Nepal announces its snow leopard population after first-of-its-kind assessment

Nepal announces its snow leopard population after first-of-its-kind assessment

KATHMANDU — Following decades of speculation, skepticism and lack of consensus, Nepal’s government has announced the country’s first-ever consolidated national estimate of snow leopards (Panther uncia): 397 individuals. The figure, which translates to 1.56 individuals per 100 square kilometers (38.6 square miles), was reported by an expert committee following months of work which involved aggregating […]

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Bonobos Communicate in Complex Phrases, a Language Process Once Thought Unique to Humans

Bonobos Communicate in Complex Phrases, a Language Process Once Thought Unique to Humans

Bonobos—the closest living relatives to humans—create complex and meaningful combinations of calls resembling the word combinations of humans, says a new study that challenges long-held assumptions about what makes human communication unique. The study conducted by researchers at Harvard and the University of Zurich, has investigated the vocal behavior of wild bonobos on the Kokolopori […]

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Indigenous nations fought for a new national monument. Will it survive Trump?

Indigenous nations fought for a new national monument. Will it survive Trump?

In northeastern California, the Upper Pit River undulates through evergreen forests, wet meadows and rugged mountains. It’s part of the snow-fed headwaters of the Sacramento River, the largest river in the state. The Sacramento flows some 611 kilometers (380 miles) to the San Francisco Bay, supporting diverse and unique ecosystems and carrying water to cities […]

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