When a bird is in danger, who does it call?

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Rashid Faridi

The answer depends on the bird and the location of any potential predators, according to a study published in the journalProceedings of the Royal Society .For some species, the alarm call goes out to neighboring birds, or conspecifics, to alert them of a nearby predator and possibly incite a defensive mob attack against it.

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Kashmir University gets membership of Sentinel Asia System

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Rashid Faridi

Kashmir University (KU) has been granted membership of the Sentinel Asia System (SAS) for operating the space based technology and Web-GIS technology for disaster management in the Himalayan region.After Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Kashmir University is the second organisation in India to have won the membership of the Sentinel Asia System, a spokesman of the university told PTI.He said the Sentinel Asia System in an international initiative coordinated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).Quoting a communique received by the University from the Japan Space Agency, he said Kashmir University node would be using the SAS system to support disaster management activities in the entire Himalayan region and beyond.

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Starving Polar Bears Turn to Cannibalism

Posted on December 13, 2009 by Rashid Faridi

As a desperate measure Polar Bears are beginning to cannibalize each other as global warming destroys its hunting grounds. Polar bears usually subsist on seals, which they hunt from a platform of sea ice. But the melting of sea ice as a result of rising global temperatures has made it more difficult for polar bears to hunt seals at sea, confining the bears to land.

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Super-Massive Black Holes Observed at the Center of Galaxies

Posted on December 12, 2009 by Rashid Faridi

An international team of scientists has observed four super-massive black holes at the center of galaxies, which may provide new information on how these central black hole systems operate.Their findings are published in December’s first issue of the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

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