UC Santa Cruz

The ornamental plumage in newly hatched American coot chicks is associated with a higher feeding rate for the youngest surviving chicks

Biology

Coot chicks use bright colors to get preferential treatment

With their bright plumage, North American coot chicks really stick out. A new study by UC Santa Cruz indicates that such coloration not only serves to get more food out of the parents, but also maximizes the bird's reproductive strategy.

The Earth's magnetic field flips periodically, and a new study suggests the process takes longer than previously thought

Environment

Earth's magnetic field reversals may take much longer than we thought

Compasses point north – that’s a pretty constant fact of life. But it hasn’t always been the case, as the north and south poles flip on a semi-regularly basis. Exactly how long this process takes has been up for debate, and now a new study suggests it happens far more slowly than previously thought.

A new telescope array is joining the hunt for extraterrestrial civilizations, scanning for flashes of laser light that aliens might be using to communicate

Space

Powerful new telescope joins the search for possible laser pulses from aliens

Statistically it’s pretty much a given that alien life is out there, whether that’s Martian microbes or intelligent life beaming comms through the cosmos. Now, a new telescope array has joined Breakthrough Listen, scanning for flashes of laser light that alien civilizations might be giving off.