A mysterious malady is killing thousands of hibernating bats in New York and Vermont, with yet another outbreak reported in a Massachusetts mine. Scientists are working desperately to unravel the cause. The disease is called “white-nose syndrome,” because a fungus appears around the muzzle of some affected bats. Researchers do not know whether the fungus is causing or contributing to the deaths or is merely a symptom of another problem. Bat Conservation International has established a fund that is accepting donations to help finance this critical research. BCI is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and other agencies to help find solutions to this critical problem. ...more

Flying Came First
A 52 million-year-old bat seems to have answered a long-standing puzzle: which did bats acquire first, flight or echolocation. “The most primitive bat ever discovered could fly but [could] not navigate by sound,” the New York Times reported....more

Corn is the heart and soul of Mexico’s agriculture. It accounts for more than 60 percent of the nation’s total agricultural output and 62 percent of its cultivated land. Up to 18 million people – some 17 percent of Mexico’s...more