Experts Tie Pigeon Dung, Bridge Collapse

August 22, 2007 By MARTIGA LOHN, Associated Press Writer
Experts Tie Pigeon Dung, Bridge Collapse (AP)

Pigeons gather under the Robert Street bridge Friday, Aug. 17, 2007 in St. Paul, Minn., where they set up nests, offering shelter from the skies and predators above. Pigeons, a problem familiar to bridge inspectors everywhere, produce slightly acidic dung that can dissolve things like concrete and cause rusting on steel bridge beams. Pigeon dung is one of the things inspectors are looking at in the Interstate 35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

(AP) -- Pounded and strained by heavy traffic and weakened by missing bolts and cracking steel, the failed Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River also faced a less obvious enemy: pigeons.



Content from The Associated Press expires 15 days after original publication date. For more information about The Associated Press, please visit www.ap.org .

4.1 /5 (22 votes)  

Rank 4.1 /5 (22 votes)
Tags

Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

US workers are 'giving away the store,' costing firms billions

Nearly 70 percent of the nation's service employees give away free goods and services – from hamburgers to cable TV – costing companies billions of dollars a year, according to a groundbreaking study.

Other Sciences / Economics & Business

created 16 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 8

Storm warning: Financial tsunami heading this way

In today's global village, national coffers are more interconnected than ever before. And as the current economic crisis has proven, a downturn in one country can travel in a wave across the globe, like a financial tsunami. ...

Other Sciences / Economics & Business

created 17 hours ago | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 7

Kids show cultural gender bias

(PhysOrg.com) -- Talk about gender confusion! A recent study by University of Alberta researchers Elena Nicoladis and Cassandra Foursha-Stevenson in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology into whether speaki ...

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created 22 hours ago | popularity 1.5 / 5 (2) | comments 2

Prague gets hold of modern genetics founder Mendel's papers

Germany has handed to the Czech Republic a manuscript of Johann Gregor Mendel, founder of modern genetics, on his plant hybridization experiments, the Czech foreign minister said Thursday.

Other Sciences / Other

created 13 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1

'Flipped classroom' teaching model gains an online community

Researchers at Harvard University have launched the Peer Instruction (PI) Network, a new global social network for users of interactive teaching methods.

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created 17 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0


Protein libraries in a snap

(PhysOrg.com) -- A Rice University undergraduate will depart with not only a degree but also a possible patent for his invention of an efficient way to create protein libraries, an important component of biomolecular ...

Neurologic improvement detected in rats receiving stem cell transplant

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report that early transplantation of human placenta-derived mesenchymal ...

NASA budget will axe Mars deal with Europe: scientists

US President Barack Obama's budget proposal to be submitted next week for 2013 will cut NASA's budget by 20 percent and eliminate a major partnership with Europe on Mars exploration, scientists said Thursday.

Breastfeeding protects against asthma up to six years of age

(Medical Xpress) -- Research by the University of Otago in Christchurch and Wellington has shown that breastfeeding of infants has a clear protective effect against children developing asthma or wheezing up to six years of ...

Study finds stress hormones fluctuate with mood during pregnancy

(Medical Xpress) -- While pregnant, women pay particular attention to factors such as diet and exercise to ensure their babies are born healthy and develop normally. New research from the University of Calgary’s Faculty ...

Clinical trial teaches binge eaters to toss away cravings

Of 190 million obese Americans, approximately 10-15 percent engage in harmful binge eating. During single sittings, these over-eaters consume large servings of high-caloric foods. Sufferers contend with weight gain and depression ...