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The flight of a starling flock at dusk, know as a murmuration, is one of nature’s most beguiling sights. Blurring the line between the individual and the group, murmurations involve synchronised swooping patterns to ward off predators and exchange information in a manner that’s still something of a mystery to scientists. This two-minute excerpt from the Dutch filmmaker Jan van IJken’s short documentary The Art of Flying follows a spectacular aerial performance from a massive, shape-shifting starling flock over an open field in the Netherlands.
Director: Jan van IJken
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Biology
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Sports and games
The brutality and beauty of the West African martial art of ‘dambe’
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Biology
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Art
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Metaphysics
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Ethics
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Archaeology
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History of science
Bat-people on the Moon – what a famed 1835 hoax reveals about misinformation today
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Human rights and justice
Thirty years after one teenager shot another, is it time to forgive?
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