Radar Could Save Bats From Wind Turbines 116
mknewman sends in an MSNBC piece on a promising way to keep bats from straying into wind farms — by using radar. "Bats use sonar to navigate and hunt. Many have been killed by wind turbines, however, which their sonar doesn't seem to recognize as a danger. Surprisingly, radar signals could help keep bats away from wind turbines, scientists have now discovered. ...some researchers have raised concerns that wind turbines inadvertently kill bats and other flying creatures. ... The bats might not be killed by the wind turbine blades directly, but instead by the sudden drop in air pressure the swinging rotors induce... The researchers discovered that radar helped keep bats away, reducing bat activity by 30 to 40 percent. The radar did not keep insects away, which suggests that however the radar works as a deterrent, it does so by influencing the bats directly and not just their food. Radar signals can lead to small but rapid spikes of heat in the head that generate sound waves, which in turn stimulate the ear. A bat's hearing is much more sensitive than ours. It may be so sensitive that even a tiny amount of sound caused by electromagnetic radiation is enough to drive them out."
Military applications (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Military applications (Score:4, Funny)
Not nearly as much as one equipped with napalm. I only wish I was joking...
Re:Since when does EMR produce sound? (Score:4, Funny)
Fortunately, Bat's can't sue people for exposing them to potentially dangerous levels of radiation, so it's probably just fine.
Damn! I was about to go out and patent a new set of completely wireless headphones to sell to the Mac crowd.
You still can. Mac zealots have proven they'll take any amount of abuse and still defend Apple's decisions.
"Well yes, they've given me cancer and brain damage (fulfilling the "Think Different" slogan I might add!), but that's the trade off if you want cool stylish things. Anyway the PC version produces twice as much cancer, is buggy, and isn't nearly as cool. This is from Apple so it just works!".
The solution is simple (Score:4, Funny)
All they have to do is build giant concrete walls around the turbines, and stick a roof over the top. So long as they don't put any windows in, it should be safe for bats and birds.
It's crazy that they haven't thought of doing this.
Re:More geeky (Score:3, Funny)
Ping? (Score:3, Funny)
Give me a ping, Vasili. One ping only, please.