From the frontline
JanuaryAn even crater impact
Scientists studying the Chicxulub crater in
Mexico believe that the asteroid that wiped
out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago may
also have created habitats for new forms of
early life. The impact made rocks more
porous, which provided niches in which
organisms could thrive. These rocks also
contained nutrients from water that had
been heated in the Earth’s crust. ‘It is hard to
believe that the same forces that destroyed
75 per cent of all life may have provided
refuges for early life,’ said Professor Joanna
Morgan of Imperial College London.Wind turbines
send them bats
As many as 80,000 bats per year
are meeting an untimely demise
due to wind farms, researchers
have found. The results came out
in a survey by the University of
Exeter of 46 wind farms, 29 of
which had undergone ecological
impact assessments that had
predicted the creatures would
be unaffected. It is believed
that bats turn off their sonar
(which helps them to detect
approaching objects) when they
are up high, because they don’t
expect anything to be blocking
their path. Dr Fiona Matthews of
Exeter University said operators
should be encouraged to turn off
the turbines during peak bat
migration and breeding seasons.Join in the Big
Garden Birdwatch
It’s time to grab a pencil, a piece
of paper and a flask of tea and
head out into the great outdoors.
Why? From 28–30 January,
the RSPB is inviting us all to
spend an hour counting birds
in our local park, town centre
or garden. The Big Garden
Birdwatch has been running for
35 years and provides important
scientific data, showing that
we’ve lost more than half our
house sparrows, for example,
but there’s been an epic 800 per
cent increase in the wood pigeon
population. Some 8,262,
birds were counted in last year’s
study, and it now extends to
snakes, hedgehogs and voles.Introducing Terrific Scientific
BBC Learning has launched a new initiative, Terrific
Scientific, to inspire children to get involved in science.
The 18-month project will feature experiments that can
be done at school or at home, using leaves, lemons and
water, for example. Free live lessons will be available
to schools from 31 January, with home activities
launching in February. Visit bbc.co.uk/terrificscientific
and check out our February issue to find out more.Did the asteroid that
caused the Chicxulub
crater in Mexico also
have a positive impact?
To find out more
about the RSPB
Big Garden
Birdwatch, visit
bit.ly/2g4ua6f