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"Discovery Files" Features from the National Science Foundation
"Café Latte Bat-te"
Fully produced report in MP3 format:
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96 kbps
(90 seconds)
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CAFÉ LATTE BAT-TE? THE "DISCOVERY FILES": NEW ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. SINCE PESTICIDES CAN'T BE USED IN THE ORGANIC COFFEE PLANTATIONS OF MEXICO, FARMERS THERE MUST RELY ON THE NATURAL PREDATORS OF INSECTS AND SPIDERS--BIRDS AND BATS. FOR THE LONGEST TIME, BIRDS HAVE BEEN GETTING THE LION'S SHARE OF THE CREDIT FOR PEST CONTROL; BUT, NEW RESEARCH OUT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN IS NOW GOING TO BAT FOR THE BATS. ASIDE FROM THEIR OBVIOUS "CREEPY" FACTOR, THE BATS MAY HAVE ALSO BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST--BECAUSE FARMERS DIDN'T FULLY UNDERSTAND HOW THEY WORK. RESEARCHERS SET UP FIELD EXPERIMENTS TO OBSERVE AND MEASURE THE PEST-KILLING PROWESS OF THESE WINGED WARRIORS, VERSUS BIRDS: WHEN BATS WERE KEPT AWAY FROM THE COFFEE BUSHES, IT RESULTED IN AN 84-PERCENT INCREASE IN INSECTS, SPIDERS, AND OTHER UNDESIRABLES. THE RESEARCH ALSO UNCOVERED ONE OF THE OFTEN-OVERLOOKED REASONS FOR THE BATS' KEEN HUNTING SKILLS: THE "PERCH AND WAIT" TECHNIQUE. WHILE FLYING THROUGH THE AIR, A BAT CAN SCARF DOWN A SUPERSIZE PORTION OF INSECTS; THE "PERCH AND WAIT" METHOD ALLOWS HIM TO JUST HANG, AND LISTEN FOR HIS NEXT MEAL ON A NEARBY LEAF OR TWIG--THEN GRAB IT, WHEN READY. AS WORLD BAT POPULATIONS DWINDLE, THIS RESEARCH UNDERSCORES THEIR IMPORTANCE TO ORGANIC AGRICULTURE. SO, LET'S GIVE BATS THEIR PROPS--NOT TO MENTION THEIR ROLE IN MOSQUITO REDUCTION, POLLINATION, AND SEED DISPERSION. 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.
