Science Screen Report

Thursday, October 20, 2011

How to Safely Remove a Bat

“Barbara shows you exactly how to safely and humanely remove unwanted bats that have slipped into your home. She also offers tips on how to keep them from coming back.”
http://www.batcon.org/index.php/bats-a-people/removing-a-bat.html

Interested in teaching your students more about bats? Check out SSR's Vol 41 DVD, episode: Ecology - Bats: Creatures of the Night. Interested in speaking to students about bats? E-mail Fallon@ssrvideo.com

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

White Nose Syndrome, With a European Twist

We’ve discussed, on this blog, the detrimental effects White Nose Syndrome is having on bats in North America. But did you know that European bats are not dying from WNS? There is documentation that WNS may have occurred as early as 1983 on European bats. The first documented case of WNS in North America was in 2006. WNS, also known as Geomyces destructans, is present in eight European countries.

Researchers are now studying the differences between North American and European bats to find out how European bats are living with this mold. Several treatments have been proposed, to include a vaccine, an anti-fungal spray, and introducing bacteria to the bat that would protect them against the fungus.

Source:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/01/european-bats-resistant-to-deadly-fungus.php

Monday, October 17, 2011

“To the (gated) batcave!”

To keep destructive humans out of bat caves, especially during hibernation, many wildlife professionals install cave gates. Not all caves are recommended for gates, and year-round gates are not always necessary since bats hibernate from October to March.

As a whole, caves where endangered species of bats hibernate are recommended for gating in the winter. If bats are disturbed during hibernation, they run the risk of burning up crucial (already low) fat reserves. If bats dip below 50-70% of their fat reserves, their very survival is at risk. Cave gates may also help prevent the spread of White Nose Syndrome, which could help protect bat populations as well.

Source:

http://www.cavern.org/acca/cavegating.php

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

"Blind" as a Bat

Many people have heard the saying “blind as a bat.” What many do not know is that all 1,100 species of bats actually have pretty good vision. Bats likely received this misleading association by not having as keen of vision as other night-hunting animals.

There are two main groups of bats. The Megachiroptera group of bats hunts fruits, nectar, and sometimes small animals or fish. This group has good vision and can see in color. They are, however, unable to fly during moonless nights since they rely on their daylight vision.

The second group, Microchiroptera, makes up about 70% of all bats. This group uses echolocation for navigation and food identification. Scientists have found that these “micro bats” do have both rod and cone photoreceptor vision cells in their eyes, though the rods are poorly developed. Rods are the cells responsible for night vision, thus establishing the need for the echolocation these night hunters rely upon to help while hunting in the dark.

Source:

http://www.misconceptionjunction.com/index.php/2011/02/bats-are-not-blind/

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Yellowstone Bracing for White Nose Syndrome

Biologists at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming are examining bats to search for signs of White Nose Syndrome. This fatal condition in bats is wiping out entire covens on the East Coast of North America. Scientists in Yellowstone are examining bats to establish a baseline so they can better detect the condition, if White Nose Syndrome strikes the Yellowstone covens.

White Nose Syndrome is a fungus that strikes hibernating bats. It erodes bat’s skin, and causes them to increase activity, which leads to a depletion of stored fat more rapidly than would normally occur. Cases have been documented as far West as Oklahoma. To date, the condition has killed more than 1 million bats since 2006.

Source:

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/article_6b563ebd-0938-5ae6-b4e9-13f166ad9aa1.html?oCampaign=hottopics

Virtual Scientist Selected as Finalist

Some of you may be familiar with an initiative we launched last year called The Virtual Scientist Guest Lecture Series, which extends the STEM education scope of the SCIENCE SCREEN REPORT by bringing scientists directly into America’s classrooms in real time via the Internet. Using a combination of Skype and videoconferencing, The Virtual Scientist Guest Lecture Series provides a forum for scientists and students to experience an interactive dialogue that inspires and engages students about dynamic new technologies and cutting-edge research. During the past 12 months, more than 30 scientists and engineers from both industry and academia, have participated in “virtual” in-classroom visits without leaving their lab or research facility. They have introduced a broad range of science disciplines, including engineering, physics, hydrology, life sciences, neuroscience, robotics, energy and the environment, to students of all grade levels.

Educator and student feedback has been extremely positive – and we are pleased to announce that the “Virtual Scientist” has been selected as a top ten finalist (out of 265 entries) in the national Partnering for Excellence: Innovations in Science + Technology + Engineering + Math (STEM) Education competition.

The following link will take you to the list of finalists in this year’s competition so you can review the entries which represent some of the most imaginative and innovative STEM education initiatives in the U.S. today. https://apps.facebook.com/changemakers/stemeducation

Our entry is titled: The Virtual Scientist Guest Lecture Series: Bridging the Gap Between the Lab and Classroom

A sample “virtual presentation” can be seen on our website at: http://www.ssrvideo.com/Virtual_Scientist_Video1.html

Thanks so much for your interest and support of our programs. We look forward to continuing to bring you the very best in STEM education resources.