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UrduRodolfo Cortes Barragan, research scientist the University of Washington Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS), and Andrew Meltzoff, co-director of I-LABS and professor of psychology, recently co-authored a study in Nature Scientific Reports showing a link between the ability to see the stars unblocked by light pollution and an interest in astronomy.
Tag: Light Pollution
FAU Sea Turtle Experts Provide ‘Best Practices’ During Nesting Season
Three internationally renowned FAU researchers provide “best practices” and answer some of the most frequently asked questions to help protect Florida’s nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings.
Save Spring Migrating Birds
Now is one of the most important times of year to keep birds safe by reducing non-essential lighting at night and treating window glass so birds can see it and avoid deadly collisions.
Dark Sky Protection: We Are Losing the Universe
White LEDs contributing to skyglow, satellites impacting astronomical observations, and stars vanishing from sight — the effects of light pollution are revealed thanks to alarming new evidence from Globe at Night, a global citizen science program of NSF’s NOIRLab. The study reveals that indeed the night sky is disappearing, but there is always something we can do. On 13 March 2023, Globe at Night will begin its next campaign, which will last until 22 March and coincides with the launch of a new Globe at Night website that features a revamped and more streamlined user interface.
Stars Disappear Before Our Eyes, Citizen Scientists Report
A startling analysis from Globe at Night — a citizen science program run by NSF’s NOIRLab — concludes that stars are disappearing from human sight at an astonishing rate. The study finds that, to human eyes, artificial lighting has dulled the night sky more rapidly than indicated by satellite measurements. The study published in the journal Science showcases the unique contributions that citizen scientists can make in essential fields of research.
Study: Migrating Birds Attracted by Light Pollution Face Higher Toxic Chemical Exposure
The journeys of night-migrating birds are already fraught with danger. Light pollution adds yet another hazard beyond the increased risk of collisions with buildings or communication towers.
Light pollution can disorient monarch butterflies
Besides planting milkweed in the garden, people interested in helping monarch butterflies might want to turn off the porch light.
Urban lights keep insects awake at night
A new study shows how an increase in nighttime lighting (light pollution) and heat from urban areas disturbs the hibernation periods of insects.
UNC Biological Education Doctoral Candidate Awarded $20,000 Award
Karina Sanchez, a Biological Education Ph.D. candidate at the University of Northern Colorado, has been awarded a $20,000 American Dissertation Fellowship award from the American Association of University Women (AAUW), an organization that promotes education and equity for women and girls. Her dissertation involves researching how noise and light pollution and landscape composition in urban settings affects American robins, specifically their bird song.
Less Light, More Trees Assist Migrating Birds
Scientists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Colorado State University used observations from the Lab’s eBird citizen-science program to estimate the seasonal species richness of nocturnally migrating passerines within 333 well surveyed urban areas in the contiguous U.S. “Richness” is defined as the number of different species in an area.
Light pollution may increase biting behavior at night in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
Artificial light abnormally increases mosquito biting behavior at night in a species that typically prefers to bite people during the day, according to research from the University of Notre Dame that was published in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Birds Are Coming Through: Time to Switch Off the Lights
The biggest window of opportunity is opening up now to protect birds returning to the United States and Canada on their spring migrations. Analyses by scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Colorado State University pinpoint key periods with the heaviest movements of birds in April and May. Turning off or reducing non-essential lighting at homes, businesses, and high-rise buildings will help protect hundreds of millions of birds migrating over brightly lit cities.
Join “Lights Out Texas” to Protect Migratory Birds
Lights Out Texas is a new two-year study now underway in Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth. Along with local partners, researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Colorado State University plan to test the best times to turn off lights at night in order to prevent harm to the hundreds of millions of birds migrating over these cities.
Lights out? Fireflies face extinction threats of habitat loss, light pollution, pesticides
Habitat loss, pesticide use and, artificial light are the three most serious threats endangering fireflies across the globe, raising the spectre of extinction for certain species whose features render them more vulnerable to specific threats. Impacts range from loss of biodiversity to ecotourism.