It is instinctive to crave the freedom to have our own space to thrive.
The same goes for animals, which are essential to the survival of delicate and diverse ecosystems around the world. But we’re not doing very well there.
Scientists, however, need to get closer to these creatures to understand how we can help them. Luckily, we have technology on our side – and robotic proxies may be able to go where humans can’t, all in the name of science and saving species.
mission critical
A bright yellow robot stands out among a sea of 20,000 emperor penguins living in a colony in Antarctica’s Atka Bay.
Emperor penguins reign supreme on land, where they have no predators, but their survival depends on the presence of sea ice, where they raise their chicks. If greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current rate, 98% of the penguin population could all but disappear by 2100 as warming temperatures melt the ice, according to a recent study.
By using a penguin-approved robot to perform long-term monitoring, researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution hope to reduce the human footprint in an already vulnerable location.
Other worlds
We have never seen anything like it on Mars.
The small chopper has a unique bird’s eye view of the debris field. In the eerie footage, which looks like a view from “Mad Max”, the scratches of the parachute can be seen beneath a layer of red Martian dust.
Engineers are investigating what happened to the protective rear shell and parachute as they work on the ambitious multi-mission effort to return samples from Mars to Earth by the 2030s.
A long time ago
It’s the last thing you expect to find while farming.
Anat is the goddess of love, beauty and war, according to the pagan mythology of the Canaanites, an ancient people who lived in and around Jerusalem. The sculpture is “a symbol of the oldest human civilization that lived in Gaza City”, said Jamal Abu Rida, director general of antiquities at Gaza’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
The statue will be exhibited at the Pasha Palace Museum in Gaza.
Once upon a planet
The Swiss Alps are praised by tourists who enjoy taking scenic trips, hiking, and watching winter sports.
The towering peaks also apparently house fossils of extinct giant marine reptiles the size of whales that roamed the ocean 250 million years ago.
Paleontologists have found the fossils of three ichthyosaurs, or “lizardfish”, at an elevation of 9,186 feet (2,800 meters) in the scenic mountains. The remains ended up there after tectonic plates collided and formed rocky folds that pushed the ancient seabed high into the Alps.
fantastic creatures
Adorably fluffy Patagonian Sheepdogs are something of a national dog in parts of South America, helping herd sheep between the Chilean coast and the Patagonian mountains. And you’ve probably never heard of it.
It’s too far to paddle, so how did they end up on the other side of the world? In the 19th century, South American officials saw sheep farming as a promising industry. So they turned to the UK and its successful practices.
The farmers came — and they brought their dogs with them. Now, thanks to the isolation these herding dogs have experienced, they act as a “missing link” that scientists can use to understand canine evolution.
Take note
These may surprise you:
