Sea cows, abalone, pillar coral now threatened with extinction
Dugongs—large herbivorous marine mammals commonly known as "sea cows"—are now threatened with extinction, according to an official list updated Friday......»»
New research offers fresh hope to curb illegal orchid trafficking in Vietnam
Orchids, with their captivating beauty, have become a multi-billion-dollar industry. Unfortunately, many species are on the brink of extinction, particularly in Vietnam, due to unsustainable wild harvesting and minimal enforcement of laws restricting.....»»
Dead coral skeletons hinder reef regeneration by sheltering seaweed
The structural complexity of coral reefs creates a vibrant underwater city populated by a diverse assortment of characters. Ironically, this same complexity can impede coral recovery after disturbances......»»
Study shows that ancient reef-building stromatoporoids dodged extinction—at least temporarily
Will modern coral reefs go extinct? The answer is uncertain, but some of their ancient counterparts managed to dodge a bullet—for a while, at least......»»
How coral and sediments helped to reconstruct 2.6 million years of climate history
Today's climate change is man-made. The consensus in the climate science community is unequivocal, but in order to determine just how exceptional current climate change is, we have had to contextualize the present on a much longer time scale. To do t.....»»
New study backs conservation at landscape scale to protect a near threatened bird species
Understanding the factors that influence how species select their habitats is crucial to inform conservation strategies, especially for vulnerable species. A new study about how wintering individuals of the Kirtland's Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) i.....»»
Extreme botany: Paramotorists soar across remote Peru desert to collect threatened plants
In an innovative paper published today in the journal Plants, People, Planet, scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Huarango Nature and paramotorists from Forest Air, highlight the exciting potential of paramotoring as a means of aiding res.....»»
Ancient DNA helps uncover the Iberian lynx"s potential secret weapon against extinction
Many large mammals have lost genetic diversity, often thanks to the actions of people shrinking their populations. The implications can be severe because without genetic diversity, a population does not have a "genetic database" to fall back on to ad.....»»
Feeding coral reefs can aid their recovery from bleaching events
Coral reefs will continue to experience severe heat stress as rising temperatures cause the oceans to become unbearably hot—but a new study shows that altering their feeding habits could allow local populations to avoid total extinction......»»
Traces of 10 common pharmaceuticals detected in corals in the Gulf of Eilat
A new study from Tel Aviv University and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History detected traces of 10 common medications in coral samples collected from both shallow and deep sites in the Gulf of Eilat. Sulfamethoxazole, an antibiotic used for resp.....»»
Bird flu is spreading rapidly in California; infected herds double over weekend
The state reported its first infected herds on August 30. Enlarge / Cows being milked in Wisconsin on May 8, 2024. (credit: Getty | Matthew Ludak) The H5N1 bird flu appears to be stampeding through dairy farms in Califo.....»»
Our digital 3D models of huge coral reefs could help revive these precious ecosystems
As a team of marine biologists, assessing the health of thousands of square meters of coral reef can be a daunting prospect. Often, we have to monitor some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, and there's a strict time limit due to the sa.....»»
How diversity in heat tolerance can help protect coral reefs
New research out of Southern Cross University has found previously undocumented variation in coral heat tolerance on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, giving hope that corals' own genetic resources may hold the key for us to help in its recovery and ad.....»»
Deeper corals may help shallow reefs recover in the Florida keys
Since the 1970s, coral reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) have experienced catastrophic declines in coral cover, with as much as a 50% reduction between 1998 and 2011 alone. Although coral reefs within the FKNMS have been hea.....»»
Small "no-take zone" can help protect critically endangered hammerhead shark in Columbia
Researchers are advocating for a "no-take zone" off the coast of Colombia after one of the world's smallest and most threatened hammerhead species was found to do very little traveling outside of a Marine Protected Area in the region......»»
Plant pathogen battle: A tomato protein"s dual role in defense and susceptibility
Tomatoes, a staple crop worldwide, are increasingly threatened by biotic stressors such as viruses, fungi, and bacteria, with the effects worsening under climate change. These challenges lead to reduced yields and compromised nutritional quality, hig.....»»
Unraveling the conservation conundrum of China"s native Jacktree
The Jacktree (Sinojackia xylocarpa), native to China, is renowned for its unique spindle-shaped fruits and ornamental appeal. However, its survival is threatened by factors such as limited population size, fragmented habitats, and low germination rat.....»»
Small populations of Stone Age people drove dwarf hippos and elephants to extinction on Cyprus
Imagine growing up beside the eastern Mediterranean Sea 14,000 years ago. You're an accomplished sailor of the small watercraft you and your fellow villagers make, and you live off both the sea and the land......»»
Q&A: Authors discuss addressing the crisis of species loss
No oncologist would wait for a patient's cancer to spread before treating it. Similarly, waiting to detect the potential loss of a species across all its known habitats means interventions are often too late to turn the tide of extinction, according.....»»
Unraveling an ancient European extinction mystery: Disappearance of dwarf megafauna on paleolithic Cyprus
Scientists have unraveled a mystery about the disappearance of dwarf hippos and elephants that once roamed the picturesque landscape on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus before paleolithic humans arrived......»»
Earth"s greatest mass extinction 250 million years ago shows what happens when El Niño gets out of control
Around 252 million years ago, the world suddenly heated up. Over a geologically brief period of tens of thousands of years, 90% of species were wiped out. Even insects, which are rarely touched by such events, suffered catastrophic losses. The Permia.....»»