Nowhere in the world has a more iconic national bird than New Zealand‚ so much so that the people of the island nation have adopted the nickname “the Kiwis” as their moniker. These easily recognizable flightless birds have faced countless problems with the rise of invasive species in their native home‚ but conservation efforts have helped protect the different species from these interlopers. Now‚ wild kiwi chicks have hatched just outside the nation's capital city‚ Wellington‚ for the first time in over a century.There are five species of kiwis living in different areas of New Zealand: the North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)‚ tokoeka (Apteryx australis)‚ rowi (Apteryx rowi)‚ great spotted kiwi (Apteryx haastii) and little spotted kiwi/kiwi pukupuku (Apteryx owenii). According to Save The Kiwi‚ there are only around 24‚500 of the brown kiwi species left in the wild. This is largely because of invasive species; kiwis evolved in a predator-free island habitat and as a result‚ have almost no natural defenses. At one stage‚ the problem of invasive species was so bad it was thought that 20 kiwis were killed per week.  However‚ the Capital Kiwi Project has been working to restore a thriving kiwi population in the Wellington area and last year‚ released around 60 adult birds into the wild.The conservationists have since announced that‚ in the last two weeks‚ four fluffy brown kiwi chicks have been found in the hills surrounding Wellington‚ first discovered by a volunteer. The chicks are the first to hatch into the wild in this area in more than 150 years and the project shared photos of the young chicks to their Instagram account.                           IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites."This is very special for the team which has been working hard for the last few years‚" project founder Paul Ward told AFP.The team will continue to monitor the chicks until they reach the target weight of 800 grams (1.7 pounds). This is deemed large enough to be able to stand up to a stoat (Mustela erminea)‚ a smaller member of the mustelid family – they're an invasive species in New Zealand and have spelled big trouble for kiwi populations. Capital Kiwi had previously embarked on a mission to remove the predator from the area by laying 4‚600 traps with help from local mountain bike riders. They also took to teaching local dog walkers how to keep kiwis safe from their pets.“Everyone was so supportive. Who isn’t keen to care for kiwi?” Ward told The New York Times. The project founder thinks there might even be more chicks out there in the hills surrounding Wellington ready to make their comeback. Speaking to AFP‚ Ward said: "We have high hopes these will be the first of many."

In a heartwarming tale of compassion and animal rescue‚ a video by The Dodo tells the story of a husband who discovers an abandoned pit bull in a parking lot. This narrative unfolds with a blend of empathy and love‚ showcasing the journey of the pit bull‚ later named Lucy‚ from being left alone to... The post Husband sees abandoned pittie running through parking lot and jumps into action to help appeared first on Animal Channel.

Latin actor and rapper Daddy Yankee‚ 46‚ is retiring from an illustrious and lucrative career in music. Yankee‚ whose musical collaboration with pop singer Luis Fonsi‚ "Despacito‚" was the first Spanish-language song to crack the Billboard Hot 100 in over 20 years‚ indicated he will devote the rest of his life to Christ and spreading the gospel. Yankee‚ the best-selling Latin artist of the 2000s‚ revealed his calling to fans during a farewell performance in San Juan‚ Puerto Rico‚ on Sunday. During the show‚ which capped off his 2022 La Última Vuelta world tour‚ the musician‚ whose real name is Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez‚ told the audience in Spanish‚ "My people‚ this day for me is the most important day of my life. And I want to share it with you because living a life of success is not the same as living a life with purpose." Rodríguez indicated neither his fame nor his estimated $40 million fortune could remedy the "emptiness that [he] felt for a long time." Jesus Christ was‚ however‚ able to do so. "What good will it be for a man to gain the whole world‚ yet forfeit his soul?" said Rodríguez‚ quoting Matthew 16:26. "That is why tonight‚ I recognize‚ and I am not ashamed to tell the whole world‚ that Jesus lives in me and that I will live for him." The musician indicated he will utilize his resources‚ platform‚ and popularity to promote Christianity and implored fans to join him in following Christ‚ reported USA Today. "To all the people who followed me‚ follow Jesus Christ‚ who is the way‚ the truth‚ and the life‚" he said. "Just like Jesus‚ with his mercy‚ allowed me to travel the world‚ in your mercy‚ Father‚ I hope you allow me to evangelize the world from Puerto Rico." Notwithstanding his sunglasses‚ WNBC-TV indicated it was apparent that the rapper was crying toward the end of his declaration. See on Instagram Long before his 2004 international hit single "Gasolina" and the 30 million record sales that ultimately followed‚ the so-called "reggaetón" artist had aspirations of playing professional baseball. Rodríguez showed MTV Music where he watched‚ at age 6‚ a gunman charge a baseball field and gun down his coach‚ Juan Cintron‚ right in front of him. Although traumatized by the incident‚ the young Puerto Rican nevertheless maintained his aspirations of playing for the big leagues. However‚ years later a bullet came for him. Around the age of 16‚ Rodríguez was reportedly in the process of recording a mix tape when he got struck by a stray bullet fired by an AK-47. "It was in V.K. [aka Villa Kennedy in Santurce] — the place that I'm from‚" he recalled. "I was just vibing with the homies. And all of a sudden: Boom‚ boom! I saw the crossfire and I got caught in an exchange of bullets. I was running‚ running‚ running‚ running — but I got hit. It broke my bone‚ like‚ quick. In an instant: Bam! I went under a van when I was stumbling and that was the only reason I survived." The future star's baseball dreams were over. His recovery took over a year and had him temporarily wheelchair-bound. Despite the setback‚ he came to understand the incident as providential. "I thank God for that bullet‚" said Rodríguez. "At that time‚ I didn't understand it. But right now‚ I give thanks to that bullet. That bullet made me be focused in music." In his Instagram post concerning his new religious direction‚ Rodríguez wrote‚ "Tonight I acknowledge and am not ashamed to tell the whole world that Christ lives in me and that I live for him. This is the end of a chapter and the beginning of a whole new one." The BBC reported that Rodríguez joins numerous other mega-stars who have left their music careers behind in order to devote themselves to Christ‚ including: Al Green‚ who still preaches at the Full Gospel Tabernacle church in Memphis to this day; Harlem rapper Mason Durell Betha‚ also known as Ma$e‚ who indicated he no longer wanted a hand in "leading people‚ friends‚ kids and others down a path to hell" and now is a pastor in Atlanta; and Korn guitarist Brian Welch‚ who quit his band‚ got baptized in the river Jordan‚ then traveled through impoverished areas in India helping to build orphanages. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Covering science and technology oscillates between polar extremes. On the one hand‚ you find a press more than happy to parrot any story crafted by savvy PR departments‚ without follow-up questions. A subset of people seem to view “the science” as a religious dictum‚ brought down from on high by materialistic priests wearing lab coats. Often the question of whether we can subsumes any queries about whether we should.The other side pursues a fear-based approach‚ breathlessly warning about the new and scary technologies that will destroy us. Their Venn diagram overlaps with the neo-Luddite crowd who want to restore an imagined preindustrial utopia‚ free from capitalism‚ global warming‚ pollution‚ liberalism‚ etc. A choose-your-own-adventure of societal ills‚ waiting to be cured by fleeing into the woods and raising chickens. It’s a notion appealing to a wide variety of political stripes‚ who find themselves reading Wittgenstein or Ted Kaczynski and nodding along. There has to be a third way forward. Reasonable people can have well-founded fears about how technology is rapidly transforming our society and the ability of totalitarians to harness it for control without reverting to using typewriters. We should be excited about technological breakthroughs and still be able to question the incentives of corporations and scientists. We are living through incredible technology-driven transformations. Some of these will help society and some will unleash horrors‚ but that has been true since our ancestors started sharpening stones. We will have to champion the technologies aligning with our values and fight the ones that don’t. I noticed this dichotomy while reading the pearl-clutching around AI and seeing the Webb images NASA has released this year from deep space. Webb's First Deep Field (NIRCam Image)Image Courtesy of NASA The Webb telescope is a powerful reminder of what we are capable of as a species‚ in more ways than one: 1) It's a technical marvel that has opened our eyes to aspects of the universe that were previously hidden‚ and 2) it has been the subject of an outrageous culture war fight over naming‚ legacy‚ and sexual politics.The telescope is an astounding piece of engineering‚ using infrared cameras to peer into areas of the universe never seen before. Built with 18 hexagonal mirrors unfurled in space‚ it has been sending back spectacular images since last July. It took over three decades to build.We’ve seen images of exoplanets‚ galaxies reaching back to the formation of the universe‚ stellar nurseries‚ and molecular clouds filled with the building blocks of life and the coldest ice in the universe. So instead of another article filled with doom and gloom‚ we thought we’d collect the most fantastic images the telescope has captured and revel in their beauty. It represents humanity at its finest‚ when we strive to slip our mortal coils and venture into the unknown — not for glory or money but simply because it’s there.If you want to learn more about the science behind the James Webb Space Telescope‚ check out these great resources.Big Think has an excellent visual representation showing how the telescope has performed better than anyone expected.The MIT Technology Review has a piece explaining how the JWST is collecting more data than scientists can analyze.The Jet Propulsion Laboratory discusses how the telescope will help physicists answer questions about how stars are formed and galaxies interact.You can find many more Webb telescope images in this online gallery. It's been over a year since the telescope was launched‚ and already the results are revolutionizing our understanding of the universe. Here's to many more years.As for the culture war fight‚ the New York Times actually did a good job covering the smear campaign against the telescope's namesake and his defenders in the astronomy community.Long live the telescope and the memory of James Webb. Here's to many more breathtaking images and scientific discoveries to come.

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