Hey all, Mike here again with your EwA News Digest. A lot of you probably have a lot more time to read nowadays—let's get to it!
First off, an incredible paleontological find: the
head of a tiny dinosaur has been discovered encased in amber! And to make things even more interesting, it's a birdlike skull, possibly offering some clues as to how small birds evolved from dinosaurs.
Second, while the current coronavirus shutdown has dramatically decreased greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, even that silver lining comes with an asterisk, unfortunately. Today,
the Trump administration announced a rollback of Obama-era regulations in that department:
Like a lot of people this past month, I've been thinking a lot about soap. It's really a fascinating compound, and a virus's worst nightmare.
When you wash your hands, you're not just sloughing off viruses—the soap is literally tearing them apart. Learn more in this nicely-illustrated explainer from Vox.
Alright, that's enough coronavirus news for now. Here's some cool research coming out of Princeton on
ecological "loners", or members of a population that decide to stay out of a social collective. Initial evidence seems to suggest that these "loner" decisions
could counterintuitively play an important role in the preservation of social systems.
Here's a little food for thought: in The Outline, Austin Bryniarski
argues that focusing on the reduction of food waste on the consumer end is misguided, and suggests that this focus hampers our ability to deal with larger problems in our food production system. An interesting read, whether you agree or not!
Lastly, a little encouragement to keep up with those daily walks around your yard or neighborhood. Spring is here! Here are
some ecological happenings you can look forward to in the next month, courtesy of Mass Audubon's spring 2020 Outdoor Almanac.
That's all from me this time! Happy reading, and stay safe out there.
-Mike
