chXout Team, Author at chXout

A Creepy Crawly Crisis?

1st November 201915th January 2020 By chXout TeamNo Comments

A new in German study published in the journal, Nature, confirms that some insect species are being pushed to the brink of extinction! Invertebrates make up 97% of the Earth’s animal species [1] and range in size from microscopic mites and almost invisible flies to giant squids with football sized eyes. Invertebrates are the most diverse group of animals and so far around 1.25 million invertebrate species have been described, most of which are insects. Indeed, every day new invertebrate species are being described by morphological and molecular data [4]. The success of insects comes from their ability to reproduce quickly and their adaptability to environmental change. Despite this, more than 40% of insect species are declining and a third are endangered worldwide – with an extinction rate eight time faster than that of birds, mammals and reptiles! New research has found insect and spider populations to be declining rapidly in forests and grasslands across Germany, scientists describe these findings as ‘alarming’ [3]. This...

The decline of our prickly neighbours

22nd August 20198th January 2020 By chXout TeamNo Comments

Hedgehogs are in serious decline in the UK and we need to do all we can to help them. Please try to create hedgehog friendly places in your garden (a wood pile for example) and try not to use slug pellets - let the hedgehogs do the job for you! If you see a hedgehog in the daylight it is likely to be sick, so pick it up with gardening gloves or a towel and put it in a cardboard box in the quiet, warm and dark. Call 01584 890 801 to speak to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, or go to https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk for more advice....

EU ban on bird imports sees ‘massive’ cuts in global trade

11th December 20178th January 2020 By chXout TeamNo Comments

Wild birds are one of the most traded animals on the global market, with approximately 1.3 million birds bought and sold internationally every year, according to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) [1].However, the introduction of the EU ban on trade of wild birds in 2005 has reduced global trade by around 90%, according to new research published in the journal Science Advances [2].Before 2005, EU members such as Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain accounted for the buying of around two thirds of all birds sold on the global market.The ban was a result of fears of a loss of biodiversity in countries where the birds were captured and an increase in the spread of exotic birds in imported nations, which can cause damage to ecosystems as local crops are destroyed and the population of native birds is threatened as they are outcompeted for food.As a result of the ban, Latin America has...

Dogs help to keep you happy and healthy!

30th November 20178th January 2020 By chXout TeamNo Comments

Dogs have long been associated with a range of health benefits such as: Improving your heart health - dog owners have been found to reduce your risk of heart disease. Improving your physical health - dog owners are recommended to do 2 and a half hours of moderate exercise. Helping you lose weight as a result of moderate exercise. Decreasing your stress levels - dogs have been found to help decrease stress hormones in the human body. Improve your social life as you meet more people through your dog. Decrease depression - dogs provide great companionships which helps to decrease loneliness and depression. A new study has recently added increased lifespan to that list! Researchers at Uppsala University, Sweden [1]carried out a 12 year longitudinal study to investigate dog ownership and lifespan. The study analysed 3.2 million Swedes aged 40-80 years old who had no history of illness. In Sweden, all dogs must be registered with the Swedish Board of Agriculture and, consequently,...

Bats and echolocation – how does it work?

28th November 20178th January 2020 By chXout TeamNo Comments

Echolocation is a fascinating process whereby animals are able to emit calls into their surrounding environment and listen for the returning echoes from objects around them. This process not only allows animals to navigate successfully in their environment but also allows successful the detection of prey.Bats are one of a few mammals who use echolocation. They usually reside in environments of total darkness so it is not surprising that these animals have adapted to successful avoid obstacles in their flight path. As bats are nocturnal (they are usually active at night), their echolocation gives them a great advantage in foraging for food as there are more prey available (many inspects are also nocturnal), there is less competition for food and there is also fewer predators who prey on bats.To use echolocation, bats have adapted to the processing of large amounts of information and rapid movement in response to this information. Researchers have been analysing the brains of bats to see...

A new DNA tool may help reduce illegal wildlife crime

24th November 20178th January 2020 By chXout TeamNo Comments

There are approximately 41 000 species on the Red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)(http://www.iucnredlist.org/), the most comprehensive inventory of the conservation status of plant and animal species. Of these species, 16 306 are classified as endangered species at risk of extinction.Although extinction is a natural evolutionary process, human activity such as hunting and wildlife crime has been a significant contributor to the number of species at risk of extinction and the loss of biodiversity.Wildlife crime refers to the illegal selling and trade of animals and plant parts such as tissue, bone and meat for the purpose of food, pets, leather, medicine and regalia. Increased levels of wildlife trade has caused a negative effect on wildlife populations and is a significant threat to the survival of many species.However, engineers have recently developed a new tool, a DNA barcoder, which can rapidly identify species using a minute sample of tissue.The DNA barcoder uses a DNA sequence to...