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Statue of two men speaking
Statue of two men speaking

Communication is usually understood to be the transmission of information. Many models of communication describe it in terms of a source using a coding system to express ideas in the form of a message. The message is sent through a channel to a receiver who decodes it to understand it. For verbal communication, the message is articulated in linguistic form, including regular speech and writing. Nonverbal communication, including body language, touch, and facial expressions, does not rely on a linguistic system. The history of human communication was shaped by the development of technologies such as writing, printing, radio, and the internet. Communication also happens among animals and plants, for example when birds sing to attract mates. Interspecies communication occurs between distinct species, such as flowers using distinctive colors to signal to bees where nectar is located. The main discipline investigating communication is called communication studies. (Full article...)

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Artist's depiction of planets orbiting PSR B1257+12
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Jabiru

The jabiru (Jabiru mycteria) is a large stork found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes, occasionally also moving into the southern United States. Its name comes from Tupi–Guarani and means 'swollen neck'. It is a tall bird, with larger males reaching a height of more than 1.5 metres (4.9 ft). It measures 2.3 to 2.8 metres (7.5 to 9.2 ft) across the wings, and can weigh up to 9 kilograms (20 lb). The plumage is mostly white, but the head and upper neck are featherless and black, with a featherless red stretchable patch at the base. This jabiru was photographed in the Pantanal area of Brazil.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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