The next-generation Very Large Array prototype gathers its first light

An astronaut’s photo, taken en route to the Moon, reveals our planet and its place in space in a novel way.

Conservationists often raise the young of endangered species in captivity before releasing them into suitable habitats as adults. The benefits are obvious: survival to adulthood is typically high, as captive animals are safe from predators and food scarcity. Unfortunately, a lack of exposure to enemies in early life may become a drawback later, if the released individuals have never learned to recognize and avoid their predators.

Research from the University of Twente shows how the Javan leopard, one of the world's rarest big cats, survives on one of the most crowded islands on Earth. Using camera traps and spatial models, Andhika Chandra Ariyanto, a doctoral researcher at ITC, found that the cat depends on a wide range of prey and on recovering forests as much as on the protected reserves that conservation usually prioritizes.