The world’s greatest places of 2023, according to TIME
Gather round, some hot new travel inspo just dropped. TIME magazine has just released its annual list of the World’s Greatest Places, and we’re here to tell you the where, the why and the what behind its picks. The nominations came from TIME’s international network of correspondents and contributors, which were then vetted by the […]
New data links Covid-19’s origins to raccoon dogs at Wuhan market
Newly released genetic data gathered from a live food market in Wuhan has linked Covid-19 with raccoon dogs, adding weight to the theory that infected animals sold at the site started the coronavirus pandemic, researchers involved in the work say. Swabs collected from stalls at the Huanan seafood market in the two months after it […]
Nations reach accord to protect marine life on high seas
For the first time, United Nations members have agreed on a unified treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas—representing a turning point for vast stretches of the planet where conservation has previously been hampered by a confusing patchwork of laws. The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force in 1994, […]
U.S. to focus bison restoration on expanding tribal herds
U.S. officials will work to restore more large bison herds to Native American lands under a Friday order from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland that calls for the government to tap into Indigenous knowledge in its efforts to conserve the burly animals that are an icon of the American West. Haaland also announced $25 million in […]
Hundreds of lynx to be hunted in Sweden following biggest ever wolf cull
The number of licenses to kill lynx throughout March, issued by Sweden’s country administrations, is more than double the number in recent years. The planned cull is out of all proportion to any danger to livestock or people, say wildlife conservationists and activists, who are asking the E.U. to take action against Sweden for breaching […]
Rainbow plates: the chefs reawakening Africa’s taste for vegan food
For the past 40 years or so, Africa’s middle class has been growing, albeit with huge geographic variations—and linked to that growth are changing lifestyles and consumption patterns. Fast-food giants arrived on the continent and tapped into a clientele with more disposable income than ever before.
Giant insect thought extinct in eastern U.S. found in a Walmart
For the first time in more than 50 years, a giant lacewing (Polystoechotes punctata) has been found in eastern North America. The discovery raises new questions about the distribution of the Jurassic-era insect that mysteriously vanished from the eastern seaboard decades ago.
Sea monsters? This bizarre whale feeding technique may explain some ancient folklore
Scientists are puzzling over a strange feeding technique that they think whales recently began using: The creatures swim to the surface of the ocean, open their mouths into a gaping yawn with their upper jaw sitting just below the water’s surface, and wait for hoards of fish to swim in. The method, however, may not […]
Colombia proposes shipping invasive hippos to India, Mexico
Colombia is proposing transferring at least 70 hippopotamuses that live near Pablo Escobar’s former ranch—descendants of four imported from Africa illegally by the late drug lord in the 1980s—to India and Mexico as part of a plan to control their population.
Whales use ‘phonic lips’ in nose to make loudest sounds of any animal, say scientists
The question of how the whale got its voice has been solved by scientists, who have discovered how the creatures use “phonic lips” in their nose to produce the loudest sounds in the animal kingdom. The research also reveals that toothed whales, a group that includes killer whales, sperm whales, dolphins and porpoises, use three […]
Cockatoos can not only use tools, they can carry whole toolkits to trickier jobs, study shows
The ability to solve problems with multiple tools is a rare talent in the animal kingdom, but according to new research, cockatoos are the first birds on the block to carry and use a tool kit to suit their needs. Using 10 Goffin’s cockatoos, researchers from Austria and the UK made their discovery after carrying […]
Four dead seals test positive for bird flu in Scotland
Four dead seals have tested positive for bird flu in Scotland, as the number of cases of highly pathogenic avian flu in mammals continues to grow globally with experts warning of “a step-change” in its spread. The largest ever bird flu outbreak had already spilled over into otters and foxes in the U.K., with about […]
