Month: February 2000
Pulse of the Planet Daily Audio
CHIMPS-Dialects
Not only do chimpanzees use gestures to communicate, but there are gestural dialects between communities.
February 28, 2000CHIMPS-Gesture
Scientists studying chimpanzees think their behavior could offer insight into how we humans communicated in the past.
February 25, 2000CHIMPS-Conversing
By carefully observing chimpanzee gestures, vocalizations and other behavior, scientists have begun to decipher chimp communication.
February 24, 2000XAVANTE-Evening
For the young Xavante men of Central Brazil, staying up all night singing and dancing is a sign of virility.
February 23, 2000XAVANTE-Morning
The Xavante people of Central Brazil greet the dawn with song.
February 22, 2000XAVANTE-Log Race
One of the most important rituals for the Xavante of Central Brazil is a log race, but it’s pure competition without a winner or loser.
February 21, 2000XAVANTE-Wailing
For the Xavante of Central Brazil, their deepest emotions are often expressed in a kind of wailing.
February 18, 2000XAVANTE-Dreaming Songs
Through a jaguar-bone ear plug, Xavante men say they receive inspiration for their music.
February 17, 2000EARTHQUAKES-Core
By going back over thirty years of seismic data, scientists discovered that the earth’s inner core is rotating at a slightly faster speed than the surface of the earth
February 16, 2000EARTHQUAKES-Churning Earth
Recently geologists have started using seismic waves, generated by earthquakes, to create images of the movement taking place deep inside the earth.
February 15, 2000EARTHQUAKES-Bell
When a large earthquake hits, the entire earth can vibrate for weeks.
February 14, 2000Earthquakes: Mapping the Earth’s Interior
Powerful earthquakes are helping scientists to map the earth’s most profound depths.
February 11, 2000NILE CROCODILE: Temperature Dependent Sex Determination
Believe it or not, the sex of baby crocodiles is determined by the temperature of the eggs in the nest.
February 10, 2000NILE CROCODILE: February Hatching
This month, in northeastern South Africa, the region’s Nile Crocodiles are hatching their young.
February 9, 2000ECUADOR-Cloud Forest
In times of drought, cloudforests, which support the same incredible diversity as rainforests, thrive almost entirely on thick blankets of fog.
February 8, 2000HARIKUYO-Respect for Life
Harikuyo, a memorial service for the broken sewing needles of the past year, is a rite of respect and thanksgiving in Japan.
February 7, 2000Wind Sled
For some Northern Wisconsin residents, the only option to being stranded on an icy island for a few weeks every year is taking a bumpy ride on a 17-year-old wind sled.
February 4, 2000Chinese New Year in Malaysia
In Malaysia, the Chinese New Year celebration is a time for dressing in new clothes, giving gifts to family members and acting on one’s very best behavior.
February 3, 2000Redback Spiders-Vibrations
For Redback spiders, the web is an extended sensory organ.
February 2, 2000Redback Spiders: Mating Sacrifice
For Male Redback spiders, wooing a female means courting death.
February 1, 2000Redback Spiders-Sexual Cannibalism
For the female Redback spider, the key to successful mating is simple: find a male spider, mate, and then eat him!