Wake-Up Call
Today marks the anniversary of the world’s first telephone call—“Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you”—made by inventor Alexander Graham Bell to his assistant, Thomas Watson, on March 10, 1876. The breakthrough came just three days after Bell was awarded what is said to be one of the most valuable patents in history. Bell’s proof of concept would go on to change the world, representing a giant leap forward in the continuum of communication technology.
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Butterfly Effect
Butterfly populations have dropped across almost every region of the continental United States in the past two decades, according to a comprehensive study recently published in Science. The research combined data from some 76,000 surveys, representing hundreds of species, recorded over a period of 20 years. Here’s some of what it found.
Overall, the population of butterflies in the continental U.S. has fallen 22 percent in the past 20 years, with the biggest decline seen in the Southwest. Two-thirds of the species studied showed drop-offs of more than 10 percent—only nine species recorded a population increase in that span.
Affected speciesSome of the well-known species that have been hit the hardest include the cabbage white, the red admiral (pictured below), and the American lady, all of which registered declines of more than 40 percent this century, according to the study. Indeed, declines were seen nearly across the board, with the median species falling by some 40 percent. The biggest factors driving the declines include habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change.
William E. Ferguson
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