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"Discovery Files" Features from the National Science Foundation
"Nut Case"
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(90 seconds)
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A REAL NUT CASE... THE "DISCOVERY FILES": NEW ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. A VERY SQUIRRELLY STORY; AN EPIC BATTLE OF SURVIVAL OUT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: IT'S SQUIRREL VERSUS SPRUCE! IN THIS CORNER--WEIGHING IN AT THREE-AND-ONE-HALF POUNDS--THE RED SQUIRREL! AND, IN THIS CORNER--STANDING IN AT 60 FEET--THE BLUE SPRUCE! ROUND ONE: NATURE HAS GIVEN THE SPRUCE A UNIQUE STRATEGY FOR PROTECTING ITS SEED-CONES FROM THE SQUIRREL. UNPREDICTABLY, EVERY FEW YEARS THE SPRUCE PRODUCES AN OVERABUNDANCE OF CONES--MORE THAN THE SQUIRRELS CAN EAT. THIS IS FOLLOWED BY A PERIOD OF YEARS WITH VERY FEW CONES. THIS "SWAMP AND STARVE" SPRUCE RUSE WAS INTENDED TO KEEP THE SQUIRRELS' NUMBERS DOWN--AND MORE SEEDS ON THE GROUND. ROUND TWO: BUT, THE PLUCKY SQUIRRELS HAVE FIGURED IT OUT. THEY ADJUST THEIR REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE TO HAVE A SECOND LITTER OF PUPS, JUST BEFORE THE TREE PRODUCES THE MOST CONES. THE RESEARCHERS BELIEVE THAT THE SQUIRRELS ARE PICKING UP SUBTLE CLUES FROM THE BUDS OF THE TREE--MONTHS BEFORE A MAJOR CONE DROP. THE SQUIRRELS HAVE OUTWITTED THE SPRUCE, WITH A POPULATION BOOM TO COINCIDE WITH A SEED BOOM. THEY'RE WINNING FOR NOW; SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST HAS BECOME SURVIVAL OF THE WITTIEST. THE "DISCOVERY FILES" COVERS PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOU! LEARN MORE AT "N-S-F"-DOT-GOV--OR ON THEIR PODCAST.
For additional "Discovery Files" features from the National Science Foundation, click here.
