Coral bleaching occurring too frequently for reefs to recover, scientists say
Coral reefs are experiencing bleaching events so frequently that they no longer have time to recover before the next one strikes, with global coral cover now well below normal levels and at risk of irreversible decline. The world’s coral reefs sustain a quarter of all marine life, make coastlines more resilient and provide food and […]
An elephant’s trunk has no bones but contains roughly 90,000 muscle units…
That mix of raw force and fine control in a single soft limb is what keeps drawing anatomists and engineers back to the trunk. The trunk is built entirely out of muscle arranged in a particular way, and a 2023 scan of a young elephant’s trunk finally put a firmer number on just how much.
France’s oldest national park is a gem in the Alps with crystal clear lake hikes, waterfalls, and unique wildlife
Mother Nature gave France some serious gifts. From the sweeping beaches of the Atlantic Coast, across the vineyards of Champagne, and down to the sparkling bays of the Côte d’Azur, it rolls across some utterly breathtaking parts of the European continent. But, even with all that, there was one spot that warranted protection and special […]
A stunning new whale museum is opening deep in the Arctic Circle
A new museum dedicated to whales is preparing to open on a Norwegian island deep within the Arctic Circle. Aptly named The Whale, the striking space is scheduled to welcome visitors on June 4, 2027. The museum’s location is central to its mission. Perched on the edge of Andøya, an island in the Vesterålen archipelago […]
This 10-day fall train trip takes you from New England to Quebec
Those looking to take in the views by train can turn to Great Rail Journeys, specifically their Fall Colors of New England, Quebec & Montreal tour which pairs some of the region’s most famous leaf-peeping destinations with scenic train rides, mountain views, and stops in historic cities over 10 days. The journey starts in Boston […]
Dan Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, rapid deforestation across Central America had made clear that a purely academic documentation effort could soon become a catalog of extinctions. When Janzen and Hallwachs turned their attention to Santa Rosa National Park in Costa Rica, they realized that small, isolated fragments of tropical dry forest would not […]
Trump rollback of U.S. forest protections could accelerate extinction of 400 endangered species
According to a new report from the Center for Biological Diversity, the rollback of the Bill Clinton-era “roadless rule” could put 7.4m acres of endangered-species habitat and nearly 1,800 miles of protected rivers and streams at risk, while opening more than 45m acres of national forests to roads, drilling and logging.
How one American couple ditched their lawn and created a wildlife haven—and you could, too
Novice gardeners James Reed McGuire and Crystal Fritz wanted to try something new when they moved out to the suburbs. Little did they know they were joining a nationwide movement. They designed layouts for their garden that would allow them to enjoy blooms for as much of the growing season as possible. Every year, they […]
Billions of sea stars have died. A Northwest tribe is helping to save the species.
Sunflower sea stars are critically endangered in the Pacific Ocean. University of Washington researchers are working with the Samish Indian Nation to bring this 24-armed creature back from the brink of extinction. Sunflower stars are one of the Pacific Ocean’s most endangered sea creatures.
‘Fearless and quietly astonishing’: the dragonfly that migrates further than any other insect
Whenever we see a dragonfly zipping through the airspace and devouring tiny insects with aplomb, we can appreciate they are so timelessly effective that they have barely needed to tweak their way of life in 200m years. Odonates are directly descended from some of the earliest winged insects, known as griffin flies, which evolved around […]
A vegan diet may begin changing gene activity in just 4 weeks
In a randomized clinical trial, researchers found that healthy adults who followed a vegan diet for one month developed changes in chemical markers attached to their DNA. Compared with participants eating a meat-rich diet, the vegan group showed patterns associated with reduced inflammation, altered metabolism, and slower biological aging.
‘Panda of the insect world’: the moscardón bumblebee creates buzz for invertebrate of the year
There are about 250 species of bumblebee and Bombus dahlbomii is the largest. The gloriously furry females can measure 4cm in length. These unusually heavy-bodied bumbles, weighing up to 1.5g, are found flying in the temperate forest-clad mountains of Patagonia, in Argentina and Chile.
