–marine snowflakes fall at different rates. smaller ones have a more languid descent. this fauxfall appears to be altering our planet’s ancient cooling process. read : in the ocean, it’s snowing microplastics
art ecology science & animals
NOW, WATCH CLOSELY
– orangutans have an interesting social life. in contrast to the rest of the great apes, they live semi-solitary existences, and for the first eight years of their life are dependent on their mothers. through support, she will help them to acquire the skills needed to survive and thrive in their canopy habitat read : how orangutans mothers help their offspring learn
THE GRAIL AND OTHERS
– now is the time to lift up proactive, collaborative, and innovative efforts to save wildlife.read : animals that went extinct in 2021 and how to take action for biodiversity
OUTPERFORMERS
across america and beyond, farmers and vineyard and orchard owners are enlisting wild birds in a sustainable battle against pests. read : birds outperforming pesticides
AQUATIC ASTRONOMERS
stars beckoned our species to cross seas. from culture to culture, the milky way served as backdrop and inspiration for stories – but we weren’t the only ones looking read : what animals see in the stars, and what they stand to lose
PLANT BLINDNESS
—the basic functioning of the planet would effectively grind to a halt without plants, but people care more about animals read article : global cactus traffickers are cleaning out the deserts
ABILITY TO PERSIST
—the loss of singing culture may be what the researchers called a “precursor to extinction.” read : how does that song go? this bird couldn’t say
I’M HERE TOO
“these haunting duets, rare among owl species, reinforce pair bonds. it’s as if the male is calling out to his mate, “i’m here!” to which the female responds in a lower tone, “i’m here too!” read : the world’s biggest owl
LOTS OF LOVE
—the fact is that most of the 1800 threatened living species identified in australia are plants, making up 77 per cent or 1342 of threatened species. and while australia’s endangered mammals are thought to have declined by about a third in the past two decades, and endangered birds by a half, the population size of threatened plants fell by three quarters. read : as the first threatened plant index is compiled, experts wonder why flora has to fight so hard for attention.
COOL KOALA GENOME
— their name comes from the dharug word gula, meaning “no water”. we have created a new “chromosome-length” sequence of the koala genome, which will allow researchers to study its three-dimensional structure and understand its evolution. read : new koala genome will aid efforts to defend the threatened species
MONARCH PAPERS
— many environmentalists were alarmed when the federal government announced that the monarch butterfly (state insect of texas) warrants listing under EPA but that the agency can’t afford to complete the required paperwork. read : monarch butterflies are endangered, threatened with extinction. what now
BOBCAT FIRE
— terrain that once resembled a high sierra granite gorge now looked like ground zero after a nuclear explosion, and the usually clean mountain air was sharp with the stench of smoke read : aftermath threatens endangered species in san gabriel mountains
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