Dead Bats: Why It Matters To You

A short posting today but wanted to encourage everyone to watch the CBS Evening News with Jeff Glor on Saturday night. We'll be updating our story from last year about the massive die-off of bats in the northeast. The phenomenon has spread from four states to eight, and hundreds of thousands of them are dying from a mysterious condition. The leading cause is the so-called "white nose syndrome" or fungus that appears on their snouts. But researchers aren't sure if that's the cause or a symptom of something larger. And why should we care about bats? They are a critical part of the eco-system in controlling bug and pest populations from moths to mosquitoes. And their decline in numbers will have a serious impact on forests, crops, and eventually food prices. I hope you'll be watching.

In other news, I'm working on a few other stories including how more criminal cases are incorporating evidence from sites like MySpace and Facebook (for the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric) and the frequency of "tweets" from members of Congress (for the Early Show). I'll keep you posted as those stories come together.

In the meantime, stay connected.