Astronomers spot 'planet-eating' star similar to our sun and other top stories.

• Astronomers spot 'planet-eating' star similar to our sun

  

  December 18, 2016 —As the latest Star Wars installment draws crowds to movie theaters this weekend, scientists are talking about a real Death Star, of sorts, about 300 light-years away.Using a 3.6-meter telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile, a team of researchers have been studying a star very similar to our sun. But unlike our friendly neighborhood star, however, this one is known to have destroyed some of its own planets, in a possible preview of what the future might hold for some p..

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• Rainbow snake, tiny frog among new Mekong species

  

  A rainbow-headed snake, a tiny frog and a lizard with dragon-like horns are among more than 150 new species confirmed by scientists last year in the ecologically diverse but threatened Mekong region, researchers said on Monday. Winding its way from the ...

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• The dirty deplorables: Who's who on Donald Trump's team and how they'll destroy the environment

  

  This post originally appeared on Grist.What do Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees and advisers think about climate change and other sustainability issues? As you would expect, it’s not looking good for those of us concerned about a habitable climate and livable cities. Trump is putting together a climate-denying cabal of extreme right-wingers and corporate sympathizers likely to roll back environmental protections, halt smart-growth efforts and undo progress toward environmental justice.We’ll keep..

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• New research on giraffe biology, dwindling population size gives zoos a tall order - Omaha World

  

  A pair of scientific discoveries have forced zoos to rethink how they handle giraffes.Earlier this month the International Union for Conservation of Nature reclassified giraffes on its Red List of Threatened Species, changing their status from “Least Concerned” to “Threatened,” one designation away from “Endangered.”In announcing the change, the group said the world’s tallest land mammal has seen an almost 40 percent population decline over the past 30 years. “To read that they’re down to 97,00..

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• Eagle-eyed teams tally birds for annual 1-day Audubon count

  

  Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle A double-crested cormorant is spotted fishing during the Audubon Society’s bird survey in Berkeley. A double-crested cormorant is spotted fishing during the Audubon Society’s bird survey in Berkeley. Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle A black-crowned night heron is spotted dur..

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• Predator Of Sharks: Rarely Seen Killer Whales Caught On Video Eating A Shark Alive

  

  A group of rarely seen type of killer whale was captured on video off the coast of California killing and eating a shark. Photographer Slater Moore witnessed and filmed a video of four offshore killer whales feasting on a shark around Monterey Bay on Dec. 13. Rarely-Seen Killer Whale The group consists of four offshore orcas, two females and two calves, was part of a larger group numbering about 25. The orcas' unlucky prey was a sevengill shark, which was about 5 feet long albeit this species c..

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