Tag: citizen science
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Siddharth Patel: A 12-Year-Old Champion of Dark Skies
Meet Siddharth Patel: A Young Advocate for Dark Skies In a world where city lights outshine the night sky, one 12-year-old from London, Ontario, is proving that a dark sky is still within reach. Siddharth Patel earned international recognition for a breathtaking Milky Way photograph snapped far from the glow of urban lights. His win…
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Siddharth Patel: The 12-Year-Old’s Milky Way Photo Shaping the Dark-Sky Conversation
Meet Siddharth Patel: A Kidmaker of Night-Sky Change When most city dwellers look up, the Milky Way isn’t something they expect to see. But for 12-year-old Siddharth Patel, the night sky became a canvas for discovery—and a platform for advocacy. A student from London, Ontario, Siddharth captured a moment of astronomical wonder that earned first…
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Milky Way Photo Wins: Siddharth Patel, Canadian Dark-Sky Advocate
Meet Siddharth Patel: A kid with big dreams and a brighter night sky In a world where city lights streak across the night, one 12-year-old photographer from London, Ontario, proved that a clear night sky is still within reach. Siddharth Patel’s image of the Milky Way, captured far from the glare of urban lights, earned…
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Instagram Clues: How Selfies Help Track Invasive Carpobrotus Flower Patterns
Overview: Social Media as a Tool for Invasive Species Monitoring What happens when a beach selfie becomes a scientific data point? A global team of researchers has shown that Instagram photos and other citizen-science uploads can reveal how Carpobrotus species—better known as ice plants or sour fig—flower across invaded coastal regions. By analyzing more than…
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Instagram Photos Reveal Invasive Carpobrotus Flowering Patterns
Uncovering the truth behind a coastal floral carpet When vacation photos capture the vibrant carpets of pink and yellow that blanket cliffs from California to the Mediterranean, they appear as simply picturesque scenes. Yet for coastal ecologists, those same images are data streams revealing how Carpobrotus, commonly known as ice plants or sour fig, is…
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Instagram photos help scientists track invasive plant flowering patterns
Facebook photos, beach selfies, and scientific discovery What looks like a vibrant coastal postcard may be hiding a ecological alarm. Scientists have turned everyday Instagram selfies and beach shots into a powerful data stream, revealing how Carpobrotus, commonly called ice plants or sour fig, is flowering longer and spreading into new environments across multiple continents.…
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Carpobrotus Invasion Tracked by iEcology: Longer Bloom
Tracking an invasive coastline plant with social media A recent study led by researchers at the University of Galway shows how a bright, holiday-photo staple—the carpobrotus plant—plays to its advantage in invaded regions by flowering for a longer period than in its native South Africa. Using more than 1,700 photos from Instagram and citizen science…
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Carpobrotus blooms longer where invaded, study reveals
New insights into a coastal invader A recent study led by researchers from the University of Galway and international partners reveals a surprising edge for the colorful coastal plant carpobrotus. By analyzing more than 1,700 photos from social media and citizen science platforms, the team found that carpobrotus flowers for a longer period in regions…
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How a Total Solar Eclipse Reset Bird Clocks and Sparked a False Dawn Chorus
Overview: A Rare Natural Experiment The April 2024 total solar eclipse—often called the Great American Eclipse—briefly plunged much of central and eastern United States into near-night. The event offered scientists a rare, real‑world test of how birds respond when the light-dark cycle is suddenly interrupted. A team led by Liz Aguilar combined citizen science, machine…
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Birds Rewire Their Clocks: How the 2024 Solar Eclipse Sparked a Dawn Chorus—and Silence
Overview: An Extraordinary Natural Experiment The April 2024 Great American Eclipse offered researchers a rare, near-perfect natural experiment: 4 minutes of daytime darkness sweeping across a broad swath of the United States. A team led by Liz Aguilar seized the moment to study how abrupt light disruption impacts bird behavior. By combining a citizen science…