A long-term assessment of theYangtze finless porpoise in a heavily mined lake in China, has made some disturbing discoveries. In only a decade, the mining has significantly restricted the porpoise’s habitat, compromised its population connectivity, and destroyed its nearshore habitats. The researchers hope their findings will promote government accountability and raise general awareness of the […]
Author: Larry Powell
I’m a veteran eco-journalist living in Shoal Lake, Manitoba, Canada. I have a life-long love of wildlife & natural places. After working for radio and TV stations for about 30 years, I've turned to science writing as a freelancer specializing in the Earth Sciences. I’m a member of the Science Writers & Communicators of Canada and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. I’m authorized to receive embargoed material through the Science Media Centre of Canada, the Royal Society, NatureResearch and the World Health Organization. This allows me advance access to important, peer-reviewed research often warning of habitat loss and the threat of extinction facing many wild species, usually thanks to human intrusion and intervention by the hand of man. They then often become "hot-off-the-press" stories which are ready to publish the moment the embargoes are lifted. I publish www.PlanetInPeril.ca (PinP) "Where Science Gets Respect." I own professional photographic gear and am sometimes able to enhance my stories with my own images.
Baleens – beneficial gluttons of the seas.
Scientists believe the ravenous appetites of baleen whales – Earth’s largest creatures – and their prodigious waste – hold clues to the very health and productivity of our oceans. Baleens include the  humpback, fin, minke and blue whale, the latter being the largest creature ever to live on Earth. The carnivorous marine mammals catch and […]
The graceful albatross – immortalized in a centuries-old poem as an omen of both good and ill – is under siege.
This is the story of the “Grey-Head.” It’s but a single member of a large family of albatross called Diomedeidae. Major research studies published recently, warn of twin threats facing the already-endangered bird. Each is different. Each is insidious. In general, the albatross carries higher burdens of mercury in its body than any other bird […]
Recent research shows: More rare, endangered sharks are dying in the worldwide trade in shark fins than earlier feared.
The finning of sharks is not for the faint of heart. After hauling them aboard their vessels, the fishers cut off their fins, then toss them back into the ocean. Still alive, they sink to the bottom where they’re either eaten by other predators or die of suffocation. About 100 million sharks are believed to be […]
More proof. A walk-in-the-park really can boost our feelings of well-being – especially when there are wild songbirds along the way!
It’s not exactly news that spending time in nature benefits human health and well-being. But an experiment conducted by social scientists along some mountain trails in Colorado shows – it’s not just the wind in your face or the grandeur of the scenery we need to thank. They hid speakers along two trails in the […]
As giant ice shelves collapse amid global warming in the Canadian Arctic, experts call for more protection for the “Last Ice Area” and the diverse communities of plants and animals living there.
Using tools which included video taken by a robot submarine, a Canadian research team recently discovered an amazing array of plants and animals, living in the heart of Milne, the very ice shelf which broke apart just this summer north of Ellesmere Island (above), losing almost half of its mass. Dr. Derek Mueller, Professor of […]
Snarl for the camera! An international team of scientists and software developers use facial recognition technology to identify individual grizzlies in the wild.
Facial recognition techniques have long been used to identify primates, including humans. But, up ’til now, there’s really been no effective way of identifying wild species like the grizzly (brown) bear who, unlike the zebra or giraffe, lacks unique and consistent body markings. In co-operation with two US software developers, four scientists from the University […]
Massacre on Cyprus. Researchers call for a crack down on poachers who lure millions of birds to their deaths on the Mediterranean island with recordings of their own songs.
Millions of birds like the Sardinian warbler (above) and the Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) have been migrating through the region for a long time. And, each year for many years, poachers on Cyprus have been trapping and killing them illegally. The slaughter is now said to have reached “industrial levels.” A study just published by The […]