5 . More than 50 percent of the largest lakes in the world are losing water, storing less water than they did three decades ago, according to a new assessment published today in Science. The key causes are not surprising: The warming climate and unsustainable human consumption.

Lead author Fangfang Yao, a climate fellow at University of Virginia, and his team created a technique to measure changes in water levels of nearly 2,000 of the world’s biggest lakes and reservoirs (水库), which represent 95 percent of the total lake water storage on Earth.

They used 250,000 lake-area pictures taken by satellites between 1992 and 2020 to survey the area of 1,972 of Earth’s biggest lakes. They collected water levels from nine satellite altimeters (测高计) and used long-term water levels to reduce any uncertainty. For lakes without a long-term level record, they used recent water measurements made by newer instruments on satellites. Combining recent level measurements with longer-term area measurements allowed scientists to reconstruct the volume of lakes dating back decades.

The result was staggering: 53 percent of lakes globally experienced a decline in water storage. The authors compare this loss with the size of 17 Lake Meads, the largest reservoir in the United States.

To explain the trends in natural lakes, the team used recent advancements in water use and climate modeling. “Climate change and human water consumption were mainly responsible for the global net decline in natural lake volume and water losses in about 100 large lakes,” Yao said. “And many of the human and climate change footprints on lake water losses were previously unknown, such as the dryness of Lake Good-e-Zareh in Afghanistan.”

And their research offers an understanding into possible solutions. Yao said, “If human consumption is a large cause of lake water storage decline, then we can adapt and explore new policies to reduce large-scale (大范围) declines.” This happened in one of the lakes the team studied, Lake Sevan in Armenia. Lake Sevan has seen an increase in water storage, in the last 20 years, which the authors linked to the enforcement (实施) of conservation laws on water withdrawal since the early 2000s.

6 . On April 10, the University of Utah became officially Bee Campus certificated. This process was started by senior Zoē Bross in her second year on campus. Bee Campus USA hopes to protect the native pollinators (传粉者) on college campuses by increasing the number of native plants, providing nest sites, reducing the use of pesticides, and offering educational opportunities that help with pollinator conservation.

After first hearing her school wasn’t certificated a Bee Campus and finding becoming Bee Campus certificated would give the University more point s on the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) program, which decides ratings to campuses according to their sustainable efforts, Bross wanted to help.

There are many requirements to become Bee Campus certificated. The first major step for Bross was to create a standing Bee Campus committee with a mix of students and staff. Bross tried to reach out to professors and people specializing in this field. After many efforts, the program was finally passed through and a garden for it was created.

Over 100 people showed up to help plant in the garden. After the planting was done, Grounds, responsible for planting the pollinator gardens, set up their hydroseeder (水力播种机) and let attendees take turns spraying the hill, with a mixture of water and wildflower seeds, making the area more pollinator-friendly. Rocky, the school robot, even made an appearance, taking turns spraying.

Certificated by Bee Campus USA, Bee Campuses are expected to continue maintaining or improving pollinator habitats on campuses, as well as maintaining an educational online presence. “I see the campus continuing to be very interested,” Bross stated.

Future plans for the campus include more pollinator gardens, native wildflowers, and even bee sculptures to provide new habitats. As for Bross? She pictures herself somewhere warm and sunny in the near future, working in environmental communications and doing something for the change she wants to see in the world.

9 . While they can’t pick out precise numbers, animals can comprehend that more is, well, more. From birds to bees and wolves to frogs, animals use numbers to hunt, find a mate, return to their home, and more. Researchers believe that this ability, known as numerical competence, plays an important role in how animals make these decisions. Andreas Nieder, a biologist at the University of Tübingen, explores the current literature on how different animals comprehend numbers.

Honeybees, for instance, can remember the number of landmarks they pass when searching for food in order to find their way back home. This ability can also be seen in animals choosing a larger amount of food over a smaller amount or in animals forming hunting groups. Wolves are more likely to hunt successfully if they have the right number of wolves in their pack for their prey (猎物) with prey like elk (驼鹿), only around six to eight wolves are needed, while hunting wild pigs requires a pack of nine to thirteen. Their prey also uses this concept to protect themselves—elk tend to live in small groups, which rarely have encounters with wolves, or gather in large groups to reduce the chance of any individual becoming prey. “They are assessing the number of individuals in their groups for their everyday life situations,” Nieder says.

Furthermore, numerical competence also plays a role in attracting a mate. For example, male frogs sing “advertisement” calls to attract females. The females, listening to their complicated calls, choose the males that sing the most “chucks” in their calls.

Now researchers do have some sense of the rules that govern numerical competence in animals. For example, they count approximately (大概) rather than specifically and two numbers need to be more different for them to tell them apart as those numbers get bigger. However, Nieder argues that more research needs to be done. “I hope I can encourage behavioral ecologists to specifically explore numerical competence in the wild, and, in doing so, also open new research fields,” he says.

10 . In an awe-inspiring incident, a young killer whale recently demonstrated remarkable intelligence by seeking assistance from a group of humans to save its trapped mother, which challenged our conventional understanding of wild predators (食肉动物).

The online viral video, shared by Alvin Foo, began with a young killer whale emitting distressing cries towards a group of people on a boat. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the concerned individuals promptly responded by contacting a rescue team. The young whale’s desperate request for help touched more people’s hearts and set a truly extraordinary chain of events in motion.

As the rescue team arrived, they were amazed to witness the young killer whale’s playful interaction with the humans. The whale appeared elated, seemingly understanding that assistance had finally arrived. This interaction between the mother killer whale and rescuers underlined the potential for mutual understanding beyond the boundary of traditional predator-prey relationships.

The young whale took on the role of a guide, leading the rescue team to its mother trapped in a fishing net. It navigated the water with purpose, as if fully aware that the humans possessed the means to save its mother. This display of intelligence left the rescuers in awe, highlighting the complex cognitive abilities of these magnificent marine creatures. With its guidance, the rescue team swiftly initiated the liberation process, carefully cutting the net to free the trapped whale. Astonishingly, they seemed to understand that the humans were there to help and did as asked.

The instant the mother whale was finally freed, an eruption of joyous cries filled the air. The emotional outpouring conveyed the immense gratitude of both the mother whale and the young whale to the humans who had intervened. As the rescue team made their way back to shore, the two whales swam alongside them. This heart-warming sight emphasized the lasting impact of the rescue. The bond formed through this extraordinary rescue operation was well obvious, proving that the profound connections can be established between various species. The journey back to safety symbolized the victory of compassion over adversity.