fear

The problem of mountain lions

May 5, 2025 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Mountain lions – also known as pumas, cougars, and even sometimes panthers – are the most widely distributed wild land mammal in the world. They are found from Canada to South America. There are an estimated 30,000 mountain lions in the United States, mostly in the West, but there are also mountain lions from the Midwest to the East Coast.

Unlike wolves or grizzly bears, mountain lions are not managed by the federal government; they are managed by states and state regulations vary greatly. In some places, hunting mountain lions is banned completely; in other places, it is always open season.

As more people encroach on wild land – building homes and small farms, as well as hiking and biking – the numbers of encounters between people and mountain lions are increasing. And when mountain lions lose their fear of people, there is trouble.

Since 1890, there have been at least 32 fatal mountain lion attacks on humans and more than 170 non-fatal attacks. California has seen the most attacks in the last 40 years with 22 people injured and four killed. Despite this, Californians passed a ballot initiative in 1990 that bans all hunting of mountain lions.

There are strategies to reduce habituation and instill fear of humans in mountain lions. One is called “tree-and-free” that uses dogs to chase mountain lions up trees. But there are opponents of this and other measures employed.

The fact is that there are simply too many mountain lions living in close proximity to humans and peaceful coexistence is very difficult to achieve. Places where hunting lions is permitted have few problems with them, but that is not a solution that is acceptable in many places. It’s a difficult problem.

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Deadly Encounter: Mountain Lion Attacks Spark Controversy

Photo, posted March 26, 2013, courtesy of the USFWS via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Chatbots Are Thirsty | Earth Wise

June 19, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

We hear a lot about artificial intelligence these days. ChatGPT has found its way into education, technology, and many other aspects of life. It and its brethren are a source of fascination, enthusiasm, and even fear. Many of us have given queries to the bot to see what kind of results we can obtain. But a recent study has found out something about AI systems that we probably didn’t know – they use up lots of fresh water.

According to researchers at the University of California, Riverside, running a few dozen queries on ChatGPT uses up about half a quart of fresh water from already overtaxed reservoirs.

Running artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT relies on cloud computations done in racks of servers in warehouse-sized data processing centers. Google’s data centers in the U.S. alone consumed nearly 3.5 billion gallons of fresh water in 2021 in order to keep their servers cool.

Data processing centers consume water in two ways. They often draw much of their electricity from power plants that use large cooling towers that convert water into steam emitted into the atmosphere. In addition, the servers themselves need to be cooled to keep running and are typically connected to cooling towers as well.

It isn’t going to be easy for AI systems to reduce their water use. The study’s authors noted that people make use of AI at all hours of the day and night. But a significant amount of AI activity is actually the training of the systems. That could be scheduled for the cooler hours, when less water is lost to evaporation.

In an era of scarce fresh water and droughts, it is important to make AI less thirsty.

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AI programs consume large volumes of scarce water

Photo, posted May 22, 2023, courtesy of Jernej Furman via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Harnessing The Smell Of Fear | Earth Wise

September 28, 2021 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Plant-eating insects present a major problem for farmers and home gardeners. Aphids, for example, are a highly destructive pest to many crops. Their large numbers and ability to transmit plant pathogens make them a persistent problem for growers.

Pesticides are chemical substances that are commonly used to prevent, destroy, repel or mitigate pests. They include insecticides for insects, rodenticides for rodents, herbicides for weeds, and fungicides for microorganisms. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, approximately one billion pounds of these chemicals are used in the United States every year.

But pesticides can also contaminate soil, water, and other vegetation, as well as kill many non-target species. Exposure to these chemicals is dangerous for human health.

According to a new study, researchers from Pennsylvania State University have developed a way to bottle the “smell of fear” produced by predators in order to repel and disrupt pests naturally without the need for these harsh substances. The researchers recently presented their findings at the American Chemical Society meeting.

Aphids happen to be a favorite food of ladybugs. Aphids and other herbivorous insects will steer clear of fields and gardens if they smell predators nearby. The researchers identified and extracted the volatile odor profile from ladybugs. The researchers used the compounds to create a special odor blend that can be used in an essential oil diffuser to spread the scent across a garden or field.

The research team plans to conduct field tests to see if the effects outside are similar to what was observed in the lab. A natural and effective pest repellent would be a big win for people and the planet.

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Protecting gardens and crops from insects using the ‘smell of fear’

Protecting gardens and crops from insects using the ‘smell of fear’ (YouTube)

Photo, posted May 10, 2011, courtesy of DM via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.