Are mobile phones wiping out bees? 16 Apr 2007

According to The Independent, mobile phones could be to blame for the abrupt disappearance of bees in Western countries. Scientists now believe that the radiation given off from these devices interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing them from finding their way back to their hives. The effect is devastating:

"The alarm was first sounded last autumn, but has now hit half of all American states. The West Coast is thought to have lost 60 per cent of its commercial bee population, with 70 per cent missing on the East Coast...[The phenomenon] has since spread to Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. And last week John Chapple, one of London's biggest bee-keepers, announced that 23 of his 40 hives have been abruptly abandoned."

[via Gizmodo]