February 29, 2000

CHIMPS-Dialects

Not only do chimpanzees use gestures to communicate, but there are gestural dialects between communities.

February 28, 2000

CHIMPS-Gesture

Scientists studying chimpanzees think their behavior could offer insight into how we humans communicated in the past.

February 25, 2000

CHIMPS-Conversing

By carefully observing chimpanzee gestures, vocalizations and other behavior, scientists have begun to decipher chimp communication.

February 24, 2000

XAVANTE-Evening

For the young Xavante men of Central Brazil, staying up all night singing and dancing is a sign of virility.

February 23, 2000

XAVANTE-Morning

The Xavante people of Central Brazil greet the dawn with song.

February 22, 2000

XAVANTE-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, 2000

XAVANTE-Wailing

For the Xavante of Central Brazil, their deepest emotions are often expressed in a kind of wailing.

February 18, 2000

XAVANTE-Dreaming Songs

Through a jaguar-bone ear plug, Xavante men say they receive inspiration for their music.

February 17, 2000

EARTHQUAKES-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, 2000

EARTHQUAKES-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, 2000

EARTHQUAKES-Bell

When a large earthquake hits, the entire earth can vibrate for weeks.

February 14, 2000

Earthquakes: Mapping the Earth’s Interior

Powerful earthquakes are helping scientists to map the earth’s most profound depths.

February 11, 2000

NILE 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, 2000

NILE CROCODILE: February Hatching

This month, in northeastern South Africa, the region’s Nile Crocodiles are hatching their young.

February 9, 2000

ECUADOR-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, 2000

HARIKUYO-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, 2000

Wind 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, 2000

Chinese 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, 2000

Redback Spiders-Vibrations

For Redback spiders, the web is an extended sensory organ.

February 2, 2000

Redback Spiders: Mating Sacrifice

For Male Redback spiders, wooing a female means courting death.

February 1, 2000

Redback Spiders-Sexual Cannibalism

For the female Redback spider, the key to successful mating is simple: find a male spider, mate, and then eat him!