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Learning to love birds has changed my life.

I got hooked on birdwatching during the pandemic. In the presence of birds, I feel happier. My always-on brain is both more engaged and calmer.

The first time I saw a yellow warbler two years ago, I typed excitedly into my phone, “VERY YELLOW!”

Learning to notice details like the splash of white on an American robin’s tail taught me to revel in the beauty all around me. On my routine neighborhood walks, I now grin at bird songs I ignored before and stop to smell the lilac bushes.

It’s no substitute for being outside but Twitter has helped me learn to identify birds and feel connected to others who feel bird joy.

That’s why I was bummed when Elon Musk came for bird nerds like me.

I want to tell you about a couple of cool bird-related Twitter accounts and how Musk’s policies have affected one of them. I’ll also suggest five other useful bird apps or websites.

Apps like Twitter, Instagram and YouTube are amazing communal spaces for hobbyists – whether you like birdwatching, painting or playing video games. But my experience is a lesson that you can’t rely on them.

Manhattan Bird Alert is a stream of photos and videos people have taken in Central Park and other New York City birdwatching hot spots.

I love looking at rad birds there – especially Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl who lived for years in the Central Park zoo and is now living free.

I also challenge myself to ignore the text of the tweets and try to identify birds from the images alone. I’m definitely still a beginner, but scrolling day after day has improved my bird ID skills.

My other Twitter account of choice is @mbalerter. It was programmed to automatically retweet experienced birders who want to alert others to rare or noteworthy birds they have just spotted in Manhattan.

On a Sunday afternoon in February, I raced out of the house when I saw an @mbalerter tweet. An American woodcock was spotted in a small park surrounded by Manhattan skyscrapers.

This goofy-looking, worm-slurping bird isn’t particularly unusual in New York but I had never seen one.

In person, the bird’s delicate feathers and oddball back-and-forth shimmy were more glorious than I imagined from photos. I got my “lifer,” as it’s called when you see a bird species for the first time.

But @mbalerter hit a snag

Last month, Musk’s Twitter said it would start charging accounts like @mbalerter tens of thousands of dollars a month to use Twitter software for automated alerts.

Some National Weather Service accounts initially said they’d cut back on tweeting tornado warnings or other emergency notifications. Public transit systems said they’d stop using Twitter for travel delay alerts. My favorite possums made plans to leave Twitter.

Last week, Twitter reversed its policy change for public service accounts. Transit, weather and other government services can keep tweeting automated alerts for free. But @mbalerter still has to pay.

David Barrett, the avid birder who runs @mbalerter and Manhattan Bird Alert, said he is now manually sending bird notification tweets by scrolling through his direct messages about notable sightings.

He’s worried that he won’t see a message about a rare bird in time for people to see it. And time is of the essence.

“Birds fly away,” Barrett said.

He told me that he hopes Musk will change his mind about charging for access to automated tweets. Or he suggested that Musk could include automated software as part of the $8-a-month Twitter Blue subscription service.

I emailed Musk to ask what he thought about Barrett’s suggestions. I didn’t hear back.

Bird alternatives to the bird app

Bird notifications are polarizing.

Some bird lovers say it’s disruptive to birds, particularly for sensitive species such as owls, to encourage people to flock to them. Other birders say that publicizing bird locations helps people learn to love birds and does them little harm. (You can read the American Birding Association’s code of ethics here.)

Regardless, Twitter seems to be declining in importance for birdwatchers, said Drew Weber, the project manager for the Merlin bird app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Many birdwatchers use the eBird app to keep public records of birds they’ve seen. (More on eBird in a minute.)

And rare bird alerts use private chat groups including on WhatsApp and Discord, Weber said. I have been too intimidated to try birdwatching listservs or messaging groups. On Twitter, I don’t need an invitation and it doesn’t matter that I’m a beginner birder.

I’m still using Barrett’s accounts but I’m resigned to Twitter becoming less useful for my hobby. I hope my experience encourages all of us to rely more on people than on technology to fuel our passions.

When I was in Florida on vacation a few months ago, I struck up a conversation with an experienced birdwatcher in a nature preserve.

John recommended several other places I should go to see birds, including a nearby beach. He said I might get lucky and spot a reddish egret, a long-legged wading bird that lives almost exclusively on the Gulf Coast. Maybe an app would have told me the same information but I doubt it.

I followed John’s recommendations and one morning, I caught a glimpse of a reddish egret. It was magnificent. Then it flew away.

Try these free apps, websites and accounts to find your own bird joy

Merlin Bird ID: If you hear a bird singing and are curious what species it is, click “Sound ID” and press record. The app taps into a database of bird calls and pops up a match between that chitter-chatter sound you’re hearing and a chimney swift.

Or tap “Start Bird ID” and enter a few details including your location and the bird’s size and primary colors. The app will suggest a few likely species. You can also choose “Explore Birds” to see common birds in your area.

All About Birds: This Cornell website lets you look up any bird in North America and see photos, hear its songs, learn about its diet and habits, and gets tips to identify it in the wild.

There are other incredible resources here, including online bird education courses and advice for backyard bird feeders.

Ebird app and website: Birders use the eBird app to record and save a list of the species they’ve seen when they’re out bird watching.

The eBird website is useful for travelers, too. When I was last in the Bay Area, I used eBird’s “hot spots” map to zoom into San Francisco and see where people had recently saved birdwatching checklists from the eBird app. It looked like lots of people had been birdwatching in Fort Mason Park so I went there, too.

EBird is complicated to use but Cornell has a free online course to get the most from its features.

Audubon Bird Guide: This app has many of the same features as Merlin, but I use both.

The Audubon app has more details about each bird and the “similar” tab can help if you’re not sure whether that tiny black and white bird is a black-and-white warbler, a blackpoll warbler or a black-capped chickadee.

Wild Bird Fund on Twitter: The New York wildlife rehabilitation and education center has inspiring and funny tweets about injured birds and other animals. I’m a sucker for the slow-motion videos of successfully rehabbed birds being released into the wild.

Birda: I have not tried this app yet. Molly Adams from the Feminist Bird Club mentioned this app that has social features in addition to keeping a list of bird you’ve seen.

I am no bird expert, so tell me what tech you use to better appreciate our feathered friends. Email me at shira.ovide@washpost.com

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San Francisco officials believe the office-to-home conversion could help the struggling local economy as the city known for its pre-pandemic tech growth is now facing record-high office vacancy rates.

The Planning Department and Office of Economic and Manpower Development have issued a request for information to scout out potential redevelopment sites and assess how viable these projects would be and what is needed to remove any regulatory hurdles.

The move coincides with recent regulations passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to help the city’s economic revival after years of weak leasing activity, lack of sales momentum and office and retail tenant migration.

With the request, officials hope to not only simplify the redevelopment process for developers and property owners, but also figure out how to focus the city’s efforts to make it a reality. To qualify, the request states that respondents must “either be in control of the site, be in discussions with the property owner about a possible purchase, lease or other investment in the property, or be a design professional or a other authorized representative of a property owner.” or developer.”

City leaders across the country have opened up to the idea of ​​converting one property use to another to adapt to the changes brought about by the pandemic in recent years. As demand for office space in particular has waned, the idea of ​​converting vacant buildings into alternative uses such as housing, research and development space, or even hotel rooms has been mooted in markets like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and more in Washington, DC

However, the situation in San Francisco is relatively dire compared to other cities in the United States, with the office vacancy rate rising to over 17%, according to CoStar data, compared to about 7% in 2019. In some parts of downtown, the vacancy rate is around almost 30%, and with rental activity largely subdued, there are no signs of a turnaround imminent.

The combination of remote work, record-breaking sublease availability and office vacancy rates, and deteriorating socioeconomic conditions has resulted in a budget deficit of nearly $800 million since the pandemic began. Additionally, office leasing and investment activity is now a small fraction of what it was before 2020, meaning this key source of tax revenue is unlikely to return any time soon.

As city officials debate how to encourage alternative uses for office space, it takes a while for the talk to translate into action. For example, some office buildings are less suited to residential use than others, and such a move away from office buildings can represent a big bet for an owner that remote working will continue to be as common as it is today.

Only a limited number of existing office buildings are really suitable candidates for possible conversions. according to CoStar analysis, and are unlikely to have a major impact on office or apartment building market fundamentals.

Nevertheless, while the city office market Although the demand for housing in the city is still increasing, although it is only a shell of what it used to be.

According to data from CoStar, asking rents average nearly $3,050 per month, making San Francisco the most expensive multi-family market in the United States. By comparison, the city has lost its reputation as the country’s most expensive office market — it was overtaken by Silicon Valley and pushed to second place — and with its tech-heavy workforce boasts the lowest return-to-office metrics of any major market in the nation .

The motion and recently passed legislative package are likely to provide more flexibility in transforming traditional office properties into potential residential or retail properties and are the latest in a series of strategies San Francisco has adopted to reposition the city as it moves ever further from Removed from its original location pre-pandemic focus on the technology industry.

San Francisco officials say it’s worth the effort.

When it comes to the potential for converting office towers into apartments, demolishing buildings for new construction and attracting startups to settle in the city, “we need to re-imagine what downtown can look like,” said Mayor London Breed recently. “We open the door to do more. San Francisco has never had to work hard for tourists, visitors or people who want to shop here, so many restrictions have been imposed on people in certain parts of the city. The policies we implemented have changed that, so you can now convert an office into living space much more easily.”

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RICHMOND (CBS SF) — Using the latest advances in DNA technology, police cold case investigators announced Thursday they have identified Jerry Lee Henderson as the suspect responsible for the 1999 murder of Meekiah Wadley inside a Richmond home.

While Henderson died 11 days after the murder of a suspected overdose, Richmond police hoped the revelation would provide some measure of closure for their relatives.

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“Over the course of more than 20 years, law enforcement working this case never gave up,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta at a press conference. “It is my sincere hope that this resolution brings the family of Meekiah Wadley a measure of peace. Nothing can ever bring back a loved one, but we’re committed to doing all we can to help bring the truth to light in the fight for justice.”

Acting Richmond Police Chief Louie Tirona added: “It is my hope that this news brings needed closure to all those who knew and loved Meekiah Wadley.”

RAW: Family Demands Acting Richmond Police Chief Identify Meekiah Wadley’s Killer

At first, law enforcement at the news conference refused to identify the murderer, saying they didn’t want to give him any notoriety.

“Why give someone fame and notoriety for a murder,” asked Acting Richmond Police Chief Louie Tirona.

But Wadley’s family – also present at the news conference and wearing “We love you” shirts showing an image of a smiling Wadley- insisted that they name him, and Tirona did eventually identify Henderson by name.

“Answers might not come today but it will come tomorrow. It’s going to come,” said Meekiah’s sister Quila Wadley.

“My favorite auntie. She was beautiful, outgoing and smart. Loved to hang out and have fun,” said her niece Devinee Peterson.

The Wadley family said Henderson was a friend of a friend of Meekiah’s, who went into her home when she was out for the night, and when she came home he raped and suffocated her.

Meekia’s family says Henderson was a friend of a friend, but that there was no other relationship besides that.

“I’m angry, hurt and sad,” said Peterson. “We came to let the world know who it was and not to shove it under the rug. His family should know what he did.”

The case dates back to January 1999. Richmond police responded to a call to a residence at the 1300 block of Carlson Blvd. after a nearby neighbor reported hearing screaming coming from the residence.

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When the neighbor went to the residence and knocked on the front door, the police were told the screaming continued for approximately 30 seconds. The neighbor retreated to his apartment and called 911.

Arriving officers found the front door locked but the back door was unlocked and ajar. Once inside the home, officers found Wadley on the floor of her bedroom. Her hands were bound together with shoelaces, she had been killed by asphyxia due to smothering.

A buck knife was located under her body.

The initial investigation focused on a man she spent the prior evening with. Other than the initial person she was seen with the prior evening, there were no investigative leads. That person was ultimately ruled out as a suspect.

A variety of DNA testing was conducted in the years following the slaying.

In 2002, a mixed DNA profile was developed from swabs collected from Wadley’s hands and a bloodstain at the crime scene. This DNA profile was submitted to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) to search the offender database. There were no matches.

In 2020, additional DNA testing was requested, focusing on previously untested fingernail clippings and ligatures. A male DNA profile from Wadley’s fingernail clippings was developed.

In October 2020, the DNA profile created by the Contra Costa County crime lab was submitted to the DOJ’s DNA Data Bank Program to conduct a familial search of the state DNA index system.

In April 2021, California Department of Justice and Bureau of Forensic Services and Bureau of Investigation agents presented the results of the requested family search. The DOJ’s investigation revealed a person who was a potential first-degree relative of the male suspect. But the relative was ruled out as a suspect.

Since Henderson also died in January 1999, the DNA search became even more complicated.

With the assistance of the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, detectives were able to track down an immediate relative in September 2021. A buccal swab was obtained from the person and submitted to the crime lab.

On September 17, 2021, Richmond police received notification that the buccal swab from the relative confirmed Henderson’s DNA matched the fingernail clippings from Wadley and investigators concluded Henderson was the person responsible for the murder.

Authorities say Henderson died of an apparent drug overdose 11 days after the murder.

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Kenny Choi contributed to this report.

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PICTURE: Migration of germ cells in a fruit fly embryo. view More

Photo credit: Deborah Andrew and JiHoon Kim, Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine have identified a new molecular pathway in fruit flies that helps direct moving cells in specific directions. The set of interconnected proteins and enzymes along the way act as steering and rudder components that propel cells towards an “intended” rather than an accidental destination, it is said.

In a report on the work published March 2 in Cell Reports, the same molecular pathways, the scientists said, could and could be important in causing cancer cells to metastasize or reach distant areas in the body to understand how cells are composed and migrate into an embryo to form organs and other structures.

The team of scientists was led by Deborah Andrew, Ph.D., Professor of Cell Biology and Assistant Director of Faculty Development at the Institute of Basic Biomedical Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Andrew and her colleagues began this research while studying a gene called Tre1 and its role in the development of salivary glands in fruit flies. The tools for studying the effects of turning the gene on and off are not ideal, she says. Two of the team members, Caitlin Hanlon, Ph.D. from Quinnipiac University and JiHoon Kim, Ph.D. by Johns Hopkins, produced fruit flies that lack the protein-coding part of the Tre1 gene. The couple also placed a fluorescent tag on the Tre1 protein to tell where it was located during key developmental steps.

In experiments with fruit fly embryos that carry an intact Tre1 gene, cells that will produce future generations of the organism, so-called germ cells, migrate correctly to the sex organ, the so-called gonad.

“Without the Tre1 gene, however, most germ cells could not meet with other non-chronic cells or somatic cells of the gonad,” says Andrew. “Correct navigation of germ cells is important to ensure that future generations of the organism take place.”

This is not the first time scientists have noticed the importance of Tre1 in germ cell navigation. Two research teams from Indiana University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology had previously made the connection. According to Andrew, however, questions remained about what happens in germ cells to get the cells to the right place after Tre1 is activated.

It was already known that the Tre1 gene encodes a protein that spans the cell membrane several times and protrudes onto the cell surface. It belongs to a large family of proteins called G-protein coupled receptors that enable cells to communicate and respond to signals from other cells, as well as light and smell signals. Almost 35% of FDA-approved drugs target G-protein coupled receptors, Andrew says.

To more closely follow the molecular events downstream of Tre1, Kim, a research fellow and postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, used tissue cultures from fruit fly cells to find the location of fluorescently labeled molecules that may be triggered by the activated Tre1 protein . In the tissue cultures and germ cells of living flies, Kim discovered the downstream genetic pathway.

He found that Tre1 acts as the helmsman of the cell and controls the steering of the cell. Tre1 activates the control and rudder components of the cell by spurring a cascade of proteins and enzymes, including a phospho-inositol kinase, PI (4,5) P2, dPIP5K, dWIP and WASp.

At the end of the molecular cascade, a chain of actin proteins forms in a protrusion on the leading edge of the cell to exert mechanical forces for movement.

The scientists also looked for the upstream signal that activates Tre1. They used a genetically engineered protein made by researchers at the University of California at San Francisco to track the location of a signaling protein called hedgehog that has previously been linked to germ cell migration, although its role in the process is controversial .

In germ cells, the Hedgehog signal increases the membrane levels of a protein called Smoothened, which is located in the protrusion of the leading edge of the cells, where Tre1 is also located.

The scientists plan to further investigate the pathways around Tre1 and the connections between the proteins and enzymes involved in the pathway.

“A deeper understanding of the navigation and spread of moving cells can provide more targets for stopping cancer cells from spreading,” says Andrew.

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Research funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health (RO1DE013899, R35GM118177, and F31DE022233).

In addition to Andrew, Hanlon and Kim, Sunaina Vohra and Peter Devreotes of Johns Hopkins were other scientists who contributed to the research.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the correctness of the press releases published on EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of information via the EurekAlert system.

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