New GPS data show birds adjust to shifting snow conditions as climate warms

Congress is moving closer to opening Alaska’s pristine wilderness to oil and gas development. What might that mean for the creatures living there?

Big Mac, Pepperoni, Billie Jo, Birdy Sanders, Bertie, Journey, Hippy and Twitter flew an average of about 1,215 km. “Paul,” named for a teacher who had passed away, traveled 3,220 km.

Natalie Boelman and colleagues are tagging American robins near Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada, as the birds migrate north to nesting grounds. In a recent blog post for NASA, she put up videos about their work. You can watch some of them below, or go to the blog page at NASA’s Earth Observatory to see and read more.

Four major flu pandemics of the last century, including the deadly 1918 flu, were all proceeded by La Niña conditions in the Pacific, according to a recent paper.