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It's not long now until the 2024 total solar eclipse and‚ weather permitting‚ it should be a spectacular celestial event. As exciting as it is‚ there are a number of safety concerns‚ particularly in the parts of the US that will be in the path of totality‚ with some now announcing the deployment of the National Guard. The 2017 total solar eclipse‚ gorgeous as it was‚ took place during the solar minimum‚ the part of the Sun's 11-year cycle where activity is at its minimum. This year's eclipse coincides with the solar maximum‚ meaning not only should we get a glorious corona‚ but streamers and prominences‚ bright‚ pink curls or loops coming from the Sun.  While the main priority for eclipse viewers should of course be protecting their eyes‚ there have been a number of warnings from emergency officials in recent weeks to stock up on water‚ food and fuel ahead of the eclipse‚ as well as some schools in the path of totality being advised to shut. These warnings are not due to the eclipse itself‚ but because of the influx of tourists associated with it‚ and putting pressure on transport‚ emergency‚ and cell phone infrastructure that isn't designed to cope with such a large number of people.At the request of Oklahoma's McCurtain County Emergency Management team‚ the Oklahoma National Guard will also be called in to help with potential problems.“McCurtain County Emergency Management requested our support because they expect up to 100‚000 additional people visiting their communities to watch the eclipse‚” Lt. Col. Jabonn Flurry‚ 63rd CST commander of the Oklahoma National Guard said in a statement. “This influx of visitors has the potential to overtax local resources and thanks to the training and experience our Guardsmen have working alongside local agencies all across Oklahoma‚ the CST is uniquely qualified to support our fellow Oklahomans.”The Oklahoma guard will provide hazardous materials (HAZMAT) response capabilities during the eclipse‚ such as responding to industrial fires and lightening the load on local emergency workers.There have been people online claiming this is an overreaction along the lines of "We didn't have these kinds of warnings in 2017/some previous eclipse and everything was fine!" to which the answer is: yes we did‚ and no it wasn't. Ahead of the 2017 eclipse‚ local government planned for an increase in visitors‚ but traffic congestion was still a problem."The millions of people drawn to locations along the eclipse path taxed limited transportation facilities‚ and traffic congestion was intense in many locations‚" transportation engineering consultant Jonathan Upchurch explained in Transportation Research News."Across the country‚ Interstate highways near the path of totality experienced traffic congestion shortly after the eclipse‚ with longer-than-normal travel times on Interstate highways. For example‚ travel from Casper‚ Wyoming‚ to Denver‚ Colorado— normally a 4-hour trip—took 10 hours or more.  Traffic congestion on rural Interstate routes lasted for up to 13 hours after the eclipse."Additionally‚ though you may have missed them‚ there were warnings in place ahead of the 2017 eclipse. What's more‚ they were effective‚ so it makes sense that officials are using them ahead of this year's eclipse."The data showed that Oregon‚ Idaho‚ and Wyoming had the most significant traffic increase on the eclipse day compared to other states‚" a paper on traffic management during the 2017 eclipse explains."Interestingly‚ Nebraska‚ Kansas‚ and Missouri had reduced daily traffic‚ one of the reasons might be the advice from transportation agencies for people to reduce their errands during the eclipse week."

What is your favorite gesture? A little thumbs up? The funny squiggle in the air when you want the check in a restaurant or even something ruder? Well‚ scientists have discovered that apes and humans aren’t the only ones making gestures. The Japanese tits (Parus minor) are getting in on the act and being downright polite about it to boot. Japanese tits form mating pairs in the spring and build a nest with a small entrance hole. The hole does not allow both birds to enter at the same time so they must go into the nest one after the other. Researchers from the University of Tokyo found that the birds have a wing-fluttering gesture that they use to communicate with their mates that simply indicates “After you”. “In our latest discovery‚ we revealed that the Japanese tit uses gestures to communicate with their mate‚” said Associate Professor Toshitaka Suzuki in a statement. Suzuki and co-author Norimasa Sugita observed eight pairs of parent birds breeding in nest boxes. Before entering the nest with food‚ the two birds would often sit on a perch outside the nest first‚ until one of the pair fluttered their wings at the other bird. The bird not fluttering then entered the nest first. They found that more often than not it was the female that fluttered her wings at the male and if she did not‚ she entered the nest first. Only one of the eight males was seen to use the wing-fluttering gesture. They also found that the order in which the male and female birds arrived at the perches above the nest entrance did not determine who entered the nest first.            “We were surprised to find that the results were much clearer than we had expected. We observed that Japanese tits flutter their wings exclusively in the presence of their mate‚ and upon witnessing this behavior‚ the mate almost always entered the nest box first‚” explained Suzuki. Overall‚ the team looked at 321 nest visits in detail. Gestures can be classified into deictic gestures such as pointing out an object or symbolic gestures that convey messages. These symbolic gestures require more complex cognitive skills. The wing fluttering gesture only appeared in the presence of a mate and stopped when the mate entered the nest box without physical contact between the pair‚ leading the researchers to believe it was a true symbolic gesture. “There is a hypothesis that walking on two legs allowed humans to maintain an upright posture‚ freeing up their hands for greater mobility‚ which in turn contributed to the evolution of gestures. Similarly‚ when birds perch on branches‚ their wings become free‚ which we think may facilitate the development of gestural communication‚” explained Suzuki. Previously these birds have been found to combine calls and sing with syntax. Now‚ they have been found to use gestures‚ opening up more avenues for research into what these birds are capable of when it comes to communication. “We will continue to decipher what birds are talking about through gestures‚ vocalizations‚ and their combinations. This endeavor not only enables us to uncover the rich world of animal languages‚ but also serves as a crucial key to unravelling the origins and evolution of our own language‚” finished Suzuki.The paper is published in Cell Biology.