Animal Magnetism

In one article from Wired.com, scientists determine that sea turtles can sense the Earth's magnetism. When turtles travel east and west there is a very small degree of change in the angle of Earth's magnetism.  However, if the turtles where to travel north and south they would experience large differences in the magnitude. These senses would allow sea turtles to find the exact nesting sites to lay their eggs.

Have you ever noticed how cows stand a certain way in the field? Google Earth has now helped researchers determine that cattle and deer may have a sixth sense for detecting Earth's magnetic pole, which would explain why cattle always stand in a north to south direction. Although they do not know what the physiological mechanism is yet, researchers believe the sense evolved for migration purposes.

These findings may also help further research in determination of birds migratory paths as well as other taxa.


http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/02/turtle-navigation/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/08/google-earth-re/

Smartphones to Save Beehives

Yes, I do mean the little buzzing insects...This article explains how smartphones may help bee keepers manage beehives.  It sounds pretty hilarious to me, but there may be some truth to it. Of course, it would also be interesting to see the reseach on whether the cell phone waves effect the bees.
http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/02/17/irony-smartphones-can-possibly-save-the-bees/

Also, here is a link to Freshnews- this site gives you the new updates on each of the tech blogs, all on one page. You may find if useful when looking for articles.
http://www.freshnews.org/

Obama Rail Sustainable?

Justmeans wrote this past week about Obama's rail plan. They state it will create jobs, and help environmental conservation efforts. I'm not sure how sustainable it will be. Other sources state that, in other countries, this high speed rail system helped get some people out of thier cars but overall simply pushes more frieghts onto the highways. Check it out for yourself.

justmeans article: http://www.justmeans.com/Obama-s-High-Speed-Rail-Plan-is-a-Key-Step-Forward-in-Sustainable-Development/44371.html