Tag Archives: Monarch Butterflies

National Geographic Magazine – January 2024

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National Geographic Magazine (January 1, 2024) The new issue features ‘Saving The Monarchs’ – Inside the movement to help these beautiful and vulnerable butterflies thrive; Can monarchs adapt to a rapidly changing world? – Extreme weather and rising temperatures threaten their epic migration, but scientists say targeted habitat restoration can help….

Follow the monarch on its dangerous 3,000-mile journey across the continent

The iconic North American butterfly’s annual migration patterns are under threat from habitat loss and extreme weather, causing its devoted fans to research solutions and push for protection from the Endangered Species Act.

He spent 50 days on a deserted island. Then he found a message in a bottle.

The sea of sand with waves and grass instead of sea-foam.

Jasper Doest spent nearly two months photographing the Netherlands’ Rottumeroog, where visitors are usually prohibited and he found a new sense of freedom.

Reviews: How Butterflies And Moths Inspire Science

DW Documentary (October 18, 2023) – Butterflies and moths. Graceful and beautiful, they flit about our spring and summer skies. Their delicate choreographies and dazzling colors are among the most amazing in the animal kingdom. But beauty is not their only quality!

Through the lenses of powerful microscopes, scientists discover unexpected secrets about these fragile creatures that can be adapted and applied to make our world better and more sustainable. This film is a journey into the nano-dimensions of butterflies, taking viewers from high-tech labs to dense forests and lavender fields around the world. We take a close look at the iconic morpho butterfly and find out how its iridescent blue wings reveal a way to produce structural color, a discovery which allows researchers to control light.

Physicist Chunlei Guo, whose work involves reproducing butterfly structures, has created a material capable of absorbing all the colors of the spectrum, a discovery that might revolutionize the field of renewable energies. He is also investigating how the amazing hydrophobic properties of butterfly wings could be used to create an unsinkable metal, which could be useful for constructing floating cities if ocean levels continue to rise.

The blue morpho, the industrious silk moth, the transparent glasswing butterfly, the resistant Heliconius, the enigmatic monarch and the delicate white cabbage butterfly – all have inspired discoveries. These have taken place in many different scientific fields, including energy efficiency and medicine — and even in the detection of toxins, thereby helping save lives in the event of chemical or gas attacks. We take a look at the work of researchers, biologists and geneticists.

We also talk to experts, such as physicist and biomimicry expert Serge Berthier, as well as to Jessica Ware, an entomologist at the American Museum of Natural History, about butterflies’ incredible behaviors and capacities. Tiny as they are, butterflies and moths can inspire groundbreaking scientific progress. And they also serve as a warning about what’s at stake if we fail to protect our extraordinary natural environment.

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Views: ‘7 Daring Animal Migrations’ (Smithsonian)

From one million wildebeest crossing croc-infested waters to a manatee’s journey to warmer waters, here’s a closer look at 7 daring animal migrations.

Video timeline: 0:00 Intro to 7 Daring Animal Migrations | Smithsonian Channel 1:00 1 million wildebeest cross these croc-infested rivers 2:51 The largest mammal migration in the world 4:19 The pragmatic way African buffalos organize their herds 7:06 Thousands of monarch butterflies take flight 11:03 A manatee embarks on an inland journey to warmer waters 14:05 Yellowstone bison are built for winter survival 18:00 Why birds flock to this South African nature reserve