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Scientists investigate how to predict extreme weather

Scientists from Poland and Taiwan are developing a new way to measure humidity in the lower atmosphere more accurately and investigate whether better atmospheric data can improve forecasts of severe weather.

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    Sea sponges are ‘trapping plastic pollution inside their skeletons’

    A natural sea sponge may seem about as far removed from plastic as it is possible to get. Yet researchers have found fibres, particles and film fragments made of several types of plastic embedded in the skeletons of two commercially harvested sponge species.

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    Now, that’s a bird’s eye view! Scientists ask public to rate photos taken by storks

    Storks are taking photographs from the sky - and scientists are asking the public to decide which images are worth a second look.

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    Beautiful butterflies get more scientific attention and legal protection, study finds

    Butterfly species considered more beautiful by humans are more likely to attract scientific attention and receive legal protection under European conservation rules, according to an international study involving researchers from the University of Białystok.

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    Nightingale songs may tell mice when it’s safe to feed

    Mice and voles may use the sounds of other animals to work out whether a predator is nearby and even whether a place is safe enough to feed.

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    Brain model reveals how neural chaos is kept under control

    A model of the brain’s visual cortex suggests how neural activity can remain highly variable without making perception unstable. Researchers found that mechanisms resembling excitation, inhibition and slower self-regulation can prevent tiny differences in initial brain activity from producing radically different outcomes.

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    Scientists find microscope beams can change chemical reactions

    A microscope designed to watch a chemical reaction can actually change what happens inside the sample, Polish researchers have shown.

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    Polish scientists find unlikely allies for plants growing in toxic soil

    Microorganisms from clean environments may be better at helping plants survive heavy metal contamination than microbes that have adapted to polluted habitats, a study by Polish researchers suggests.

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    Poland urged to build ‘sponge cities’ to tackle heat and floods

    Poland needs “sponge cities” that work with nature to protect residents from heatwaves, drought and flooding during heavy rainfall, experts said during a climate debate at the Polish Sejm.

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    City coots are losing their fear of people

    Coots that have lived in Warsaw for generations have become far less afraid of people and unfamiliar objects than birds living outside cities, with some refusing to leave their nests even when touched by hand.

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