Weekly Snapshot: Canis rufus

Welcome to LNGenZ’s round up of the week’s top news stories.

Six Endangered Red Wolf Pups Born in Wildlife Refuge

Will this litter of pups kickstart the recovery of this species?

The red wolf (Canis rufus) is an endangered species, making the birth of six healthy pups very exciting news! The litter of pups was discovered in North Carolina’s Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. It included four females and two males. There had not been a birth of wild red wolves since 2018, so this is a big step in rebuilding the population of these beautiful animals.

Red in color and weighing between 45 and 80 pounds, the red wolf is one of the most at-risk canids (a mammal of the dog family). The species is native to the southeastern United States, but its numbers dropped to low levels, and it was officially classed as endangered in 1973. The population was damaged by years of hunting, and habitat destruction as cities and towns took over more land.

To begin restoring the population, 17 wild red wolves were captured and placed in captivity with hopes of increasing their numbers. Read more…

 

Time to Say Goodbye to Incandescent Lightbulbs?

President Biden plans to phase out the traditional bulbs within the next year.

Is the age of the incandescent lightbulb over? President Biden recently announced that he is banning these traditional bulbs, starting in the year 2023. Could this be the end of Thomas Edison’s brilliant – and many say beautiful – bulb that lit up homes and businesses for more than a century?

On Tuesday, April 26, President Biden approved two new rules that will phase out the sale of almost all incandescent lightbulbs and force stores to sell the light emitting diode (LED) or fluorescent light in its place. The reason is that modern LED or fluorescent bulbs are more energy-efficient, which means they use less electricity to run.

Before the lightbulb, people often illuminated their homes by burning candles or oil lamps. With the discovery that we could harness electricity using magnets and copper wire, there was soon a race to light up cities and houses. Read more…

 

Is Language Getting More Emotional?

Researchers look at how language has changed to focus less on facts, and more on feelings.

When you think about the world around you, what is more important – facts or feelings? Do you listen more to your emotions or the logical part of your brain? Take a look at the following list of words. Which are about emotion, and which ones are to do with logic or reasoning?

Report, result, sweet, promise, indicate, imagine, determine, anger, thankful, conclusion, dare, increase, dream, data, effect, blame, polite.

According to one study, today’s society uses more words based on emotions (how we feel), rather than reason or logic (careful thinking). Does this mean people care more about feelings now than before?

Earlier this year, the National Academy of Sciences published a study showing language is becoming more emotional and less rational. Researchers at Wageningen University and Indiana University joined forces to examine the language used in books and articles. Read more…