A new proposal makes the case that paraparticles — a new category of quantum particle — could be created in exotic materials. The post ‘Paraparticles’ Would Be a Third Kingdom of Quantum Particle first appeared on Quanta Magazine

I have recently returned from an excellent tour to Colombia that I led for Quest Nature Tours. This was my third time guiding in Colombia, following excellent trips in 2020 and 2022. Those previous tours covered a lot of ground, in the eastern Andes near Bogotá, the Central Andes between Pereira and Medellín, and the Santa Marta Mountains and Guajira Desert located in the far north. This 2025 tour was different as we only focused on the Central Andes portion over ten days. This eliminated all of the internal flights, it cut down on driving time, and it allowed us to have more time to thoroughly explore each site. Following the main tour, I traveled to the Juan Solito Ecolodge in the northeast of the country with four of the travellers and our local guide Cris, where we had four nights in the llanos to search for a huge array of birds as well as other specialties of the region including Jaguar and Green Anaconda.  Crescent-faced Antpitta Andean Cock-of-the-Rock Bar-crested Antshrike Twelve enthusiastic travellers joined Cris and I in the town of La Florida, situated a short drive from the beautiful montane forests of Otún Quimbaya. As dawn broke, a Rufous-bellied Nighthawk flew over the clearing at El Cedral, and we experienced a delicious Colombian breakfast while listening to the dawn chorus. For the rest of the morning we marvelled at mixed bird flocks and enjoyed the high diversity of this region. The Cauca Guan is an endangered species found in a small region of the central Andes of Colombia, and we succeeded with amazing views of them. We also studied White-capped Tanagers, Red-ruffed Fruitcrows, Andean Motmots and Pale-eyed Thrushes, while mixed flocks contained the endemic Multicoloured Tanager and scarce flycatchers like the Variegated Bristle-Tyrant and Bronze-olive Pygmy-Tyrant. Meanwhile, Torrent Ducks were easily found along the Río Otún which was flowing quickly after the recent rains. A feast for the senses! Cauca Guans Vettius sp. Black Phoebe Andean Motmot Red-ruffed Fruitcrow Torrent Duck We moved on to a site just west of Manizales called Hotel Tinamú Birding Nature Reserve. This is a relatively new property that I had never visited before. It consists of regenerating dry forest in an area that formerly contained coffee plantations, and the species composition is much different than the humid montane forest we had just left at Otún Quimbaya. Our comfortable rooms were located in a clearing in the forest, and active tanager and hummingbird feeders could be enjoyed from our front porches.  Blue-gray Tanager Monarch (Danaus plexippus) Some of the bird specialties at Hotel Tinamú include a couple of localized species that have been trained to come into feeding stations - the Gray-headed Dove and Blue-lored Antbird (we succeeded with both). We found leks of Golden-collared Manakin and Green Hermit, while birding the road in scrubbier areas produced Colombian Speckle-breasted Wren, Bar-crested Antshrike, Ultramarine Grosbeak and, best of all, a quartet of Greyish Piculets (an endemic species to this valley) which provided incredible, "walk-away" views.  Blue-lored Antbird Streaked Flycatcher Grayish Piculets One evening, I set up my moth trap in the garden which produced a nice variety of moths, rove beetles, stone flies, leafhoppers, scarabs and much more! Unidentified leafhopper (family Cicadellidae) Eois camptographata Unidentified stonefly (family Perlidae) Unidentified leafhopper (family Cicadellidae) Pelidnota prasina Oxyptera laeta We moved eastwards towards the imposing Los Nevados National Park, where several volcanoes reach high above 4000 m in elevation. Before reaching these heights, we spent two days in montane forest at different elevations: Owl's Watch at around 2600 m, and Hacienda El Bosque at 3100 m. This gave our bodies time to acclimate to the elevation differences, while it also afforded us the chance to find a high diversity of birds that we wouldn't see elsewhere on the tour.  Hooded Mountain-Tanager Blue-capped Tanager At Owl's Watch we had amazing encounters with Black-billed Mountain-Toucans and an endemic Brown-banded Antpitta, both of which came into feeding stations. Though we dealt with persistent rain and fog this day, the birding was still very active with many species including White-throated Daggerbill, Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher, a dozen hummingbird species and a recently-fledged White-capped Dipper. Black-billed Mountain-Toucan Long-tailed Sylph Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher Hacienda El Bosque is a must-visit site for any birder in the Manizales area. This property was amazing during my first visit in 2020 and it has only been improved. The star of the show, a Crescent-faced Antpitta, is still attending a feeding station, as are Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucans, Equatorial Antpittas, Andean and Sickle-winged Guans, White-browed Spinetails, Barred Fruiteaters, Hooded Mountain-Tanagers and Grass Wrens, among other species! And to top it off, a new restaurant has been built at the upper elevations where we enjoyed one of the best lunches of the trip.  Crescent-faced Antpitta Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan Sickle-winged Guan Grass Wren Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant Barred Fruiteater Hummingbird diversity was high and we observed the species with the longest bill (Sword-billed Hummingbird) and the shortest bill (Purple-backed Thornbill). A distant Andean Pygmy-Owl called from up the hillside and we found a nice mixed flock as well. We all came away with many highlights and photos from Hacienda El Bosque! Sword-billed Hummingbird Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant Our base for the next two nights was the picturesque Termales del Ruiz hotel, situated in the upper reaches of the cloud forest at 3500 m. Not only is this hotel conveniently located to explore Los Nevados National Park, but the hummingbird feeders are very active while the birding along the roadside can be excellent. And of course, going for a dip in the lovely waters of the hot springs feels fantastic after a day of birding. Tawny Antpitta   We lucked out with clear weather during our morning near the gates for the national park.  Overlooking Los Nevados National Park This was the highest elevation that we would see on this trip at 4138 m, and it is at this site where a unique hummingbird can be found. The Buffy Helmetcrest is a specialist of the páramo habitat and Los Nevados National Park is the only place in the world where it can be sought out. The temperatures are only a few degrees above freezing every single night of the year, and this solidly-built hummingbird can withstand these tough environmental conditions and even thrive in them. We experienced amazing views of a male Buffy Helmetcrest, along other high-elevation specialists like Andean Tit-Spinetail, Tawny Antpitta and Viridian Metaltail.  Buffy Helmetcrest We explored some other habitats slightly lower down on this mountain. An alpine lake held several Andean Teals and Andean Ducks, while we successfully called in a Páramo Tapaculo to the roadside, allowing great views for everyone. Mixed flocks in the higher montane forest held species like Blue-backed Conebill, Great Sapphirewing, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager and Crowned Chat-Tyrant, while we also heard Ocellated Tapaculos and Equatorial Antpittas. Unfortunately, the scarce Rufous-fronted Parakeets mostly eluded us, as we had a quick flyover in the fog and nothing more. The plant life in the páramo is surprisingly diverse and we encountered many interesting and showy species. Páramo Tapaculo Senecio formosus Barberry (Berberis sp.) Eccremocarpus viridis We left the cool temperatures of the high Andes behind and ventured northward along the Cauca Valley to the town of Jardín, our base for the next three nights. Situated on the eastern flank of the western Andes, the verdant, epiphyte-laden forest is one of the few strongholds of the endangered Yellow-eared Parrot. This species is an example of a conservation success story in Colombia. Mainly because of habitat restoration (including the regeneration of wax palms, its nesting tree) and an extensive education campaign, the numbers of this beautiful parrot have rebounded from just 81 known individuals in 1999 to around 2,600 individuals today. We were treated to great flyover views of at least 25 individuals; a welcome sight especially considering the previous low numbers of this species. We also succeeded with the endemic Chamí Antpitta as well as a Chestnut-naped Antpitta, while the meals that we were served by a local family at El Roble were some of the best of the trip!  Chestnut-naped Antpitta Chamí Antpitta Yellow-eared Parrots Buff-tailed Coronet The town of Jardín is also home to two avian spectacles that have to be seen to be believed. For several decades, a lekking ground for the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock has persisted on the outskirts of town. Males strut their stuff, showcasing their slick dance moves and outrageous plumage for the more subdued females. She watches quietly from her perch, her discerning eye picking the male that is most fit to be the father of her future offspring.  Watching this exhibition at arms-length was cited as a trip highlight for everyone.  Andean Cock-of-the-Rock Moustached Puffbird The other spectacle that we were lucky to witness was a nesting area for the Oilbird. The Oilbird is one of the strangest bird species found in the Neotropics. Though superficially resembling a nightjar, they are in fact the only living member of the family Steatornithidae as well as the order Steaornithiformes. Oilbirds are unique in that they are a nocturnal frugivore, while they also use a primitive form of echolocation! Oilbirds roost somewhere secluded during the day, often deep in a cave or within an inaccessible gorge next to a flowing river, and at night they get to work. Oilbirds fly around in search of lipid-rich oil palms or tropical laurel fruits. They are well-adapted to this as they possess extremely large, sensitive eyes, while they also produce audible clicking sounds which act as a sort of echolocation. Their behaviour is more like a fruit bat than any bird. Oilbirds Oilbirds Crossing the river near Jardín, Antioquia, Colombia To see these Oilbirds, we embarked on a long walk deep into the gorge of a montane river, then crossed the river via a swinging bridge (while using a safety harness) to get to the site opposite the Oilbird nests. In case you were wondering, the nests are made entirely out of bird droppings. It was a privilege to spend some time near these unique birds! At this site we also enjoyed a very productive feeder setup that hosted several other endemic Colombian birds - the Red-bellied Grackle and Colombian Chachalaca.  Red-bellied Grackle Green Jay Colombian Chachalaca On our final day of the tour we began with a morning of exploration in the dry forests next to the Cauca River near the town of Bolombolo. The species composition here was different, yet again. We had two main bird targets here, both being endemic species to this valley, including the Apical Flycatcher and Antioquia Wren. We succeeded with both while we also found Scarlet-fronted Parakeet, Moustached Puffbird, Black-striped Sparrow and Greyish Piculet, along with dozens of butterflies.  Apical Flycatcher Cydno Longwing (Heliconius cydno) Before arriving at our hotel in Medellín for our farewell dinner, we had one final stop in store. La Romera National Reserve is one of the best places in the world to see the Colombian near-endemic Yellow-headed Manakin. It took a while but eventually we were all awarded with excellent views of this difficult species. Yellow-headed Manakin And in the final few minutes, as we were getting ready to leave, I finally found a snake for the group, an Equatorial Mussarana which was even a new species for yours truly. An excellent way to wrap up a hugely successful tour!  Equatorial Mussurana (Clelia equatoriana) Equatorial Mussurana (Clelia equatoriana) My next post will document our tour extension to the Juan Solito Ecolodge in the northeast of the country.

We may have a unique opportunity to make an infrastructure investment that can demonstrably save money over the long term – by burying power and broadband lines. This is always an option, of course, but since we are in the early phases of rolling out fiber optic service, and also trying to improve our grid […] The post Bury Broadband and Electricity first appeared on NeuroLogica Blog.

The force that split Korea in 1945 in two is not recent: It has been pulling it apart for thousands of years. If you understand it, you can understand all of Korea's history.