Kissing may seem like a modern expression of romance, yet emerging research shows it is rooted deep in our shared past with other species. According to Earth.com, scientists from Oxford examined primate behavior, oral microbes, and ancient DNA to understand how this intimate act began. Their findings suggest that early humans and even Neanderthals likely […]
To save jaguars from extinction, scientists in Brazil are trying IVF and cloning
MIRANDA, Brazil — We made three attempts to capture a jaguar after arriving at Fazenda Bodoquena in Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul state, on a Thursday afternoon in early September. Part of the team went to set up a snare trap near a cow carcass that had been found earlier that day. We were sure […]
A dead whale shows up on your beach. What do you do with the 40-ton carcass?
When a whale dies, its body descends to the bottom of the deep sea in a transformative phenomenon called a whale fall. A whale’s death jump-starts an explosion of life, enough to feed and sustain a deep-ocean ecosystem for decades. There are a lot of ways whales can die. Migrating whales lose their way and, […]
60,000 African penguins starved to death after sardine numbers collapsed – study
More than 60,000 penguins in colonies off the coast of South Africa have starved to death as a result of disappearing sardines, a new paper has found. More than 95% of the African penguins in two of the most important breeding colonies, on Dassen Island and Robben Island, died between 2004 and 2012. The breeding […]
Hybrid ‘Grolar Bears’ Reveal a Changing Climate for Arctic Wildlife
According to New Scientist, the strange family story of grolar bears offers a window into a rapidly changing world. A lone polar bear pushed south by disappearing sea ice found herself in grizzly territory and produced several hybrid cubs. Their tangled lineage surprised biologists because cross species offspring are often infertile, yet these cubs were […]
Conservation Groups Sue Bureau of Land Management to Stop Destruction of Critical Sage Grouse Habitat
Greater sage grouse occupied more than 460,000 square miles across 13 Western states, including Montana, and three Canadian provinces before European settlement in the 1800s. But since that time, sagebrush ecosystems have been destroyed, fragmented, and degraded. Now there are so few pristine and intact sagebrush ecosystems their population has been in a continuous and […]
Birdwatch: a rare winter sighting of the short-eared owl
An owl? Or just a gatepost? In my experience, it’s usually a gatepost. So as I drove home across the Somerset Levels, returning from my first starling murmuration of the year, I was convinced that the owl-shaped lump a few yards away was just that. It was also dark brown, unlike the barn owls I […]
Results of the Best Photo of the Month January 2026
We are delighted to announce the results of our latest photo competition. Jess Findlay and Candy McManiman share First Prize with their outstanding images ‘Barred Owl’ and ‘One Of Them Is Mine‘. Third Prize goes to Jess Findlay with ‘Male Anna Hummingbird’. Please give kudos to the photographers by leaving comments at the bottom of […]