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EXTINCT SPECIES
Pet pythons escaped into Florida in the 1970s, spread for decades through the Everglades, then a hurricane carried them south, and now the Key Largo woodrat may disappearEndangered rodents in Key Largo face a crisis. Invasive Burmese pythons, spreading after Hurricane Irma, are decimating Key Largo woodrat p...
A shark that walks instead of swims? Scientists just found a new one in the wild, and it may already be facing extinctionScientists have identified a new species of 'walking' shark in Papua New Guinea, named Hemiscyllium dudgeonae. This unique shark uses its p...
Florida has moved more than 97,000 gopher tortoises since 2009, but the booming rescue industry may be hiding a harder question about whether these reptiles can actually survive the shuffleFlorida's gopher tortoise relocation program, designed to protect the species from development, faces scrutiny. While developers pay to mov...
A massive crocodile lurked in Lucy’s world, and early human ancestors may have been its preyScientists have discovered a new ancient crocodile species named Crocodylus lucivenator. This massive reptile lived in East Africa between ...
Scientists just found a new walking shark in a tiny corner of Papua New Guinea, and the meter-long species may be vulnerable because its range is so restrictedA new species of walking shark, Hemiscyllium dudgeonae, has been discovered off the coast of Papua New Guinea. Named after Dr. Christine Du...
In 1929, a young archaeologist in China uncovered skullcap, 'Peking Man' inside a cold cave and changed human history foreverA 1929 discovery in China changed human evolution studies. Pei Wenzhong found the Peking Man skullcap. This fossil proved early humans live...
Quote of the day by Sir David Attenborough: “The question is, are we happy to suppose that our…’ – Naturalist on stewardship, conservation and responsibilitySir David Attenborough, a renowned nature communicator, urges us to consider the future of wildlife. His words question our willingness to ...
The koalas everyone gave up on are making a genetic comebackA new study on koalas is changing conservation science. Populations previously believed to be genetically doomed are now showing recovery. ...
Over 1,500 bat species carry thousands of deadly viruses but rarely get sick, and scientists are only just beginning to understand whyBats possess a unique, preactivated innate immune defense that stops viruses from fully replicating, even after cell entry. This remarkable...
Men not needed! Scientists have found an all-female species that's been cloning itself for the last 100,000 yearsThe Amazon molly, an all-female fish, has defied evolutionary expectations by surviving for 100,000 years without males. This remarkable sp...
In the 1960s, Sudbury's nickel smelters turned Ontario's lakes acidic, and tiny creatures evolved to survive, but when the pollution cleared, something unexpected happenedScientists witnessed evolution in action as a tiny copepod species, Leptodiaptomus minutus, adapted to acidic lakes in Killarney Provincial...
In 2024, scientists studied a 52,000-year-old mammoth, and found something ancient DNA was never expected to keepA remarkably preserved Siberian woolly mammoth, dating back 52,000 years, has yielded an astonishing discovery: fossilized chromosomes. Thi...
Back from brink: India's vultures stage comeback as captive-breeding, release efforts gather paceVultures are making a comeback in India after a two-decade decline, with over 700 birds bred in captivity and released into protected tiger...
In 1918, rats escaped from a shipwreck onto a remote island, and more than a century later, scientists discovered an unexpected consequenceA major rodent eradication on Lord Howe Island has revealed a surprising recovery of its insect life. For over a century, rats and mice dev...
A single jawbone from Taiwan just changed what scientists knew about DenisovansA mysterious ancient jawbone found in Taiwan has been identified as a Denisovan man. This discovery rewrites our understanding of these ear...
What AI’s entry into de-extinction research says about modern biologyArtificial intelligence is increasingly being used to process complex genetic data, enabling new approaches in biological research. This sh...
In 1980, a physicist studying a thin clay layer found an iridium spike, and it wasn’t just trace metal: It became one of the biggest clues behind the dinosaurs’ extinctionIn a remarkable geological find in Italy, a delicate clay layer was uncovered, marked by unusually high levels of iridium—a rare element on...
Scientists found rare microscopic Ice Age giant residues on ancient tools in the Carolinas, and it changed what they knew about early American huntersArchaeologists in the Carolinas have found direct evidence of Ice Age hunters killing megafauna. Using advanced protein residue and microsc...
Climate change threatens global plant species as habitats shrinkMany familiar plants may disappear by 2100. Climate change is shrinking their habitats, putting species at high risk of extinction. Researc...
Forget king cobras, this extinct Greek snake may have been far heavier than living vipersFossilized remains of Laophis crotaloides, an extinct snake species from Greece, suggest it was significantly larger than modern vipers, po...