Baby eagle rescued after falling out of nest
Biologists rescued a baby eagle in California after the bird was accidentally kicked from its nest by an adult eagle while it was sleeping. The bird fell into a gully about 10 to 15 feet below its nest.
The baby is a part of a 40-year reintroduction program for eagles. A rescue squad of biologists was quickly called and the group made sure the eagle was okay before returning it to its nest.
“It’s about an hour hike from the nearest road,” wildlife biologist Peter Sharpe told ABC. “I checked its legs and its wings to make sure there wasn’t any obvious breaks. Internal injuries, I can’t say, but they’re pretty resilient.”
Watch the video here.
Scientists discover new protein that breaks down plastic bottles
Scientists in Texas created a new protein that could potentially eliminate billions of tons of landfill waste. The discovery was published in the Nature journal on April 27.
The enzyme destroys polyethylene terephthalate, which is found in food and drink packaging, textiles and polyester carpet fibers and makes up to 12% of all global waste. Before this discovery, no one had been able to make enzymes that could function at low temperatures and make them both portable and cost-effective on a large scale.
“The possibilities are endless across industries to leverage this leading-edge recycling process,” said Professor Hal Alper of the University of Texas at Austin. “Through these more sustainable enzyme approaches, we can begin to envision a true circular plastics economy.”
Rare tree kangaroo born at Bronx Zoo
A baby Matschie tree kangaroo, born on April 18, is the first of its species to be born at the Bronx Zoo since 2008. The species are almost the size of a human thumbnail at birth and stay in their mother’s pouch for about seven months before emerging.
The species originates in Papua New Guinea and is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Less than 2,500 Matschie’s tree kangaroos exist in the wild and the species’ homes are being destroyed by hunting and other disruptive human activity.
“At this stage of development, the joey will spend a lot of time in his mom’s pouch with just its head sticking out,” zoo director Jim Breheny said in the press release. “As it matures it will begin to explore its environment and start spending short periods of time outside the pouch.”
