Cambodia’s National Museum in Phnom Penh is under attack—from bat dung.
The building is home to two million wrinkle-lipped and tomb bats. Wildlife
groups are loath to see the bats removed, but museum curators say their acidic
guano is destroying precious works of art. “Normally the big problem is the
odour,” says Laura Finn of the Bats in Buildings programme in Florida. The two
groups have compromised—they’re building a concrete ceiling to catch bat
droppings.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
2
Babies are born with the neural foundations for maths
3
I’m the first person whose life was saved by CRISPR base editing
4
US government wants to have a useful quantum computer by 2028
5
Remote-controlled cockroach swarm can now breathe underwater
6
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
7
We’ve uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
8
The race to understand how and when Thwaites glacier will collapse
9
Humans sleep the least of all apes – is it the secret to our success?
10
This physicist is hunting for the biggest black hole in the universe



