Researchers tracked 89 Northern Saw Whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) along a migration corridor in Western Montana, underscoring the efficacy of telemetry studies for detailed investigations into the movements of birds. Their paper, “Migration and Roosting Behavior of Northern Saw-whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) During Fall Migration in Western Montana,” was published in the Journal of Raptor Research. The research team was surprised to discover that owls demonstrated stopover behavior, meaning pauses along migration for resting and refueling, as well as notable individual variation in their direction and method of travel. These findings further unveil the migration story of North America’s smallest owl, which may accelerate research on movements of other owl species as well.

A research group led by Gian Gaetano Tartaglia, Principal Investigator at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), developed a machine-learning algorithm to study the behavior of proteins within cells and to predict their ability to trigger neurodegenerative diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's. The algorithm, called catGRANULE 2.0 ROBOT, helps identify molecular targets for further researches and therapies; it is described in a recent article published in the journal Genome Biology.

MIT oceanographers discovered big fish like tuna and swordfish get a large fraction of their food from the ocean’s twilight zone — a cold, dark layer about half a mile below the surface.

A study of tree rings in the Gaspésie’s Sainte-Anne River area reveals that snowpacks have been declining noticeably in the region’s mountains for nearly nine decades. The researchers say the phenomenon is directly linked to global warming.

They add that the decline in snowpack in the Parc national de la Gaspésie’s mountains, which form the northern end of the Appalachian Mountain Range, has significant implications for water management and regional wildlife.