in the field of laser technology

top on which the original lightning conductor was frequently hit by lightning — 100 times a year. It works by blasting short intense bursts of infrared light into the sky. This clears a path through the clouds which makes the journey of the electric current from the sky to the earth easier, and so it naturally follows the path of least resistance.

The instrument was specifically chosen to be set up on a mountain

The laser was on for a total of six hours during a storm in 2021. When first successfully tested, the laser was hit four times by lightning when the laser was on. When comparing the direction of the lightning strikes with laser on and off, the laser managed to pull in strikes from further away than the conventional conductor did. This is a real achievement, and whilst the distance is certainly too small to cover a football pitch, let alone an airport, the foundations for this type of technology to be successful have been laid. Although other experts in the field are sceptical, the hope for the future is that this sort of system could be used to charge things in a novel way. But for now, that is but a low rumble in the distance.

GRAY wolves in Yellowstone National Park are more likely to leave their pack or lead it when infected with the Toxoplasma gondii parasite. T. gondii is already known to make some animals more adventurous but has never before been studied in wolves.

The authors of the study, which was published in C ommunications Biology last November, drew on blood samples, movement data and behavioural observations collected since gray wolves (Canis lupis) were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995. Infected wolves — identified by T. gondii antibodies in the blood — were 11 times more likely than unin- fected ones to leave their packs, and 46 times more likely to lead them.

“Those are two decisions that can really benefit wolves, or could cause wolves to die,” said Connor Meyer, one of the study’s seven authors.

Cats themselves are the only host in which T. gondii can reproduce; it does so in the small intestine, before being transported via faeces. The parasite is present in a third of humans, usually without symptoms.

Infected mice... lose their fear of cats 11 times more likely to leave their packs and 46 times more likely to lead them

Single-celled T. gondii alters animals’ behaviour by changing certain hormones. Infected mice, for example, lose their fear of cats.

Given that Yellowstone’s cougars (Puma concolor) also carry T. gondii , it is no surprise that infection rates among wolves were highest when their territories overlapped with the areas of densest cougar population. The study hypothesised that this leads to a positive feedback loop: infected wolf leaders may be likelier to take their packs into risky situations, including entering cougar territory. Further research is needed to confirm this.

The study differs from previous work in labs. Ajai Vyas, who was not involved in the study, likens lab research to “studying whale swimming behavior in backyard pools; [it] does not work very well.” By contrast, the new study examines the effects of T. gondii in the wolves’ natural environment.

The team’s next step will be to investigate the long-term effects of T. gondii infections and whether infected wolves make better leaders than uninfected ones.