Are wasps feeling the heat this summer? Be kind to wasps at your picnic this summer: share your meal & tell us what they're after. Is it Ham (protein-rich)? or Jam (sugary) @uclnews.bsky.social @theconversation.com @femi-benny.bsky.social @cintiaoi.bsky.social theconversation.com/where-have-a...

Where have all the wasps gone this summer?

And why you should let them share your picnic ham and jam.

theconversation.com

A landmark reassessment shows Sumatran orangutans fell nearly 20% over 12 years, proving deforestation is not the only threat. Co-authored by Indonesia's Forestry Ministry, the study marks a shift toward science-based policy after past claims that orangutan numbers were rising. Learn more! 👇️

Major orangutan study finds Sumatran population fell nearly 20% despite slower forest loss

JAKARTA — The number of Sumatran orangutans has declined by nearly 20% in the past decade and the critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan remains perilously close to extinction despite years of…

mongabay.cc

Plastic pollution and drug-resistant infections are intersecting. New research shows microplastics promote bacterial biofilms that accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance. Experts to call for urgent wastewater management reforms. @claireasher.bsky.social reports for #Mongabay.

Microplastic pollution can fuel rise in antibiotic resistance, studies find

Plastic pollution is among the gravest environmental crises facing humanity. Plastic production since 1950 has exceeded 8,300 million metric tons, with most plastic waste ending up in the…

mongabay.cc

A new-to-science colobus monkey species, locally called the likweli, has been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Entirely black with distinct bare skin around its mouth, the rare primate has a population under 1,000 and is facing threats from hunting. @shreyadg.bsky.social reports.

New colobus monkey, ‘Likweli’, confirmed in DRC

In 2008, wildlife researchers surveying a massive, underexplored forested region in the Democratic Republic of Congo photographed a black monkey. That region eventually became Lomami National Park.…

mongabay.cc

In the first second after the Big Bang, a scorching hot sea of light and particles filled the Universe. Over the last two decades, scientists have managed to recreate this liquid light and study its properties. 🧪 My latest for @sciencefocus.bsky.social: www.sciencefocus.com/space/recrea...

Experts have recreated the Universe's first liquid – and it's unlike anything on Earth | BBC Science Focus Magazine

It's not the sea as you see it – more like a primordial goo

sciencefocus.com

I had a fantastic time at @fosgoodwood.bsky.social this weekend, chatting to Isabelle Blanchot from Enchanted Tools and Nick Thompson from OLO Robotics and exploring the amazing exhibits at Future Lab! Watch this space for the videos coming soon! #FOSFutureLab #FOS

Plastic pollution and drug-resistant infections are two of the biggest crises facing humanity. New research is finding deeply concerning links between them. My latest article for @mongabay.com explores how plastic pollution is enhancing antimicrobial resistance. 🧪 news.mongabay.com/2026/07/micr...

Microplastic pollution can fuel rise in antibiotic resistance, studies find

Plastic pollution is among the gravest environmental crises facing humanity. Plastic production since 1950 has exceeded 8,300 million metric tons, with most plastic waste ending up in the environment,...

news.mongabay.com

Can coastal engineering protect shorelines and harbor marine life? Ireland's first Living Seawalls installation is tracking how textured panels help nature gain a foothold on urban coastlines. Learn more in this report by @elizabethalberts.bsky.social for #Mongabay. 👉️ mongabay.cc/YshXuM

🎉 Happy International Women in Engineering Day! 🎉 Today I'm celebrating all the amazing women in engineering that I've interviewed on the podcast. Their inspirational research is having a huge impact on the world, from medicine to education. #INWED26 #WomenInSTEM #EngineeringIntelligence

EXCLUSIVE: Voyager 1 will be 1 light-day away from Earth on November 18, 2026! The spacecraft is already the most distant human-made object in space, and in less than five months it will cross that incredible threshold!! www.iflscience.com/its-official... 🔭🧪

The Trump administration has repealed the 2024 Public Lands Rule, stripping conservation of equal priority with industry across 245 million acres of federal land. Consequently, the DOI revoked a Montana grazing permit for 950 wild bison, ruling leases must prioritize commercial livestock.

Trump administration repeals rule that allowed bison to graze on public lands

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration recently repealed the 2024 Public Lands Rule, which established that conservation should have equal priority with industry when it comes to accessing…

mongabay.cc

Recently, I was interviewed by Mar Yvette from Robots Good or Bad. We discussed recent developments in robotics, public perceptions of robots, and what I've learned from interviewing over 200 roboticists on the podcast. Check out the interview here: robotsgoodorbad.com/robot-talk-p...

What Robot Talk Host Claire Asher Learned From 200+ Roboticists

Robot Talk podcast host Claire Asher discusses autonomy, bio-hybrid machines made with living cells, and the human skills that robots can't replace.

robotsgoodorbad.com

🌟 It's publication day! 🌟 I'm absolutely thrilled that my children's book, Marvolution, was published today by Bloomsbury. Marvolution is a fantastical encyclopaedia of future animals, based on real evolutionary science (and a bit of imagination!). www.bloomsbury.com/uk/marvoluti...

Robot Talk is returning to the @exrdfestival.bsky.social in London this June for another live recording of the podcast! I'll be chatting to three expert panellists about #robotics and #AI in medicine and healthcare. 🤖 📅 Sat 6th June @ 5pm Register free here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-robot-...

Mongabay has been shortlisted for the @oneworldmedia.bsky.social Awards 2026 in the News Content Creators category for “Conservation Entangled.” 🧵 Watch all of the "Conservation Entangled” series on our YouTube channel! mongabay.cc/Conservation... 📺️

This week's episode of Robot Talk covers a topic particularly close to my heart - visual navigation in ants and bees. 🧪 Andy's research is fascinating and it was lovely to hear him talk with such enthusiasm about social insects and what roboticists can learn from them. Definitely worth a listen!

Robot Talk@robottalkpod.bsky.social · 3mo ago

📢 New Episode Alert! This week, I chatted to Prof. Andrew Philippides from the University of Sussex about what we can learn from ants and bees to improve robot navigation. 🤖 🐝 🐜 Listen now: www.robottalk.org/2026/05/01/e... #Robots #Robotics #BioInspired #AI

Scientists have found one of the world’s largest cold-water coral reefs deep off Argentina. Home to dozens of species new to science, the reef already shows signs damage. Researchers are now testing "artificial corals" to help restore this fragile ecosystem. @elizabethalberts.bsky.social reports.

One of the world’s largest deep-sea coral reefs discovered off Argentina

Biologist Erik Cordes has spent much of his career studying cold-water reefs — coral systems typically found in chilly, dark waters far below the ocean’s surface. But his latest project took him by…

mongabay.cc

📢 New Episode Alert! This week, I chatted to Dr. Simona Aracri from the National Research Council of Italy about innovative robot designs for oceanography and environmental monitoring. 🤖 🐟 Listen now: www.robottalk.org/2026/04/10/e... #Robots #Robotics #Environment #Marine

April 3, now recognized as Jane Goodall Day, is a day of action to carry forward the habits and responsibilities she encouraged, rather than simply commemorate her A long-time @mongabay.com advisory board member, we got to know this legend & bask in her glow, and carry her message of hope forward:

Today is Jane Goodall Day. Her movement continues.

April 3 now carries a different kind of weight. It was always Jane Goodall’s birthday. Now it is also a marker—a point in the year when people are asked not just to remember her, but to do something w...

news.mongabay.com

‪ 🌳 Do you want to contribute to research on how humans perceive forests? Take this quick, anonymous 10-min survey 🌲 👉 www.biodiful.org#/forest This will help us explore how people experience forest biodiversity! Please share on 🦋 & tag @biodiful.bsky.social to reach more participants 🙏💚 🌐🌍🦤🦑🪴🍁🧪

Chemists have developed a "self-deconstructing" plastic that can be programmed to break down on cue. Researchers at Rutgers University have developed a method to modify materials so they break down into molecular components at a specific time or in response to triggers. Story by Claire Asher.

Promising breakthrough creates plastics that self-deconstruct on cue: Study

Plastics have a gigantic built-in problem: They’re tenacious, which is very good for a milk jug or a car bumper. But they don’t easily break down, which is bad for the environment. From the 1950s,…

mongabay.cc

Plastic pollution is a global environmental crisis, but what if we could design plastics that automatically break down after use? 🧪 My latest article for @mongabay.com looks at a recent study that used clever chemistry to do just that. news.mongabay.com/2026/03/prom... #CircularEconomy #Plastics

Promising breakthrough creates plastics that self-deconstruct on cue: Study

Plastics have a gigantic built-in problem: They’re tenacious, which is very good for a milk jug or a car bumper. But they don’t easily break down, which is bad for the environment. From the 1950s, whe...

news.mongabay.com

Curious about #robots inspired by insects? 🤖 Later this season, I'll be chatting to Prof. Andrew Philippides from @sussex.ac.uk about what we can learn from ants and bees to improve robot navigation. Send me your questions for Andy in the comments below!

Brazil has cleared vast Amazon areas, and the impacts go beyond biodiversity loss. Further deforestation could push it toward a tipping point. Agroforestry offers a path to restore forests while producing commodities, according to a new analysis. ** Views are author's.

Agroforestry offers market-based way to boost Amazon rains & farmer incomes (analysis)

The Amazon Rainforest generates its own weather. Each day, the forest’s 390 billion trees release approximately 20 billion metric tons of water vapor into the atmosphere through evapotranspiration,…

news.mongabay.com

This International Day of Women and Girls in Science I'm celebrating all the amazing women in robotics that I've had the pleasure of chatting to on Robot Talk. Their achievements have made the world a better place. #WomeninScience #February11

Major soy traders including Cargill, ADM and Bunge are exiting the Amazon Soy Moratorium — a move that could raise deforestation by 30% by 2045. Observers warn it sends a “green light” to land speculators, even as forest loss threatens rainfall, yields and long-term market stability.

Amazon deforestation may rise 30% as major traders exit historic soy pact

As global soy giants walk away from a landmark pact, land grabbers move in to clear the forest for new crops.

news.mongabay.com

📢 New Episode Alert! This week, I chatted to Dr. Amir Patel from @ucl.ac.uk about designing robots with the agility and manoeuvrability of a cheetah. 🤖 Listen now: www.robottalk.org/2026/01/16/e... #Robots #Robotics #BioInspired #Environment #Wildlife

The #editorschoice for this month is Forum Article: Leaving academia: insights from evolutionary biologists on their career transitions and job satisfaction Betancourt et al. @claireasher.bsky.social @liverpooluni.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...

Leaving academia: insights from evolutionary biologists on their career transitions and job satisfaction

Abstract. Many who have obtained PhDs in evolutionary biology will ultimately pursue careers that fall outside a narrow definition of an academic career. A

doi.org

UPDATED – Factcheck: How ‘scary-sounding numbers’ are being used to mislead the UK about net-zero | @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org Read here: buff.ly/Be7nHfA

After Kenyan authorities seized 5,000+ endemic ants, conservationists warn ants are now part of a growing global wildlife trade. Traffickers target rare species for hobbyists, risking ecosystem damage and invasive outbreaks — yet no ant species are protected under CITES.

Ants need urgent protections from global trade, conservationists say

As the recent seizure of more than 5,000 endemic ants in Kenya reveals, ants have become part of a thriving global wildlife trade. Transnational traffickers are mopping up ants from the wild to sell…

news.mongabay.com