, giving brief lessons on Mexican history and notable Mexicans. The current conference leaders are keeping that tradition alive.

“I never realized how deep and important my culture is and how rich it is with knowledge, and how hard people have worked in the past to get me where I am today,” Pierce said.

Other resources for students seeking help with college applications include:

1. California college and career planning

2. The College Board’s college planning helper

3. The Princeton Review’s college helper

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

A new large-scale, multidisciplinary ocean exploration program would increase the pace of discovery of new species - ecosystems, energy sources, seafloor features, pharmaceutical products, and artifacts, as well as improve understanding of the role oceans play in climate change.

The numerous technical and operational breakdowns that contributed to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and spill from the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico suggest the lack of a suitable approach for managing the inherent risks.

Educational and business leaders want todays students both to master school subjects and to excel in areas such as problem solving, critical thinking, and communication

When it comes to water usage, not all car washes are created equal. Most car washes don’t recycle water, but more and more newly built car washes are starting to. Santa Ana Express Car Wash opened three years ago and its million-dollar equipment recycles 70 percent of its water.; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC

Washing your car with a garden hose can use up to 120 gallons of water. Most corner conveyor belt operations use less, but all that water can add up, as we told you in August.

That’s why the group LA Waterkeeper is challenging motorists to drive dirty and pledge to skip car washes for 60 days. 

"Water conservation is the easiest and most affordable way to quickly reduce water demand and also extend supplies into next year," says Liz Crosson, the group's executive director. 

This summer Ventura County’s water agency asked people to skip washing their rides for a month; some people got detailing and car washes as a reward. Crosson’s group is hoping bragging rights will be enough of an incentive. (Though there are some as-yet-undisclosed prizes.)

People who live in LA are really excited and interested by the cars that they drive," Crosson says. "And frankly, you can have a dirty car and you can have a sticker and have an excuse for having a dirty car so it saves your image too."

The campaign’s just kicking off this weekend (at the Abbott-Kinney festival), but Crosson’s already optimistic for success. Early adopters of the pledge are hundreds of people from the online site Reddit and the general manager for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

GO DIRTY FOR THE DROUGHT. Take the #DirtyCarPledge to not wash your car for 60 days. Ready, Set, Go Dirty! http://t.co/TsxdvsgpCv

— LAWaterkeeper (@LAWaterkeeper) September 25, 2014

From the ED, I’m Molly Peterson, 89-point-3. KPCC.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

We started our new schedule for "AirTalk" this week. With the expansion of "Brand & Martinez" to two hours, we're now on from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday's Film Week on AirTalk moves into the noon hour.

I’ve been asked many times in the past couple of days how I feel about the shift. My answer is that it’s working out great for our “AirTalk” team.  We still get in at 8 each morning, but now have three hours to prepare our timeliest topics. It also puts us into the noon hour, where we have the chance to connect with folks heading to lunch. 

I know it’s not all good for some listeners, who might have a harder time listening an hour later. There are also, undoubtedly, fans of “The World” who would’ve rather had it stay at noon instead of moving to 2 p.m. I hope you’ll give us a chance in the new slot and that you find the new lineup still fits your schedule. 

If it doesn’t, remember that you can hear all of our local programs online, at the time of your choosing, at www.kpcc.org.

As for the irreplaceable Patt Morrison, she’ll continue to provide her talents to KPCC listeners with regular features and interviews throughout our day. Though I know many fans of Patt are very sad to see her daily program end, I think Patt’s high-profile segments will be a terrific boost to all the other shows where they’ll be heard.

This will make Patt a presence everywhere on our schedule, including “AirTalk,” which is pretty exciting.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Before he Picks this Week's featured File Exchange submission, Brett would like to give a nod of appreciation to the developers of the Image Processing Toolbox. Back in September of 2018, I wrote... read more >>

The importance of coral reefs in supporting diverse fish communities has been highlighted in a recent study. However, the effects of damaging fishing techniques were also observed in video footage of the reefs studied, located off the coast of Ireland.

Walter Flores was unemployed for 8 months in 2014 but is now working in sales for Workforce Solutions in Compton; Credit: Brian Watt/KPCC

California's unemployment rate continued its decline in December, ending the year at 7 percent, according to figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

But in Compton, Willowbrook and the Florence-Graham section of Los Angeles County, it remains about double that, data show.

“You might have work this week. But next week, you won’t have work,” said James Hicks, 36, 0f Compton. He's worked in warehouses through staffing agencies, but said the jobs have always been temporary.

Statewide, California has added jobs at a faster rate than the United States for three straight years, according to Robert Kleinhenz, Chief Economist with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. He pointed out the statewide unemployment rate is now where it was June 2008. 

"All in all, with the recession now five years back in our rearview mirror, we’re finally at the point where we can say that we have shrugged off quite a bit of the pain that occurred back during those times," Kleinhenz said.

The Los Angeles County metro area saw a net gain of almost 71,000 jobs in 2014.  The County's overall unemployment rate has fallen to 7.9 percent from 9.2 percent a year ago.

But Compton's unemployment rate was 13 percent in December.

“I’d rather have a  full-time type of gig, working 40 hours a week, but right now, even if you get 25 hours, it’s a blessing,” said Hicks, the warehouse worker in Compton.

On Thursday, he interviewed to be a guard with a security firm, but was told there weren’t any positions available. He had another security guard job six months ago that he thought might become full time and permanent. 

"It was going all right for about two to three months, until they cut my hours and days," Hicks said. 

Walter Flores lives in La Mirada but currently works as an account executive in the Compton office of Workforce Solutions. He was unemployed for about eight months last year after a car accident.

"Losing what you love to do is a tough one, but I'm back," he said. "2015 is going to be a great year."

Flores said most major warehouse and logistics companies prefer to hire temporary workers through industrial staffing firms like the one where he's working because their needs are sporadic.  

But he said it's still a potential opportunity.

"It doesn't matter that it's a temporary position, as long as you put your foot in the door, and then you let the employer know how much value you are for the company," Flores said.  

Hicks, who's earned a GED, wants to find a program to study physical therapy. But first, he’d like to find a job. 

He said you can't judge Compton’s residents by its unemployment rate.

"Some of us out here who [are] looking for jobs, but sometimes it’s the luck of the draw," he said. "It’s kind of scarce out there.” 

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

The LAEDC helped Huy Fong Foods reach a compromise to keep operating its Sriracha factory in Irwindale ; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC

Even as California loses manufacturing jobs, a program run by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation has fought to save some. 

When a company is considering relocating to take advantage of lower costs or an easier business climate, the LAEDC’s business assistance program steps in.  

It did so in the well-publicized case of Huy Fung Foods last year.  

When the city of Irwindale filed a lawsuit against the Sriracha sauce-maker because of bad smells, politicians from other states - most notably Texas - began to circle, offering the company a new home.  

Fighting against those suitors is a  familiar dance for the nonprofit Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. Many states and municipalities have similar agencies, whose job it is to try to attract and keep employers.

In the Sriracha case, the LAEDC prepared an economic impact analysis, met with the company and the South Coast Air Quality Management District and negotiated a compromise that kept the hot sauce manufacturer here, according to Carrie Rogers, Vice President of Business Assistance and Development with LAEDC.

"We all love Sriracha," she said, adding that she was happy to keep the "180 jobs and really to thwart the efforts of Governor Perry from Texas to try to lure our company away to their state."

The LAEDC estimates its business assistance program has played a role in keeping or luring 200,000 jobs since 1996, when it was formed. It's being recognized by the County Board of Supervisors for those efforts today.

But plenty of jobs still leave.

In a study published in July, the LAEDC said between 1990 and 2012, California lost about 40 percent of its manufacturing jobs – 842,180. 

"We compete internationally so a lot of our competitors have gone to Mexico," said Jeff Hynes, CEO of Covina-based Composites Horizons Incorporated, which makes ceramic structures for jet engines. "A week doesn’t go by that I don’t get a call from an economic development corp out of Texas or the South."

He scored a big contract recently and needed to expand fast to begin fulfilling orders. 

"Los Angeles  - in our particular industry - has a very good supplier base with materials and equipment," he said "but certainly facility costs are lower in other areas of the state and country."  

He said the LAEDC helped him get the permits quickly to buy and modify another building on its street and they decided to stay put. 

Composites Horizons currently employs 200 people but plans to add 50 employees this year and another 50 next year, he said. 

Rogers, of the LAEDC, said that may not seem like much, but it's important to support businesses like this one.

"When you take a step back and think about it, here’s a company that’s growing when many businesses aren’t," she said. "We know there are suppliers that feed into Composites Horizons. So when they get millions of dollars worth of contracts, we know that many more companies and employees around the county will be employed doing work directly for this company."

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

How can employees stay motivated and productive while teleworking during the COVID-19 crisis?

The post Keep calm and carry on working (remotely) appeared first on WeLiveSecurity

If you’re trying to be responsible towards the planet, also be responsible to yourself and take these steps so that the device doesn’t end up costing you more than you’ve saved

The post Buying a secondhand device? Here’s what to keep in mind appeared first on WeLiveSecurity

A new study reports that fishing depths in the EU have increased, with more deep-sea fish species being harvested. Deep-sea fish populations are often more vulnerable to effects of fishing, and the ecological impact of overfishing may therefore be greater than for shallow-water species.

Marine litter is a major issue in deep sea ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea, new research confirms. A recent study shows that the total weight of litter found in these sensitive areas often equals, and even exceeds, that of the animals that live there. This work can provide a baseline for assessments of the impact of deep sea marine litter and to inform future policy reforms, the researchers suggest.

In 1989, researchers dragged a plough harrow across the seafloor of the Peru Basin to recreate some of the effects of deep-sea mining. Twenty-six years later, a new team of researchers returned to the site to assess whether there were any long-term ecological effects. They found that the seabed ecosystem remained disrupted, with significantly fewer suspension feeder species, such as anemones and sea sponges, than in undisturbed areas of seafloor. This suggests that deep-sea mining could cause irreversible changes to marine food webs in highly disturbed areas.

The Deepwater Horizon accident raised concerns about the safety of deepwater drilling. From an analysis of risk assessments in the Norwegian Oil & Gas (O&G) Industry, a new study suggests that current safety approaches and indicators are limited and more extensive monitoring of drilling operations is needed to avoid events similar to Deepwater Horizon.

Sediments collected from coastal Louisiana over a year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have been found to cause health defects in the Gulf killifish. Nearly all adult fish studied had signs of significantly altered gene function and embryos exposed to polluted sediment were less likely to hatch

Also tells how to configure IceChat

Restoration of upland bog habitats by blocking drainage channels has caused concern among some sheep farmers that this will reduce the quality of grazing areas. However, UK researchers have shown that drainage does not encourage growth of plants favoured by sheep, nor do sheep use drained areas more. Therefore they conclude such restoration measures are unlikely to detrimentally affect sheep grazing.