EXPLAINED: Extinction - The Real Truth

Beginning in 1974, North American conservationists released more than 6,000 captive-bred peregrine falcons; by the late 1990s, at least 1,650 breeding pairs had been restored

Once teetering on the brink of extinction in North America due to harmful pesticides and loss of natural habitats, the peregrine falcons have made a remarkable comeback. With dedicated conservationists implementing strategies such as captive breeding and urban nesting, these magnificent birds thrived, leading to their delisting as endangered in…

The Economic Times · 7h ago

In Germany’s Halligen islands, a bird sanctuary faces rising sea levels

Three out of five bird species are in decline worldwide, and one in eight is threatened with extinction. In the Halligen islands of northern Germany, a sanctuary for migratory birds is under threat due to rising sea levels. These 10 small islands – listed as a Unesco World Natural Heritage Site –…

Radio France Internationale · 14h ago

The Great Indian Bustard Is Disappearing. Here Is What It Actually Needs

The Great Indian Bustard weighs up to 15 kilograms, stands nearly a metre tall, and cannot see power lines until it is already flying into them. That single biological fact, a visual field oriented downward for scanning prey, not forward for scanning obstacles, explains more about why this bird is…

Times Life · 17h ago

What Cities Must Keep for Leopards, Civets and Jackals to Move Through

Every night, across the edges of Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi, animals that most city residents have never seen are attempting to cross the city. A leopard slips under a highway overpass. A small Indian civet threads through a storm drain. A golden jackal trots along a dry nullah bed…

Times Life · Oct 22

The Bezos Earth Fund has given away $2.4 billion. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos' latest $100M bet is saving species on the edge of extinction

The couple’s climate fund is one of nine founding members of a new alliance that has committed more than $500 million over five years as governments fall short of their own nature funding goals.

Fortune · Oct 21

About 65 million years ago, after dinosaurs died, fungi may have proliferated as forests filled with dead plants left behind by the mass extinction

Fossil evidence from the Denver Basin indicates a significant fungal bloom after the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction. This increase in fungal remains coincided with the devastation caused by the asteroid impact. Researchers found high fungal abundance prior to the event as well, related to climatic cooling and volcanic activity. Evidence from…

The Times of India · Oct 20

Over 30,000 species face critical danger: Amazon's Jeff Bezos backs $500 million wildlife plan, but one key detail is missing

Launched at the UN Biodiversity Conference, the New Species Recovery Alliance has garnered a substantial pledge of $500 million. This collaborative initiative, involving nine organizations including the Bezos Earth Fund, is set to combat species extinctions and facilitate the recovery of endangered species globally. With over 31,000 species facing extinction,…

The Economic Times · Oct 20

Dire Wolves Created From A 13,000-Year-Old Tooth And A 72,000-Year-Old Skull Reach Adulthood

Romulus and Remus, the gene-edited wolves created by Colossal Biosciences, have turned two, and the company says they have reached the size researchers predicted from dire wolf fossil records. Along with their younger sister, Khaleesi, the brothers are healthy and thriving under human care, giving scientists a rare opportunity to…

Bored Panda · Oct 20

Who should have a say in which species are saved? The California condor offers lessons for a global biodiversity treaty

In 1987, biologists captured the last free-flying condor to transfer it to captivity, and the largest flying North American bird species was officially declared extinct in the wild. Today, after decades of coordinated efforts and millions of dollars spent on captive breeding and reintroduction efforts, more than 300 condors have…

The Conversation · Oct 20

Power Lines Are Killing India's Great Indian Bustard. Here's What the Supreme Court Ordered

A Bird That Cannot See What Will Kill ItThe Great Indian Bustard, Ardeotis nigriceps, carries up to 15 kilograms on a frame built for open grassland, not evasive flight. Its eyes sit on the sides of its head, giving it a wide field of vision for ground-level predators but almost…

Times Life · Oct 20