Extinction News

December 6, 2023

Top Headlines

Crocodile Family Tree Mapped: New Light Shed on Croc Evolution

Dec. 4, 2023 — Around 250 million years ago, 700 species of reptiles closely related to the modern-day crocodile roamed the earth, now new research reveals how a complex interplay between climate change, species competition and habitat can help explain why just 23 ...

More Than a Meteorite: New Clues About the Demise of Dinosaurs

Dec. 4, 2023 — What wiped out the dinosaurs? A meteorite plummeting to Earth is only part of the story, a new study suggests. Climate change triggered by massive volcanic eruptions may have ultimately set the stage for the dinosaur extinction, challenging the ...

Study Identifies Key Algae Species Helping Soft Corals Survive Warming Oceans

Nov. 30, 2023 — During a two-year survey of soft corals in the Florida Keys, scientists identified three species of octocorals that have survived heat waves. While the coral animal itself may be heat tolerant, ...

Identifying Australia's Most Elusive Birds

Nov. 29, 2023 — Scientists have analyzed more than 3.8 million volunteer hours of birdwatching data to identify Australia's most elusive ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:38pm EST

Vulnerability of England's Only Resident Bottlenose Dolphins

Nov. 29, 2023 — New research has provided a detailed examination of England's bottlenose dolphin population's existence and the challenges it faces from human activities and environmental factors on a daily ...

Unknown Animals Were Leaving Bird-Like Footprints in Late Triassic Southern Africa

Nov. 29, 2023 — Ancient animals were walking around on bird-like feet over 210 million years ago, according to a new ...

Deoxygenation Levels Similar to Today's Played a Major Role in Marine Extinctions During Major Past Climate Change Event

Nov. 27, 2023 — Scientists have made a surprising discovery that sheds new light on the role that oceanic deoxygenation (anoxia) played in one of the most ...

Like the Phoenix, Australia's Giant Birds of Prey Rise Again from Limestone Caves

Nov. 17, 2023 — Australia's only vulture, and a fearsome extinct eagle, are among the earliest recorded birds of prey from the Pleistocene period more than 50,000 ...

First Comprehensive Look at Effects of 2020-2021 California Megafires on Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat

Nov. 21, 2023 — In 2020 and 2021, California experienced fire activity unlike anything recorded in the modern record. When the smoke cleared, the amount of burned ...

Half of Tested Caviar Products from Europe Are Illegal, and Some Aren't Even Caviar

Nov. 20, 2023 — Wild caviar, a pricey delicacy made from sturgeon eggs, has been illegal for decades since poaching brought the fish to the brink of extinction. ...

Nature Photographers Posting to Social Media Help With Protecting Biodiversity

Nov. 17, 2023 — Nature photographers posting to social media are helping improve biodiversity conservation mapping in South Asia, and the method could go ...

Naturally Regrowing Forests Are Helping to Protect the Remaining Old Forests in the Amazon

Nov. 13, 2023 — Secondary forests that have regrown naturally on land abandoned from agriculture are important in counteracting the effects of forest fragmentation ...

New Study Reveals Huge Potential for Future Waves of Invasive Species

Nov. 16, 2023 — Human trade and transport have led to the intentional and accidental introductions of non-native species outside of their natural range globally. These biological invasions can cause extinctions, ...

Plants That Survived Dinosaur Extinction Pulled Nitrogen from Air

Nov. 16, 2023 — Ancient cycad lineages that survived the extinction of the dinosaurs may have done so by relying on symbiotic bacteria in their roots to fix atmospheric nitrogen. The finding came from an effort to ...

Earlier Headlines

Summaries
Headlines

Botany Must Feature More Prominently on the School Curriculum to Promote Awareness of Climate Change, Study Warns

Dec. 4, 2023 — Children must be taught more about the importance of plants if education about climate change and sustainability is to be effective, experts have ...

Multiple Evolutionary Trajectories in Aquatic Crocodiles

Nov. 15, 2023 — In the geological past, several groups of crocodiles evolved towards a morphology adapted to marine life. However, the extent of these adaptations and their evolutionary trajectories remained ...

New Scientific Study Reveals the Crucial Role of Herbivorous Fishes and Sea Urchins in Restoring Caribbean Coral Reefs

Nov. 15, 2023 — A new study presents crucial findings on the feeding preferences of herbivorous fishes and the sea urchin Diadema antillarum in Little Cayman. The study sheds new light on the dynamics of these ...

New Deep Learning AI Tool Helps Ecologists Monitor Rare Birds Through Their Songs

Nov. 15, 2023 — Researchers have developed a new deep learning AI tool that generates life-like birdsongs to train bird identification tools, helping ecologists to monitor rare species in the ...

Endangered Turtle Population Under Threat as Pollution May Lead to Excess of Females Being Born

Nov. 13, 2023 — Researchers find exposure to heavy metals cadmium and antimony and certain organic contaminants, accumulated by the mother and transferred to her eggs, may cause embryos to be feminized in green sea ...

Diverse Forests Hold Huge Carbon Potential, as Long as We Cut Emissions

Nov. 13, 2023 — New study estimates that natural forest recovery could capture approximately 226 Gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon, but only if we also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Achieving these results requires ...

A Fifth of European Red List Flora and Fauna Species May Be at Risk of Extinction

Nov. 8, 2023 — A new analysis of 14,669 threatened species of plants and animals found in Europe reveals that about one fifth face the risk of extinction, and that agricultural land-use change poses a significant ...

'Alien' Wasps Thriving in Tropical Forests

Nov. 8, 2023 — Researchers say they have discovered high diversity of Darwin wasps in a tropical rainforest in Brazil, wasps which were previously thought to thrive more in cooler ...

Feral Horses and Peatland Carbon Emissions

Nov. 8, 2023 — A ground-breaking new study has found carbon emissions from Australian alpine peatlands to be much higher in areas disturbed by feral ...

Why a Surprising Discovery, Warming Seas and the Demise of the 'Meg' May Spell Trouble for More and More Sharks

Nov. 7, 2023 — Some unexpected shark strandings and subsequent surprises following autopsies have, ironically, taken marine biologists millions of years back in time as they look to the future with concern. Adding ...

'Biodiversity Time Machine' Provides Insights Into a Century of Loss

Nov. 7, 2023 — AI analysis shows pollution levels, extreme weather events and increasing temperatures devastates biodiversity in freshwater ...

City and Highway Lights Threaten Mountain Lion Habitats

Nov. 6, 2023 — Artificial light pollution at night threatens mountain lion habitat, making it a factor to consider for wildlife crossings and land use, finds a new ...

New Algae Species Rewrites Understanding of Reef Systems

Nov. 6, 2023 — An international team of marine scientists has identified and officially named four species of algae new to science, challenging previous taxonomical assumptions within the Porolithon genus. The ...

Fossils Tell Tale of Last Primate to Inhabit North America Before Humans

Nov. 6, 2023 — Paleontologists have shed light on the long-standing saga of Ekgmowechashala, based on fossil teeth and jaws found in both Nebraska and China. Ekgmowechashala is the last primate found in the fossil ...

Frogs Were Florida's First-Known Vertebrates from the Caribbean

Nov. 6, 2023 — A new fossil study shows that frogs from the genus Eleutherodactylus are geologically the oldest Caribbean vertebrates to be found in Florida. They made the journey 20 million years ago, when much of ...

Crust-Forming Algae Are Displacing Corals in Tropical Waters Worldwide

Nov. 6, 2023 — Over the past few decades, algae have been slowly edging corals out of their native reefs across the globe by blocking sunlight, wearing the corals down physically, and producing harmful chemicals. ...

Buzz Around New Centralized Pollination Portal for Better Global Bee Data

Nov. 2, 2023 — A powerful new way to fill major gaps in public bee data -- including from Africa, Asia and other under-reported zones -- has been addressed with a centralized tool for consolidating bee pollinator ...

Adult Coral Can Handle More Heat and Keep Growing Thanks to Heat-Evolved Symbionts

Nov. 2, 2023 — Adult fragments of a coral species can better tolerate bleaching and recover faster when treated with tougher heat-evolved symbionts, new research indicates. The study also found that treatment with ...

Advanced Assisted Reproduction in White Rhinos Is Safe and Reliable, Shows Evaluation of Procedures

Oct. 31, 2023 — The BioRescue project develops and pioneers advanced assisted reproduction technologies (aART) for conservation in the face of the imminent extinction of most rhino species and subspecies. In a new ...

New Map of 20th Century Land Use in Britain Helps Researchers Demystify Biodiversity Change

Oct. 31, 2023 — Researchers have mapped how land use changed across Britain throughout the last century. The new map reveals how and where some 50 per cent of semi-natural grassland was lost, including 90 per cent ...

Monday, December 4, 2023