Julie Elie worked out how zebra finches announce who they are, what they are doing and use individual signatures
A scientist who decoded the dictionary that a bird uses to communicate has won a $100,000 prize for making progress towards a world in which humans can talk to the animals – without being met with a blank response.
Dr Julie Elie at the University of California, Berkeley, was awarded the 2026 Coller-Dolittle prize for two-way interspecies communication after working out the 11 core calls in the zebra finch vocabulary and their meanings.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
06/26/2026 - 01:53
06/26/2026 - 00:00
Conservationists emphasise importance of protecting nesting sites used by ‘strongly faithful’ red-listed species
Migratory swifts loyally return every year to their nests in buildings, according to a study, underlining the importance of providing the endangered birds with hollow nesting bricks if traditional nest sites are lost to renovations.
The swift, which is on the red list of conservation concern, is one of Britain’s most threatened species, having declined in number by 70% since 1995 because of the loss of nesting sites, often when old buildings are re-roofed or given better insulation. While Scotland this year made the installation of swift bricks – a simple hollow brick – a legal requirement in new buildings, the government in England has repeatedly refused to oblige builders to include a £35 swift brick in every new home.
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06/26/2026 - 00:00
High temperatures make some workplaces dangerous, with economists warning disruption will dent growth
Monique Mosley is used to sweltering conditions at the food factory in Yorkshire where she works, but June’s record-breaking heatwave has made conditions unbearable. “We make hot filled food products and it’s common that we see temperatures in the high 30s,” she said. “Thanks to our union, our employer is offering extra breaks, but not every workplace is the same.”
The latest heatwave to grip the UK and much of western Europe has presented significant challenges to employers and their employees, from sweltering offices, disrupted commutes and school closures to dangerous construction sites where workers are at risk of dehydration, heatstroke and other injury.
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06/25/2026 - 23:00
Study also finds high humidity means people in hundreds of cities are enduring their worst ever heat stress
The heatwave scorching western Europe is the most severe and widespread ever and is only possible due to the climate crisis driven by fossil fuel burning, scientists have said.
Almost half of Europe’s 850 largest cities are also enduring their worst ever heat stress, a combination of temperature and humidity, they found. Muggier conditions mean sweating is less effective at cooling the body, making heatwaves even more dangerous.
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06/25/2026 - 23:00
City plans to triple system of underground pipes that distribute chilled river water, reducing need for individual cooling units
As heatwaves intensify across Europe, most cities are reaching for a familiar fix of more air conditioning. But in 1990s Paris, planning began for a different kind of solution: one of the world’s largest district cooling networks.
The system has 120kms (75-miles) of underground pipes distributing chilled water to museums, offices, hospitals, schools and other public buildings including the Louvre, the Grand Palais, and some luxury hotels and office districts. Instead of thousands of individual air-conditioning units, cooling is produced centrally and shared across the city like a utility.
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06/25/2026 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 26 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00195-0
Trustworthy AI for the ocean: bridging the science-policy divide
06/25/2026 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 26 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00223-z
Participatory mapping of maritime uses as a pathway to inclusive Marine Protected Area governance
06/23/2026 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 24 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00222-0
Marine conservation lost in submission: the bottlenecks stalling the European Union’s protected areas pledge delivery
06/21/2026 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 22 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00220-2
Resource-dependent economies should shift from finite extractive resources toward sustainable development pathways. This commentary frames marine natural capital as Blue Gold, in contrast to oil-based Black Gold. Using Oman as a case study, we show that integrating marine resources into national development strategies can advance diversification, resilience, and long-term sustainability when guided by ecological limits, effective governance, and value-based economic planning for sustainable ocean-based transformation in resource-dependent coastal economies worldwide.
06/20/2026 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 21 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00218-w
Assessing the carbon market potential of global seagrass recovery
