A report from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew highlights how AI and digitisation are accelerating the identification and conservation of plant and fungi species, offering a crucial tool in the fight against extinction. Despite significant progress, vast numbers of species remain unanalysed, with climate change impacting flowering times and disrupting ecosystems.
After being decimated by feral cats and foxes, the burrowing bettong, a football-sized marsupial, has been reintroduced to Sturt National Park in New South Wales. Ecologists are monitoring the animals, equipped with radio collars, as they adapt to a 'wild training zone' designed to control predators.
A black-headed gull spotted in Geraldton, Western Australia, has ignited excitement among Australian birders, known as 'twitchers.' This event, alongside the recent sighting of a Cocos booby in New South Wales, highlights the dedication of birdwatchers who travel extensively to add rare species to their lists.
Tim Haines' new docuseries, Surviving Earth, uses CGI to explore eight mass extinction events over 450 million years, focusing on life's resilience and evolution in response to drastic environmental changes.
A study reveals that extreme rain and landslides in Sumatra last November killed an estimated 58 Tapanuli orangutans, nearly 7% of the critically endangered species. Experts warn that increased rainfall frequency threatens their survival.
New research suggests the Tasmanian tiger's reputation as a sheep killer was exaggerated, leading to its extinction. Factors like disease and habitat loss, alongside hunting, likely contributed to its demise.
The Kirtland's warbler, once on the brink of extinction with only 167 singing males in 1974, has recovered to over 4,500 birds thanks to a decades-long habitat restoration project in northern Michigan, centered around the small town of Mio.
Invasive horseshoe vipers (Hemorrhois hippocrepis) are rapidly colonizing Ibiza and its surrounding islets, pushing the endemic Pityusic wall lizard to 'endangered' status. Despite eradication efforts, the snakes are swimming to islands, decimating lizard populations and threatening the Balearic ecosystem.
Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S. criticized the use of 'AI tokens' as a productivity metric, calling it misleading. He believes companies should focus on outcomes and that AI will create more jobs, reshaping organizational structures by shrinking middle management.
Conservationists are working to save the critically imperiled frosted flatwoods salamander, threatened by habitat loss and climate change, through egg collection, captive breeding, and habitat restoration in the Southeastern U.S.
Humans remain fascinated by dinosaurs and the possibility of de-extinction, driven by curiosity, scientific aspiration, and climate concerns. While reviving dinosaurs is impossible due to DNA degradation, biotech firms are attempting to resurrect recently extinct species. Ethical debates surround resource allocation, survival challenges, and the potential impact of genetically modified creatures.
Scientists in Brazil are developing lab-grown donkey collagen to prevent the species' extinction. Professor Carla Molento leads the project, aiming for a pure, scalable product that retains the qualities of conventional collagen without contamination risks.
Four critically endangered mountain bongos have been repatriated from Czechia to Kenya's Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy. The operation, involving wildlife officers Ngenoh Erick Kibet and Christine Gichohi, aims to strengthen the species' gene pool and ensure its survival.
L'esturgeon, espèce emblématique de la mer Caspienne et producteur de caviar, est en danger critique d'extinction. Les pêcheurs d'Atyraou, au Kazakhstan, constatent une raréfaction des poissons dans le fleuve Oural, autrefois riche en cette espèce.
This week's science news includes Colossal Biosciences hatching chicks from 3D-printed eggs, the launch of the Smile spacecraft to study Earth's magnetic shield, and new doubts cast on water vapor plumes on Europa.
The British Labour Party is embroiled in intense infighting following significant electoral losses. A plan to install Andy Burnham as leader via a by-election faces numerous challenges, including voter sentiment and policy disagreements, potentially leading to political oblivion.
Ten EU countries have urged the European Commission to allow cormorants to be hunted, arguing the birds decimate fish stocks and cause €350M in annual damage to fisheries and aquaculture. Ministers want the species added to the EU's Birds Directive and easier access to shooting them outside hunting season.
Beavers are being reintroduced to Britain to help mitigate climate change impacts like flooding and drought. Conservationists are using them to restore wetlands, create natural flood defenses, and boost biodiversity, though conflicts with farmers are also arising.
Proposed US fishing regulations could allow Atlantic fishermen to catch more sharks, including endangered species like the blacknose shark. Conservation groups argue the changes lack scientific basis and could harm vulnerable populations, while fishermen cite overabundance.
Colossal Biosciences announces it has hatched chicken chicks from an artificial egg, a step towards de-extincting the moa bird. Experts call for peer-reviewed evidence.
Sousan Samadani, 65, was inspired by a YouTube video to join the Save Soil movement. She undertook a three-month solo journey across 27 countries, traveling by bus, train, and even hitchhiking, to raise awareness about soil degradation. Samadani, a refugee from Iran, found a new purpose in activism, inspired by her childhood and her family's agricultural past.
Extinction Rebellion activists unfurled a large Palestinian flag on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Nakba. Six individuals were detained by authorities.
Extinction Rebellion aktivistleri, Nekbe'nin 78. yılını anmak için Eyfel Kulesi'nde Filistin bayrağı açtı. 6 kişi gözaltına alınırken, AP üyesi Rima Hassan eylemcilerin gözaltına alınmasına tepki gösterdi.
L’action menée par les militants écologistes visait à commémorer la Nakba, période au cours de laquelle les Palestiniens ont fui après la création de l’État d’Israël, en 1948.
