Emperor Penguins Now a Threatened Species
Emperor penguins officially a threatened species because of projections of population decline from climate change and ineffective conservation.
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Where Do Blue Whales Go to Breed?
Blue whales are the largest animal on Earth, yet the breeding grounds of these elusive creatures remained a mystery for a long time…until now.
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Murder Hornets a Threat to Honey Bees
Asian giant hornets, sometimes called murder hornets, are the latest in a long line of recent threats to honey bees in North America.
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Megabiota, Largest Life, Vital to Biosphere
By Mackenzie Myers @kenzwrites Large organisms such as whales, elephants, and redwoods are often featured in awe-inspiring nature documentaries, but they’re more than just oohs and ahs. Their existence or extinction could make or break the planet as we know it. Megabiota—the largest plants and animals—are more likely than smaller organisms to go extinct as a result of climate change. And the rest of us could be in big trouble if they do, according to a recent study. The charisma conundrum Think of successful conservation campaigns. Which animals are deemed…
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Curing Plant Blindness at Botanical Gardens and Farms
“Plant blindness,” the lack of awareness of plants and their importance, is addressed by botanical gardens and agricultural farms.
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An Evolutionary Approach to Conserving Plant Habitats
By Mackenzie Myers (@thetiniestnail) To conserve plant habitats, a traditional approach to biodiversity—species richness, or saving as many species as possible—might not be the most effective route. Instead, vulnerable landscapes might be better served by a quality-over-quantity mindset, a recent paper from a team of UC Berkeley scientists suggests. Think of going into a grocery store. On a budget and with limited cooking time, shoppers probably don’t buy the first dozen random ingredients they see on the shelf. Rather, they find it more practical to shop deliberately, perhaps by looking…
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Shortfin Mako Shark under Threat
The shortfin mako shark is disappearing 10 times faster than previously thought. How are researchers trying to change this process?
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Shelf Life Video: Into the Island of Bats
Learn about the bats that live in Cuba with two researchers who are studying bats and biodiversity in this Caribbean nation
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A Tale of Two Turtles: Part 1
Steven Spence visits Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens to photograph an aquatic turtle with many names: the Arrau River or giant South American turtle.
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Large Hunters Dominated the Pleistocene
For years, evolutionary biologists have wondered about the ecosystems of the Pleistocene epoch. How did so many species of huge, hungry herbivores, such as mammoths, mastodons, and giant ground sloths, not wipe out the plant life? Observations of modern elephants suggest that large concentrations of those animals could have essentially destroyed the environment, but they didn’t. Now, life scientists believe that the ecosystem was kept in balance by predatory carnivores that kept the population of large herbivores in check. Scientists have found fossil evidence of intense, violent attacks by packs…
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