D_Raay
04-21-2007, 02:09 AM
http://www.newscientist.com/blog/environment/2007/04/are-cellphones-wiping-out-bees.html?feedId=earth_rss20
Are cellphones wiping out bees?
The bizarre and sudden vanishing of bees that started in the US, and has now spread to Europe, has left apiarists stumped as to the cause. Now, researchers in Germany have come up with an explanation that, in the absence of a better theory, will probably be seriously considered : cellphones.
Radiation from mobile phones is interfering with bees' navigation systems, preventing the insects from finding their way back to the hive, according to a preliminary study by Jochen Khun's team at Landau University in Germany.
If it is true, it's difficult to know what can be done about it, since cellphones are now so ubiquitous. But colony collapse disorder (CCD), as the mystery bee demise is known, is a serious problem, with as many as 80% of bees affected in some parts of the US. It occurs when all the hive's occupants suddenly disappear (nobody knows where) leaving just the queen, her eggs and a few immature workers. And it has huge implications for agriculture because bee-performed pollination is vital for most of the world's crops.
Albert Einstein once calculated that if bees suddenly ceased to exist, mankind could not survive for more than 4 years. A worrying thought?
Are cellphones wiping out bees?
The bizarre and sudden vanishing of bees that started in the US, and has now spread to Europe, has left apiarists stumped as to the cause. Now, researchers in Germany have come up with an explanation that, in the absence of a better theory, will probably be seriously considered : cellphones.
Radiation from mobile phones is interfering with bees' navigation systems, preventing the insects from finding their way back to the hive, according to a preliminary study by Jochen Khun's team at Landau University in Germany.
If it is true, it's difficult to know what can be done about it, since cellphones are now so ubiquitous. But colony collapse disorder (CCD), as the mystery bee demise is known, is a serious problem, with as many as 80% of bees affected in some parts of the US. It occurs when all the hive's occupants suddenly disappear (nobody knows where) leaving just the queen, her eggs and a few immature workers. And it has huge implications for agriculture because bee-performed pollination is vital for most of the world's crops.
Albert Einstein once calculated that if bees suddenly ceased to exist, mankind could not survive for more than 4 years. A worrying thought?