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Can you really beat roulette with science?

Can you really beat roulette with science?

What wouldn’t you do for a large sum of money?

It is not the first time we’ve come across articles claiming that scientists or physicists have found a “way to beat roulette”. We’ve also probably heard of several attempts done throughout history by certain individuals who, by using physics, managed to come up with methods or even machines, to try and beat the casino. Now that it’s 2018, and almost 2019, in an age of great technological advancement, one would think this task wouldn’t be so hard to undertake.

Before we can get into the how’s and what if’s of the game, we need to have a basic understanding of how the game is actually played as well as understand how physics can be the key to beating the long-time popular game of roulette.

Rules of Roulette & Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion

You don’t need to be an advanced gambler to know how to play roulette. But, taking time to understand the game and learn a roulette strategy can certainly be helpful. The only thing you need to know is how to place your bets. Basically, in a game of roulette, the croupier spins a wheel in one direction and a ball in the other direction.

Players then have to place bets on where the ball will land by choosing either a single number, a range of numbers, the colors red or black or odd or even numbers. Now it’s good to note that we’re talking about the land-based game here – although the same rules apply when it comes to online roulette, beating the online version would be an entirely different ball game since the numbers are generated by a software.

When it comes to the land-based game, however, some simple physics is all there is to it. How? Thanks to Newton’s laws of motion we have a pretty solid understanding of the movement of the ball and the wheel – in that, as the ball slows, gravity takes hold, eventually leading the ball to fall into one of the numbered compartments. Because of this, we can pretty much predict when the ball will leave the rim, but, the route it takes to a numbered slot is less so since the ball bounces around quite a bit as it strikes various obstacles. The most accurate outcome can be predicted if one had to take note of the precise location of the ball before it is released, as well as calculate the relative speeds of the ball and wheel when the croupier sets it in motion.

Although we would not be able to predict the exact number the ball will land in, we can, however, be able to predict the area of the wheel the ball will land, which can easily help you gain a massive advantage over the casinos, in some cases more than 40%.

Albert “Al” Hibbs & Roy Walford (1940s)

According to an article by Forbes, in the late 1940s, two friends at the University of Chicago, mathematics graduate student Albert “Al” Hibbs and medical student Roy Walford, decided to take on a bit of a different challenge when they hit the casinos in Nevada – the only state where gambling was legal at the time. They visited a few casinos to study the properties of roulette wheels to try and find weaknesses to exploit.

Back in those times, the wheels weren’t as well made as to today’s and they often had defects. Such defects, the students knew, offered the key to successful prediction. The students quickly developed predictive models and managed to win thousands of dollars. Much of their winnings were used to buy a boat and sail around the world. Years later, they revealed all to the world, and as you would guess, it wasn’t long after that the casinos started upgrading their equipment.

Edward Thorp (1950s)

Having learned about Hibbs and Walford’s successful endeavors, Thorp decided to follow in their footsteps but this time he had a harder task as the roulette wheels at the casinos no longer had discernible defects – he had to adopt a new strategy. Thorp successfully created the world’s first “wearable” computer that could be worn inconspicuously under a shirt and that was powerful enough to record things like the speed at which the wheel is spun, and the precise time the ball is launched, and make the appropriate calculations that would predict where the ball would land. This computer would then transmit this information by radio to another person wearing another computer, and who was a participant in the game. It’s no wonder why Thorp’s often known as the “man who beat the casino”.

Doyne Farmer & Colleagues (1970s)

Farmer and his colleagues tried to take things to a whole other level with the technology offered to them at the time. Basically, two people wore computers that had different functions. The “brain” behind the whole operation was the computer that was built into one of the person’s shoes as it performed two very important functions: firstly, to calculate the speed of both the wheel and the ball, determining where the ball would finally land, and secondly to transmit these predictions via signals to the person wearing the other computer.

Shoe Computer. Source: Wikipedia

Sounds like a great plan, right? – but in truth, there were a lot of problems, and things didn’t go exactly as planned. From weak or lost radio connections to wires becoming loose and getting electrocuted thanks to short circuits caused by sweating, things were far from being accurate. But this didn’t stop the team, which continued to grow to 20 people, from working on a better system and trying it out again a few years later. This time, both computers were placed in custom-built shoes.

This not only protected the operator from being electrocuted but would also make it harder for the casino to detect. In order to avoid problems due to sweating or loose wires, the team also built the computers in resin blocks, with only the toe-operated switches and the solenoids that drummed against the feet, being visible. They tested the new system Binion’s casino in Las Vegas and succeeded. Once the parameters had been set, the first prediction was to bet in the third octant which included the numbers 1, 13, 24 and 36. The ball landed in 13 and the team got paid off at 35-1.

Needless to say, this gave the team hope that all those years of work would finally start to pay off, however, eventually the solenoids started to act randomly, failing to transmit the predictions from one computer to another. The team suspected it was due to the electronic noise present in casinos, and after a while, they felt they had no choice but to abandon the idea.

Today

Pulling something like this today is highly questionable. On the one hand, we know that technology has come a very long way and in fact, we’re pretty confident that a computer the size of a fingernail could be created to perform the same function of the old systems described above, and the probability of them failing would be so much less.

Yet, on the other hand, the technology and security at the casinos have also improved throughout the years. It’s much easier for someone to get detected at casinos than 20 years ago. There are so many checks in place.

But technically speaking, putting the casinos’ ability to detect fraudsters aside, it is very likely that scientists would be able to create a foolproof system to outsmart casinos and beat the classic game of online roulette.

Sea Turtle Rehab Facility

Every year as temperatures decrease in the Atlantic, sea turtles start migrating south into warm waters. Most of the time, this works fine – that is until they hit cape cod. Cape cod is a giant scoop-shapped spit of sand that extends upwards almost 30 miles. For any turtle trying to navigate into warmer waters, I can only imagine the frustration. How would they know they need to swim north that far before turning back south.

During the first cold snaps in November and December, turtles start washing up on beaches. Volunteers there find them and instantly transfer them to a facility in Quincey Mass – run in part by the New England Aquarium staff. Here, they warm them up to be sent south again. This was my experience visiting the facility.

I wanted to make this short video after teaching a workshop on science filmmaking. If you’re interested in more behind the scenes, check out this video:

I created both of these videos in my spare time as a way to introduce you to the amazing work done by these researchers. If you like seeing videos like this, I encourage you to help support the science outreach we’re doing here on patreon.

Rainforests

Rainforests represent Planet Earth at its natural finest, with unspoiled plant and animal life cohabiting in idyllic harmony. At least that’s the case in those rainforest regions which haven’t succumbed to deforestation from egregious corporations throwing money at logging contractors to provide them with timber for their corporate goals.

More than half of the planet’s animal and plant life resides within rainforests and thankfully many of these species continue to survive the doom of deforestation. The world’s largest rainforest is the one that envelops the Amazon River in South America. Transcending almost the entire width of the continent, it is a truly spellbinding part of the world where jaguars and cougars are among the creatures visible first-hand amid exotic trees such as Euterpe precatoria.

Almost every continent (with the notable exception of Europe) contains stunning rainforest regions that are worth exploring. Where else would you receive such unimpeded exposure to lifeforms that make a welcome change from the monotony of city centre skyscraper buildings?

Check out the infographic below from Jarrimber for a snapshot of the world’s most beautiful rainforests.

Stopping the Emerald Ash Borer

There was nothing unusual about the shipment that arrived in Michigan back in 2002. Like most products moving across America and around the globe, it arrived on wooden pallets. The materials were checked in, distributed, and the pallets cast aside, some of the two billion estimated in use around the country. Only there was something different about this shipment. Especially the packaging. Because at some point in shipping that material, tiny D-shaped holes began to appear in the supporting pallets.

From those holes emerged emerald green beetles, shimmering in the warmth of the Detroit summer sunlight. Once the new adults got their bearings, they flew off to do what insects do: mate, lay eggs, and die. The best place for this to happen was in ash trees. And that was the beginning of an invasion that would span 33 US states and several territories in Canada, killing hundreds of millions of ash trees.

“It’s coming… well, let’s do something about it.” Dr. Jiri Hulcr is an associate professor of forest entomology at the University of Florida and is helping to come up with a game plan to combat the spread of this insect. “The emerald ash borer (EAB) is the poster child for the homogenization of the world.” Hundreds of thousands of shipments shuttle around the globe every day, and the numbers are growing. And with each shipment comes the risk that North America will receive just a bit more than it bargained for.

Where did emerald ash borers come from?

“EABs are native to Asia,” he said. The ash species in China have genetic defenses against the beetles and can withstand their life cycle. “When you bring these to North America, these ash trees have no idea what to do with them. The beetles lay their eggs; the larvae bore holes into the tree, and the tree dies. The tree is losing its capacity to transport nutrients from the leaves to the roots. This is how an epidemic has started.

“No one noticed it much at first. Today, it has spread south to southern Georgia and northwards to Canada. Ash trees are dying in the wake of this epidemic.” The Annual Review of Entomology says that, in some Michigan forests, 99% of ash trees have died because of the tiny insect.

The dramatic color of the EAB is only the final of its four stages of life. It begins as an egg, nestled between layers of the bark of an ash. About a week afterwards, it emerges in its larval stage, and the feeding begins. As the EAB feeds, it leaves behind a telltale series of “S” marks, known as galleries. In the fall, the larvae will carve out a space in the ash to spend the winter. From winter to spring, they will go through a pupal stage and emerge in early summer.

By the time the adults emerge, leaving a “D” shaped hole, damage to the ash is already done. Within two to four years, the infested tree will die. The adults will mate, lay eggs, and die in the fall.

How can you help?

Although the invasion is well underway, Hulcr says there is still hope. “What do we do? We can learn from what’s happened and be ready when it hits places like Florida. There’s lots we can do.”

Here’s what he recommends:

  1. Learn ash identification. There are myriad sites with pictures of ash trees. One is from the Emerald Ash Borer Information Network, which contains extensive information on the issue.
  2. What if my tree dies? “It’s a part of monitoring. We must be more vigilant. Do you see a tree that starts dying? This little thing with the reddish leaves suddenly pooping out? We should pay attention to these things because that’s when we can put in our next wave of weapons.” Even well-tended trees can be killed by EABs, so it’s important to keep a close watch on those on your own property as well as your neighbor’s.
  3. If a tree shows signs of infestation, treat the trees around it. “This way, when the females around the tree want to find another and lay eggs, the babies won’t make it.” One key factor is whether the tree is already showing signs of infestation. If the larvae are active within a tree, they may have already destroyed the vascular system. Since insecticide application must be pulled through the roots of the tree up through the trunk and branches (“systemic application”), a damaged vascular system means that the insecticide won’t work. See this video on treatment methods.
  4. Diversify greenery plantings in cities. In cities where ash trees are the species of choice, money will have to be spent in clearing infected trees. “When thousands start dying, it becomes economically noticeable. Somebody has to clean it up. Turns out, it costs billions of dollars. We have plenty of other things to spend money on, but we have to spend it on cleaning up dead trees.” Diversifying species choices can reduce that impact.
  5. Find insect-resistant trees. “Every species is composed of many different individuals, just like people. Some are better at fighting infestation than others. Even if 99% percent of trees die, there are always one here and another there that survive. Those few individuals are going to be the restart of this species for the next century. Find those individuals that have that magical concoction of genes that allow that individual to survive and propagate them.”
  6. Don’t move firewood. “It looks so convenient: here’s a dead tree, let’s chop it up and bring it to the campsite to make a barbecue. Don’t do that. That’s a pretty sure way to spread tree diseases and pests around. It’s a major way to make a difference.”

Without doubt, the invasion of the emerald ash borer is a major concern in North America. Yet Dr. Hulcr remains optimistic: “It’s not all doom and gloom. We can absolutely make a difference. Tell your neighbor, tell your family. It’s coming; well, let’s do something about it.”

Learn more about the emerald ash borer and what to do about it here:

Spotlight on Environmental Ethics

This Earth Day video on the Amazon offers a great opportunity to introduce you to *drumroll* environmental ethics. Let me take you to the other side…

Environmental Ethics

Environmental ethics is a discipline in philosophy. Philosophy now doesn’t that sound posh! In 1962, Rachel Carson published her epic book Silent Spring on the negative effects of pesticides on the environment. This book was part of a growing environmental awareness movement which led to the birth of the environmental movement in the 1970s. The discipline studies the relationship between humans and the environment and the moral questions that arise with it.

As you might have noticed, there are different ways for people to view and value nature. Culture, religion, education, upbringing, knowledge, and the environment we live in all help form our frames of reference. In some cases defining experiences can add to the mix. Let your mind wander to those family trips in the great outdoors… or that severe case of poison ivy you got afterwards. It can influence you either way.

There are many different views and nuances. For now, I will stick to two common ones: anthropocentrism and ecocentrism.

Anthropocentrism

How’s that for a Scrabble word! Anthropos means human in ancient Greek: this view is human-centered. Anthropocentrism believes that humans are separate from nature. Basically, we rule the world and decide what has value.

Classic anthropocentrism regards nature’s value as a resource-provider for humans. Like a huge supermarket, nature caters to our basic needs, like food, water, medicine, and clean air. The term ecosystem services refers to the benefits we obtain from the natural environment. Since the human population is growing rapidly, we will need a lot more of these resources and services in the future. Therefore, it kind of makes sense to take care of the environment for our own survival.

Other, less strong, forms of anthropocentrism believe that other organisms can have value in their own right, if we grant it to them. One of these views always gives priority to humans. For instance, helping people in poverty gain livelihoods would be a valid reason for deforestation.

Ecocentrism

Ecocentrism, on the other hand, is a nature-centered view. Humans are seen as a part of nature, equal to plants and other animals. In this picture, we are not that special. Oh, and old trees get picked over Disneyworld. Nature has value in its own right. A prime example of this viewpoint in practice is Ecuador adopting rights of nature in its constitution. The aim is to conserve the beauty and integrity of nature. Because, well, it is just great as it is.

The Amazon

So at last, a few words on the Amazon to illustrate these concepts. The Amazon is a vast and unique region that spans eight countries, covering about 40% of South America. It contains the world’s largest remaining tropical rainforest and the largest river basin on the planet.

Putting our anthropocentric goggles on, we can spot a plethora of ecosystem services:

  • The Amazon Rainforest is often called the lungs of the planet. It regulates the world’s atmosphere, making sure we have oxygen to breathe. Somehow, that sounds pretty important.
  • It is an inexhaustible pill cabinet. The majority of medicines we use today originate from nature. There probably are a lot more left to be discovered.
  • It is the ancestral home of more than 350 indigenous and ethnic groups. They rely on the forest for shelter, food, and fresh water.
  • Produce from the Amazon reaches consumers all over the world. Items like fruit, nuts, and leather are exported in large numbers.

From an ecocentric point of view there are some other arguments to champion the Amazon:

  • One in ten known species on Earth lives in the Amazon. It is a hotspot for biodiversity like no other on the planet. It contains literally millions of species, including the people that inhabit the forest and plains. It is estimated that most of them are not even described yet.
  • People from all over the world travel to the Amazon to enjoy its wild beauty.

Bear in mind that environmental ethics are not as polarized as this brief introduction might suggest. Arguments are often interconnected and complex; it is not necessary to adopt just one ethic for all cases and the entire planet. In addition, conflicts with human ethics are very plausible. The Yasuni ITT project is an interesting case to illustrate this. Its failing points out the importance of acting on ethics. It is indeed very important to keep discussing environmental ethics because of the impact they have on our environment and ultimately ourselves.

How about you?

I hope this article gets you thinking on your own perspective on nature.

  • What influenced your frame of reference?
  • What nature experience would make you go bonkers?
  • What do you think is the value of the Amazon?
  • How do you act on your ethics?

Have a nice chew on that!

Using Space Data to Make Critical Infrastructures Safe and Secure

Critical Infrastructures are systems crucial for running a country. If anything happens to one of these systems, there would be a hugely negative knock-on effect on the entire country.

This is, obviously, not good…

Of course, it’s a complete possibility, but instead of being prepared for the outcome, there are ways for us to monitor these systems and prevent any potential issues.

We can do this by using space data and satellite technology to remotely monitor the systems and build us a picture of what’s happening with them in real-time.

This guide will look at how we can start using space data to make critical infrastructures safe and secure:

Uses of Space Data

Through the use of remote satellite technology, there are a lot of different areas of the country we can monitor and add preventative measures towards. The space data will help us address issues before they get out of hand, and enhance already existing areas to make them better.

Renewable Energy Forecasting

Space data will aid us in efficient and sustainable renewable energy use. That felt like a lot of big words all at once.

What we mean by this is that we can measure how much energy will be generated when using renewable resources, allowing us to reduce fossil fuel usage as much as possible.

The way to do this is by understanding the weather conditions. Using satellites allows us to gain far more accurate weather readings, which in turn leads to far more accurate energy output predictions.

Understand now? Great!

Search and Rescue Emergency Services

As time goes on, our current emergency services system is improving, but there’s still only so much it can do.

When someone goes missing, especially in remote areas, drones can be deployed to help look for them.

Satellite data will be used for communication and to help the drones manoeuvre through more difficult terrain, utilising GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) to help map out these areas.

Rail and Road Conditions

Ever been driving through a fairly remote area, turn the corner and you’re suddenly faced with a fallen tree in the middle of the road?

It’s happened to the many of us.

Satellites will be able to monitor road conditions and notify local authorities regarding any issues, so it can be resolved swiftly before causing further issues.

Rail conditions can also be monitored. This is particularly important, as any issues to the rail network can cause a knock-on effect, meaning major disruptions to transport links across the country.

Satellite data will help in a similar way to monitoring road conditions, and can help prevent disruption and protect passengers from natural issues, such as landslides.

The space data will be useful to us for both road and rail conditions, and allow us to act before any issues become too serious.

Remote Care

Another very cool way of securing a critical infrastructure is through remote care.

Remote health checks and diagnosis can be done remotely through the use of satellites. Healthcare in general can save a lot of time and money as a result.

The aging population won’t need to step out of their homes to visit their doctors, and can instead be checked and monitored at home.

Not only is this less disruptive to the patients, but it also opens up bed spaces at the hospital, wherein more focus can be given to the patients’ wellbeing.

How it’s Currently Being Used

We’ve been talking for a while about how these new innovations will work in theory, but there are some businesses who are currently implementing similar satellite-based technology.

We’ve given some examples below:

Gridwatch

As the name implies, Gridwatch aims to monitor and maintain power infrastructures. They have a two-pronged approach to their business.

  • Offering insights to the people in charge of maintenance
  • Offering insights to the people in charge of network operations and energy dispatching

Satellites will continuously monitor pylons and warn the company of any anomalies. The use of satellite data has two big advantages in this area. First, the data received is highly accurate, and secondly, it avoids the need for on-site inspections.

The satellites will also pick up data on line transmission capacities, which is highly useful to the network operations and energy dispatching teams. Using this data, the team can reduce the risk of energy overload as well as the possibility of power line outages.

SaMoLoSa

This project monitors hazardous goods while in transport. The technology will monitor the parameters required by the key stakeholders and ensure everything is running smoothly.

The process will make sure that these goods are kept safe and aren’t lost in the process. The information it’ll provide to businesses will help optimize their logistics, as well as identify key areas for improvement.

TeleRetail

Imagine a world where you order something and a robot comes to deliver it to you.

That’s the world TeleRetail is looking to build. The company is developing an automated delivery service, where self-driving courier robots can fulfill the demand for urban and sub-urban logistics services.

Satellites will track assets, while GNSS satellite navigation and nanosatellite imagery technology will aid in the autonomous driving and on-board sensors.

Are You Looking to Do Your Part?

If you’re looking to do your part in aiding the safety and security of critical infrastructures, then ESA can help you with support and funding programs.

They can help you by offering zero-equity fully funded activities, technical and commercial guidance, and access to their vast network, as well as their brand power.

If you feel like your business is looking to push this sector in the right direction, you can apply to the ESA’s funding opportunities here.

Tracking the Great Egret

In the predawn darkness at Pine Island Sanctuary and Audubon Center in Corolla, NC, scientists are shaking off sleep and preparing for a morning of trapping and tagging. Their quarry is the egret, and there are an assortment of the elegant genus that call the North Carolina wetlands home for part of the year. Just how early is it? “It’s bird-thirty,” one of the team mumbles as he makes his way toward the coffee pot.

Until recently, the chore would only involve capturing a bird, placing a plastic or aluminum tag on one leg, and releasing it. After migration, the hope was that the animal might eventually be found, and scientists could record the information about the distance covered. Yet the question would remain: what happened between the banding and the recovery? There were still many holes in the scientific knowledge.

Egret Data: Trapping and Transmitting

Enter Dr. John Brzorad, ornithologist with Lenoir-Rhyne University. In addition to banding, Brzorad plans to place a small transmitter on Great Egrets that he traps. The transmitter will provide real-time information on exactly where the birds travel as they wend their way to breeding territory. This will help scientists learn about the route and where they rest (if at all) along the way. Such data could inform land management decisions in states where the birds travel. Even when they are not migrating, telemetry will enable scientists to determine how nesting egrets go through their day, how they forage for food, and what types of habitat make the best nesting grounds. (Learn more about telemetry from the Migratory Connectivity Project.)

The group will place decoys and a container of fish in a wetland, then pepper the surrounding area with the traps. Unlike other captures where the birds are caught in a “mist net” (think very thin and flexible volleyball nets that tangle the birds), Brzorad will use leg traps for this expedition. While the traps may look alarming, the jaws are actually made of hard rubber and use only enough tension to hold the bird in place until the team can grab it. That’s a far cry from past methods of “capture.”

From Fashionable Feathers to Egret Conservation

During the late 19th century, birds such as egrets were nearly wiped out in an international feather craze. The long plumes that egrets grow to impress potential mates were in high demand, and egrets and other species of birds were nearly driven to extinction in the pursuit of fashion. At one point, a pound of feathers was valued at more than double the price of a pound of gold. In the early 1900s, out of concern for the wholesale slaughter of the birds, the newly formed National Audubon Society chose the Great Egret as its first species targeted for preservation. Since that time, the Great Egret has made a comeback, and that success was memorialized when Audubon chose the bird as its symbol. It’s that bird, along with its cousins, that the team is hoping to tag today.

Success: Egrets in a Trap

After waiting and watching, the birds begin to take the bait, and one is trapped. The team moves quickly to keep the bird from injuring itself, and Dr. Brzorad covers the head with a towel. This calms the bird, and makes it less likely that someone will be impaled by an imposing beak. They manage to capture a number of species of egrets, including Snowy Egrets, Glossy Ibis, Tricolored Heron, and a Cattle Egret, as well as the Great Egret. Each bird will be sexed, weighed, and measurements taken of its bill and legs.

When it comes to the Great Egret, Brzorad bands the bird, but he also straps a GPS device to it. The tool is carefully chosen: the customary rule is that a tracking device should weigh no more than three to five percent of the bird’s total body weight. In this way, the bird can function perfectly, and neither the weight nor its attachment will inhibit its life.

In the case of this bird, the signal from the device is monitored in real time. At one point in its migration, it had moved all the way from North Carolina to Niagara Falls, and Brzorad was able to monitor the whole journey.

The Video: Watch Brzorad Tag Egrets

Fly with the Egret

If you’d like to track the migration of birds or a whole host of other animals around the world, check out the AnimalTracker App that has info stored on movebank.org. From the home page, click the tab marked “Help”, and then “Getting Started.” The instructions will allow you to register (for free) and choose from hundreds of projects that scientists have made available to the public. Not every project is viewable, but the curious will find an abundance of information that is helping conservation efforts around the globe.

The Tracking App: AnimalTracker

Recently we got the chance to interview Dr. Roland Kays about the new Animal Tracker App

Get AnimalTracker App

Related Videos and topics

Are polar bears really going extinct?

We have all heard about the extinction of the dinosaurs, and maybe you have even heard about the other four mass extinctions in Earth’s history, but did you know that due to the drastic loss of species worldwide, we are currently experiencing the sixth mass extinction? Now I know you might be thinking, “If these mass extinctions have happened before, then what is the big deal?” Well, the extinction rate that we are experiencing is much more rapid than that of any in the past, and much of the blame falls on humans. Here, Untamed Science explores the extinction threatening polar bears.

Our Impact

Whether people like to believe it or not, the natural world is currently experiencing drastic changes as our human populations continue to grow. Along with this rise in population comes an increase in our impact on natural habitats, either directly and/or indirectly. In another video from Untamed Science, Jonas looked at the protection of the panda bear (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), which is a species that has been heavily impacted by direct human influences, such as habitat loss. In this video, Rob discusses the status of the polar bear (Ursus maritimus), which is a species that is currently at risk due to our indirect impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions, that have resulted in drastic global climate change and a frighteningly rapid loss of sea ice. The IUCN Red List has listed polar bears as vulnerable, largely due to their reliance on this ice, but are polar bears really going extinct, and is there any way for them to adapt to the change?

Do polar bears need ice?

Each year we lose more sea ice from the Arctic, but do polar bears really need it to survive? Yes, they do. Polar bears are extremely locally adapted to their environment, which means they are really successful in a very particular environment, and they will have a hard time adapting to a drastic change in their natural habitat, such as loss of sea ice. As much as it has been debated, there is plenty of evidence that polar bears do need ice in order to hunt the nice fat marine mammals that they need to survive. So, with the loss of sea ice, we can almost certainly expect a large decline in polar bear numbers and perhaps even their extinction.

What about adaptation?

The world has changed throughout geological time, and during this change organisms must adapt to their new environments, and many of them do. So, polar bears should be able to just adapt to the current change they are experiencing, right? Not so much.

First off, polar bears are extremely carnivorous, and it is difficult for them to get enough nutrients and high energy fats from anything other than the marine mammals they eat for most of the year. Secondly, the speed of ice loss in the arctic is likely too quick for polar bears to be able to adapt to. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the polar bear could make the changes necessary to survive without ice if it continues to melt at the current rate.

Pizzly and grolar bear hybrids, oh my!

Now what about interbreeding with grizzly bears to create an awesome new hybrid? This is a tricky one. Polar bears and brown bears are able to interbreed, but there have only been a few cases documented in the wild, and most of them can be traced back to a single female polar bear. In most cases, polar bears and grizzly bears do not get along, so they are considered behaviorally sexually isolated; they could reproduce but they are different enough that they often never will. So, interbreeding is possible, but is not a likely solution to saving the polar bears. Besides, then we would have a bunch of hybrids and no true polar bears, so technically polar bears would still go extinct.  

What can we do?

If we do want to save the polar bear (which I know we do!), we need to begin to better mitigate our impacts on the changing climate by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. Lobby your politicians for greenhouse gas reductions, be a part of the change yourself, go into (or even help to fund) green energy research, and let’s try to reduce our human footprint, so that future generations can live knowing that polar bears still roam the Great White North.

Want more Polar bear Facts?

Why should we protect pandas?

To answer the question “Why protect pandas?”, we will first introduce you to some biological terminology. It will help you to understand the issue of panda conservation. As a bonus, using these terms will make you look sharp at your next BBQ. You are welcome.

The Extinction Threat

Let’s get started with extinction. If you were born in the eighties, your mind probably wanders to Jurassic Park and zombies. But did you know that it is estimated that at least 10,000 species become extinct every year? After the last individual dies, a species is gone. Forever. You might have heard of Lonesome George. He left us in 2012 and was one of the rarest creatures in the world at the time; his passing marked the end of Pinta tortoises. However, extinction of species can be imminent long before there is only one individual left. Obviously, you need at least two. Preferably of a different sex. We hope you remembered that much from high school. In reality, we need a lot more.

A species is determined to become extinct when numbers get so low that a) the individuals are not able to reproduce, or b) inbreeding leads to a loss of biological fitness. No, not the gym kind of fitness. It means that their gene pool is losing quality because there is not enough variation in it. This is also the reason for breeding programs in zoos. Which brings us to conservation biology. A science that aims at preserving the different forms of life on our planet.

Hope in Conservation

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, publishes a Red List of Threatened Species. In this list, they evaluate the conservation status of plant and animal species and the threats they are facing. They have nine categories ranging from extinct to least concern. To determine these categories, they look at the population size; the speed at which the size is reducing; the number of mature individuals; and the geographic range. The species that are most likely to extinct are the ones that are threatened, vulnerable, or (critically) endangered.

The Common Denominator: Humans

So what is driving these species to extinction? It is perfectly normal for species to become extinct. There were some freak mass extinction crises, like asteroid strikes, volcano eruptions, and natural climate shifts (remember Ice Age?). Apart from that, some species just lose “the struggle for existence”, as Charles Darwin liked to phrase it in On the Orgin of Species. What is not normal though, is the most common factor in species’ decline nowadays. It is all of us.

Allow us to list some of the ways we drive plants and animals to extinction. We consume them; take away and fragment their habitat; hunt them; pollute them and their environment; spread diseases; and introduce invasive alien species. We figured you wanted to know more about that last one. To make matters worse, they are all threatened by climate change. Which humans are causing. Humans, yes that includes you, are the number one cause of species decline. Over the last 35 years, biological diversity (the number of different species) has declined by more than a quarter. Moreover, things are not looking up for the future.

So, one of the reasons to protect species is morality. We have a moral responsibility to preserve our planet, and the species that live on it. Instead of destroying it.

If this is too much of tree-hugging hippie shizzle for you, here is another reason: ecosystem services. Ecosystems–and the plants and animals that are part of them–provide humans with food, raw materials, fresh water, and medicinal resources. Without honeybees, for example, we will be out of fruit and veggies. And fast, too.

Pandas as Poster Boys

So how does all of this apply to pandas? They are lazy buggers and do not exactly reproduce at the speed of light. In fact, what is the use of a panda, besides being cute and getting rid of your excess bamboo? Bingo! Pandas are poster boys because they are cute. People are psychologically predetermined to like fluffy things with big eyes. That is why conservation organizations, such as WWF, use Pandas as a symbol. They draw people in, making it possible to educate them about extinction and conservation.

So no, you do not have to protect panda’s. However, it might be nice to think about where you stand in all of this. What could you do to help save species from extinction? Here are some options:

And while you’re at it, spread the word. Or wear a panda suit to your next BBQ.

The 2017 Eclipse to Look Out For

A solar eclipse is one of nature’s breathtaking phenomenon. It is truly a spectacle, an astronomical grandeur no less. Witnessing one in person is easily an achievement in life by itself. The year 2017 had this event in our horizon on August 21. And while we can have more such solar eclipses this year, there have only been as few as magnificent as the 2017 one.

What are solar eclipses anyway?

A solar eclipse is an event wherein the moon happens to pass directly between the sun and the earth. Since the sun is our primary source of light, it casts a shadow of the moon over the earth in such an event. If you happen to be in the area where the shadow falls, you get to see a wondrous sight.

The moon gradually starts blocking the sun. It looks a bit like a pie getting eaten slowly, but surely. You can actually see a huge shadow approaching like a storm. When the moon completely blocks out the sun, a bright ring of light surrounds the darkened side of the moon. Reminds you of the Lord of The Rings.

When the moon starts to move along, an immensely bright spot appears on the side which starts clearing up. The entire effect looks like a brilliant diamond ring. The ‘diamond’ increases in intensity and size, until the ‘pie’ is slowly revealed.

The Aztecs used to perform a sacrifice to the ‘sun’ god in order to make it rain. It was supposed to save them from the droughts and revive their farms. You don’t have to do that, however.

Here is a little more about how it went down by Veritasium (who saw it much better than I did):

The 2017 Solar Eclipse: Why Was it Special?

Sure, we have plenty of solar eclipses around the world – so that made the solar eclipse last year so much more special? It had all the ingredients for any other solar eclipse, after all, right?

But this eclipse was special for the US. This is because the eclipse stretched entirely from one coast to another across the USA staggering number of people were able to watch this across an impressive 14 states in total.

Since this special event is a first of its kind since 1918, it was the most anticipated one in the world, People all over are expected to watch it exclusively, making it the most watched event in this year. Traffic jams were expected to flare up because it will last only for about 2 to 3 minutes.

2018 and Solar Eclipses

There aren’t many solar eclipses lined this year though we did witness one in February. However, there is one lunar Eclipse that you can look forward to, on June 27.

You can look out for some other special effects too. Like the sun’s corona which appears during totality, a brilliant star named Regulus, the planets Mars and Mercury near the sun and the amazing color of the sky all over the horizon!

Oh, and since you are waiting for the next one, do not forget to wear glasses when it does happen – you really don’t want to damage your eyes.