A hearty wild rice soup loaded with mushrooms, flecked with fresh thyme, and bolstered with Gruyere cheese and cream. The perfect winter warmer.

Continue reading Creamy Wild Rice Soup on 101 Cookbooks

Research on a massive storm at Gorongosa National Park offers strategies for wildlife managers around the world.

The film grossed more last weekend than the previous one, a rarity for any film so deep into its theatrical run, much less a film that is already available to rent or own on digital platforms.

A new study shows just what dolphins get out of cooperating with fishers in Brazil (besides lunch).

As wildfires escalate in Western states, authorities are embracing once-outlawed burning practices.

Check out some of NOVA’s best nature documentaries available for streaming.

If you are a traveler with an open mind towards avant-garde hospitality with innovative approaches and pushing boundaries of ideas and creativity, you are in for an adventure.

A leading conservation group wants the government to give the go-ahead to bringing back beavers in the wild.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in Ventura County, near Los Angeles.

velocityconf: RT @oreillyanimals Vote Instant Wild's Digital Eyes & Ears for Wildlife Protection to win Google Global Impact Award http://t.co/Z0EetiQshZ

Jon Stewart tears apart the denials and false claims Trump supporters make about their terrible candidate and wonders how anyone can remain undecided.

At the top of this piece by Stewart sits the strange claim MAGAs keep making that Vice President Harris isn't clear about her plans. — Read the rest

The post Jon Stewart on the bewildering denial in remaining an undecided voter appeared first on Boing Boing.

Dr. Valentina Wheeler of University of Wollongong, Australia, shares how her work influences efforts to understand wildfires and red blood cells. In Australia, where bushfires are a concern year-round, researchers have long tried to model these wildfires, hoping to learn information that can help with firefighting policy. Mathematician Valentina Wheeler and colleagues began studying a particularly dangerous phenomenon: When two wildfires meet, they create a new, V-shaped fire whose pointed tip races along to catch up with the two branches of the V, moving faster than either of the fires alone. This is exactly what happens in a mathematical process known as mean curvature flow. Mean curvature flow is a process in which a shape smooths out its boundaries over time. Just as with wildfires, pointed corners and sharp bumps will change the fastest.

Dr. Outi Tervo of Greenland Institute for Natural Resources, shares how mathematics helps recommend speed limits for marine vessels, which benefits narwhals and Inuit culture. Narwhals "can only be found in the Arctic," said Outi Tervo, a senior scientist at GINR. "These species are going to be threatened by climate change more than other species that can live in a bigger geographical area." The collaboration has already lobbied on behalf of the narwhals to reduce the level of sea traffic in their habitat, after using mathematical analysis to identify how noise from passing boats changes the narwhals' foraging behavior.

Genetic mutations related to ALS, a progressive neurological disease, have been discovered in the gene encoding σ-1 receptor (σ1R). We previously reported that σ1RE102Q elicits toxicity in cells. The σ1R forms oligomeric states that are regulated by ligands. Nevertheless, little is known about the effect of ALS-related mutations on oligomer formation. Here, we transfected NSC-34 cells, a motor neuronal cell line, and HEK293T cells with σ1R-mCherry (mCh), σ1RE102Q-mCh, or nontagged forms to investigate detergent solubility and subcellular distribution using immunocytochemistry and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. The oligomeric state was determined using crosslinking procedure. σ1Rs were soluble to detergents, whereas the mutants accumulated in the insoluble fraction. Within the soluble fraction, peak distribution of mutants appeared in higher sucrose density fractions. Mutants formed intracellular aggregates that were co-stained with p62, ubiquitin, and phosphorylated pancreatic eukaryotic translation initiation factor-2-α kinase in NSC-34 cells but not in HEK293T cells. The aggregates had significantly lower recovery in fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. Acute treatment with σ1R agonist SA4503 failed to improve recovery, whereas prolonged treatment for 48 h significantly decreased σ1RE102Q-mCh insolubility and inhibited apoptosis. Whereas σ1R-mCh formed monomers and dimers, σ1RE102Q-mCh also formed trimers and tetramers. SA4503 reduced accumulation of the four types in the insoluble fraction and increased monomers in the soluble fraction. The σ1RE102Q insolubility was diminished by σ1R-mCh co-expression. These results suggest that the agonist and WT σ1R modify the detergent insolubility, toxicity, and oligomeric state of σ1RE102Q, which may lead to promising new treatments for σ1R-related ALS.

Glycopeptides in peptide or digested protein samples pose a number of analytical and bioinformatics challenges beyond those posed by unmodified peptides or peptides with smaller posttranslational modifications. Exact structural elucidation of glycans is generally beyond the capability of a single mass spectrometry experiment, so a reasonable level of identification for tandem mass spectrometry, taken by several glycopeptide software tools, is that of peptide sequence and glycan composition, meaning the number of monosaccharides of each distinct mass, for example HexNAc(2)Hex(5) rather than man5. Even at this level, however, glycopeptide analysis poses challenges:  finding glycopeptide spectra when they are a tiny fraction of the total spectra; assigning spectra with unanticipated glycans, not in the initial glycan database; and finding, scoring, and labeling diagnostic peaks in tandem mass spectra.  Here we discuss recent improvements to Byonic, a glycoproteomics search program, that address these three issues. Byonic now supports filtering spectra by m/z peaks, so that the user can limit attention to spectra with diagnostic peaks, for example, at least two out of three of 204.087 for HexNAc, 274.092 for NeuAc (with water loss), and 366.139 for HexNAc-Hex, all within a set mass tolerance, for example, ± 0.01 Daltons. Also new is glycan "wildcard" search, which allows an unspecified mass within a user-set mass range to be applied to N- or O-linked glycans and enables assignment of spectra with unanticipated glycans. Finally the next release of Byonic supports user-specified peak annotations from user-defined posttranslational modifications. We demonstrate the utility of these new software features by finding previously unrecognized glycopeptides in publicly available data, including glycosylated neuropeptides from rat brain.

Tackling Illegal Wildlife Trade in Africa: Economic Incentives and Approaches Research paper sysadmin 5 October 2018

Combating illegal wildlife trade and further pursuing conservation-development models could help generate considerable economic benefits for African countries, while ensuring the long-term preservation of Africa’s wealth of natural capital.

Summary

• The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) significantly impacts African economies by destroying and corroding natural, human and social capital stocks. This hinders the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has an impact on national budgets. Illicit financial flows from IWT deny revenue to governments where legal wildlife product trade exists and perpetuate cash externalization. IWT diverts national budgets away from social or development programmes, increases insecurity and threatens vulnerable populations.
• In expanding wildlife economies and pursuing conservation-driven development models, governments can protect their citizens, derive revenue from wildlife products, and establish world class tourism offerings. The illegal exploitation of wildlife is often due to a failure to enforce rights over those resources, where rights are unclearly defined or not fully exercised. Southern African countries have defined these rights in various ways, contributing to regional differences in conservation practices and the socio-economic benefits derived from wildlife resources. Combating IWT is an important step towards allowing legitimate business and communities to develop livelihoods that incentivize stewardship and connect people to conservation.
• The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has several framework policies for the establishment of transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs). These promote local stewardship across multiple land-use areas to conserve biodiversity and increase the welfare and socioeconomic development of rural communities. Private-sector partnerships also increase skills transfer, improve access to investment finance, and expand economic opportunities, including through the promotion of local procurement. The economic benefits of TFCAs extend beyond tourism.
• The economic value of African ecosystems is often under-recognized because they remain unquantified, partly due to the lack of available data on the broader economic costs of IWT. Improved monitoring and evaluation with key performance indicators would help governments and citizens to appreciate the economic value of combating IWT.

The fantastic Supercomputing 2024 show is coming back to Atlanta this year. If last year was any indication, there will be plenty of coffee flowing and lots of discussions around […]

The post Top500 Wild Cards Could Add Thrills to Supercomputing 2024 Show appeared first on HPCwire.

Animal behavior expert Philip Johns introduces us to the vibrant urban environments of Singapore, where city dwellers and skyscrapers coexist with a rich array of other species, including otters, hornbills and lizards — prompting the question: Can we design cities to be wildlife refuges?

The first step to saving nature is the rewilding of our own minds, says conservationist and former Patagonia CEO Kristine McDivitt Tompkins. With an unwavering commitment to protecting ecosystems, she and her late husband Douglas Tompkins created vast conservation parks across South America that allowed ancient flora and fauna to flourish once again. Now, she's carrying that legacy and mission forward with a bold plan to connect parks across geographic boundaries, creating a system of continental-scale wildlife corridors — before it's too late.

When wildfires rage in California, incarcerated people are often on the front lines fighting the flames. TED Fellow Royal Ramey was one of them. He shares the story of how doing public service in prison inspired him to cofound the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, a nonprofit helping formerly incarcerated people become wildland firefighters — and find purpose along the way.

The Montreal Canadiens snapped a six-game losing streak with a 7-5 come-from-behind victory against the Buffalo Sabres on Remembrance Day.

Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman talks about what the Wildcats did during the open week ahead of their home game against Arizona State.

A new book reveals striking images from six decades of the beloved Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition

Aerial America: Wilderness premieres Sunday, Sept. 7 at 9PM ET/PT

The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP28, begins this week in Dubai. A new topic on the agenda this year is how wildfires are emerging as a serious health risk not just to those in their immediate vicinity, but even to people thousands of miles away. Last summer, smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted not only as far south as the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, but even across the Atlantic Ocean. We speak with John Vaillant, whose book Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World recounts a 2016 wildfire in Fort McMurray, Canada that dislocated tens of thousands of people and caused billions of dollars in damage. That natural disaster seemed like a terrifying outlier when Vaillant began his reporting, but 2023’s unprecedented fire activity suggest that Fort McMurray was merely the shape of things to come. John explains how climate change is making wildfires hotter and harder to contain. Next, we’re joined by photojournalist Andria Hautamaki, who observed a “prescribed burn” in Plumas County, California. Andria shares how these kinds of carefully planned, intentionally set fires can be a useful tool for preventing more destructive blazes. Read an excerpt from John’s book Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World here (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-worlds-first-wildfire-tornado-blazed-a-path-of-destruction-through-australia-180982309/) , and learn more about John and his other books here (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/58679/john-vaillant/) . Andria’s reporting for her wildfires story (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/fighting-fire-with-fire-california-180981810/) y from the April/May 2023 issue of Smithsonian was supported by the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources (https://www.ijnr.org/) . You can learn more about Andria and her work at her website (https://ahowdyphoto.com/About/1) . Andria recommends these resources for anyone seeking more information about prescribed burns: • Your state’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state) • The Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils (https://www.prescribedfire.net/) • The Great Plains Fire Science Exchange (https://gpfirescience.org/) , which can help you find Prescribed Burn Associations in your area • The National Fire Protection Association, aka Firewise USA (https://www.nfpa.org/) • The Cooperative Extension of any universities in your region Find prior episodes of our show here (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/podcast/) . There’s More to That is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Chris Klimek, Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly. From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller, Adriana Rosas Rivera, Genevieve Sponsler, Terence Bernardo, and Edwin Ochoa. The Executive Producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales. Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson. Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz. Music by APM Music.

By the 1930s, the black middle class had arrived, with the purchasing power to match. Sensing an opportunity, developers established Idlewild: a summer resort aimed exclusively at African-Americans.

Listen for the subtle clicks of the eland bull's knees

The World Wildlife Fund films a family of western lowland gorillas in the Dzanga-Sangha reserve

The American Ingenuity Award winner describes what it takes to tell a great story

Four decades ago, Pablo Escobar brought to his Medellín hideaway four hippopotamuses, the centerpieces of a menagerie that included llamas, cheetahs, lions, tigers, ostriches and other exotic fauna. After Colombian police shot Escobar dead in December 1993, veterinarians removed the animals—except the hippos, which were deemed too dangerous to approach. The hippos fled to the nearby Magdalena River and multiplied.  Today, the descendants of Escobar’s hippos are believed to number nearly 200. Their uncontrolled growth threatens the region’s fragile waterways. Smithsonian contributor Joshua Hammer joins us to recount this strange history and explain why Colombian conservationists have embarked upon an unusual program to sterilize these hippos in the wild via “invasive surgical castration,” a procedure that is, as he has written (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/pablo-escobar-abandoned-hippos-wreaking-havoc-colombian-jungle-180984494/) for Smithsonian magazine, “medically complicated, expensive and sometimes dangerous for hippos as well as for the people performing it.” Then, ecologist Rebecca Lewison tells us how her long-term study of hippo populations in Africa offers hints of how these creatures will continue to alter the Colombian ecosystem—and what authorities can do about it. Let us know what you think of our show, and how we can make it better, by completing our There's More to That listener survey here (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfS90zjBZ2oGa9JxVa-R5affKcOHaR2-ib1_KZeWm3HDQXJIA/viewform) . Read Josh Hammer's Smithsonian story about Escobar's hippos and their descendants here (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/pablo-escobar-abandoned-hippos-wreaking-havoc-colombian-jungle-180984494/) . Learn more about Rebecca Lewison and her work here (https://cmi.sdsu.edu/rebecca-lewison/) . Find prior episodes of our show here (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/podcast/) . There’s More to That is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Chris Klimek, Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly. From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller, Adriana Rosas Rivera, Genevieve Sponsler, Rye Dorsey, and Edwin Ochoa. The Executive Producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales. Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson. Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz  Music by APM Music.

Regular dust bathing removes pest and parasites and keeps the wild bird's iridescent feathers in top condition. (Credit: Carla Rhodes)

Milagra, Spanish for “miracle,” was hatched and raised in captivity by foster condor parents after her mother died of avian flu in April 2023

Breathtaking shots shine a light on the wonders of wildlife and the threats that human activities pose to the natural world

Researchers trained African giant pouched rats to detect commonly smuggled items, including rhino horns and elephant tusks

Introduced in 1934, the federal duck stamp contest has raised more than $1.2 billion and protected at least 6.5 million acres across the nation. Now, an art exhibition at Connecticut’s Bruce Museum honors the competition’s history

When fishermen found the endangered loggerhead sea turtle off Vancouver Island in February, she was listlessly floating in a bed of kelp

Found in a cremation cemetery in Belgium, the skeleton includes bones dating to the Neolithic period and a Roman-era skull, according to a new study

During a release of captive-bred snails in September, researchers discovered wild-born individuals from the Partula tohiveana species—which had been considered extinct in the wild—marking a huge milestone in a global effort to save them

When the National Transportation Safety Board office in Alaska first hears about a plane going down, protocol is to begin gathering information

Maker of the “world famous buttermilk drop,” New Orleans actor Dwight Henry is expanding his baking empire

The union for wildland firefighters says a recently passed Ontario bill that makes them eligible for presumptive cancer care under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board doesn't go far enough.

Wildland firefighters were at Queen’s Park on Wednesday to outline why they feel a new bill that extends protections for cancers, heart injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder linked to their occupation falls short.

Drivers are being warned to use caution on Saskatchewan's highways after five separate collisions involving moose were reported to RCMP in a 30-minute window on Friday evening.

The provincial government is seeking contractors to restore hundreds of kilometres of land where fireguards were created during the 2023 wildfire season.

The oft-discussed wild-card setup at the national championships took centre stage again Monday with the release of updated rankings that appeared to determine the play-in game matchup at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

A researcher may have many reasons for wanting to establish new laboratory colonies from field-collected mosquitoes. In particular, the ability to study the diversity found within and among natural populations in a controlled laboratory environment opens up a wide range of possibilities for understanding how and why burdens of vector-borne disease vary over space and time. However, field-collected mosquitoes are often more difficult to work with than established laboratory strains, and considerable logistical challenges are involved in safely transporting field-collected mosquitoes into the laboratory. Here, we provide advice for researchers working with Aedes aegypti, Anopheles gambiae, and Culex pipiens, as well as notes on other closely related species. We provide guidance on each stage of the life cycle and highlight the life stages for which it is easiest to initiate new laboratory colonies for each species. In accompanying protocols, we provide methods detailing Ae. aegypti egg collection and hatching as well as how to transport larvae and pupae from the field.

First and second-year medical students at the Penn State College of Medicine participated in a simulated rope rescue of an injured climber.

Recently, the Wildlife Technology Program at Penn State DuBois earned reaccreditation with the North American Wildlife Technology Association for five years.