At last smokers have an excuse for not quitting their habitual smoking!
Smokers can feel really proud of! The ciggy butts they throw save a couple of bird species.
Nicotine is already known as a very good repellant against insects.
Dr. Constantino Macias Garcia and his team of researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico found that two song bird species, the house finch and house sparrow, build their nests planted with (more than 48) cigarette butts because the poisonous compounds in the tip of the cigarette butts keep-off harmful parasites from their nests. These researchers measured the amount of nicotine deposited in the cigarette butt cellulose, which resulted from smoking and they have found that more the nicotine-holding cellulose, the fewer parasites were there in the nest!
Further reading:
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/411804/20121205/birds-cigarettes-build-nests-parasites-health-mexico.htm
http://www.neatorama.com/2008/05/07/cigarette-smoking-is-good-for-birds/
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/33541/title/Marlboro-Chicks/
very interesting
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