New study shows tortoises experience feelings similar to our own
Animal behavior and cognition experts at the University of Lincoln, U.K., have made new discoveries about reptile sentience which could reshape how they are cared for in captivity. The pioneering study puts forward compelling evidence that red-footed tortoises experience long-term mood states, in a similar way to mammals and birds.
One wrong move could be fatal: the divers risking their lives to save whales from ‘ghost nets’
Abandoned fishing equipment haunts our oceans, killing coral, turtles, sharks and whales. But in Colombia’s Gulf of Tribugá, ‘guardians’ are on call to free entangled marine animals. Scuba diving is crucial for identifying and removing ghost fishing gear—lost or abandoned commercial nets made mostly of near-indestructible plastics—but it is prohibitively expensive.
Australia’s first lab-grown meat will be on menus within weeks
For over a decade, lab-grown meat has been hailed as the food of tomorrow – a plate changing technological innovation that is right around the corner. Now, in Australia, tomorrow has finally come.
A deadly mission: how Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira tried to warn the world about the Amazon’s destruction
The Guardian journalist and the Brazilian Indigenous expert were killed while investigating the impact of deforestation. In this extract from the book Phillips was writing at the time of his death, he reflects on his encounters with the rainforest and its people—and why it is so vital to save this precious place.
One of New York’s essential vegan restaurants is closing
One of New York’s biggest vegan chefs is closing her Brooklyn vegan comfort food restaurant this summer. Owner Isa Chandra Moskowitz will shutter Modern Love at 317 Union Avenue, near South First Street in Williamsburg, sometime in June, after eight years of service.
Trump’s new border wall will threaten wildlife in an area where few people pass
The San Rafael valley in Arizona is home to bears, mountain lions and wolves—now their movement will be restricted. Donald Trump is forging ahead with a new section of border wall that will threaten wildlife in a remote area where many rare animals—but very few people—roam.
‘A cemetery of trees’: vast green expanses turned to dust as loggers plunder South America’s Gran Chaco
Jaguars, giant armadillos, and ocelots among species threatened by shrinking habitat in one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world. The Gran Chaco is South America’s second-largest forest after the Amazon.
Webb captures “impossible” glow from galaxy at the edge of time
A galaxy named JADES-GS-z13-1, seen just 330 million years after the Big Bang, has been confirmed to emit a strong Lyman-α signal—something thought to be impossible at that time due to the surrounding cosmic “fog.” This challenges existing theories about when the first stars and galaxies re-ionized the Universe, suggesting it may have happened earlier […]
More than 80% of the world’s reefs hit by bleaching after worst global event on record
The world’s coral reefs have been pushed into “uncharted territory” by the worst global bleaching event on record that has now hit more than 80% of the planet’s reefs, scientists have warned. Coral reefs are known as the rainforests of the sea because of their high concentration of biodiversity.
The startling reason Australia is shooting koalas out of trees from helicopters
The government says it’s for the animals’ own good. Earlier this month, government authorities shot and likely killed several hundred koalas from helicopters in Budj Bim National Park, a protected area in the southern state of Victoria, as journalist Michael Dahlstrom reported.
Revealed: world’s largest meat company may break Amazon deforestation pledges again
The world’s largest meat company, JBS, looks set to break its Amazon rainforest protection promises again, according to frontline workers. Beef production is the primary driver of deforestation, as trees are cleared to raise cattle, and scientists warn this is pushing the Amazon close to a tipping point that would accelerate its shift from a […]
‘Is it “woke” to care about the environment?’: how Trump’s cuts are dismantling global conservation work
Hundreds of projects supported by USAID have been thrown into doubt, as fears grow of an increase in crimes such as poaching and trafficking. From combating illegal fishing in the Galápagos islands to backing anti-rhino poaching initiatives in east Africa, the US government has been one of the largest funders of conservation around the world, […]
