Oases in the desert of Arabia created 'brands' in the Bronze Age

Did brands exist before modern society, in noncapitalist economies? An international team led by Marta Luciani of the University of Vienna has made unexpected discoveries about Bronze Age trade: Yes, ...

phys.org

Snake bones with flint cuts show Mount Carmel settlers ate reptiles 15,000 years ago

Around 15,000 years ago, the way of life of human communities in the southern Levant underwent a fundamental change. Groups of hunter-gatherers, who until then had been nomadic, reduced their mobility...

phys.org

How we found a new transmissible cancer in bullhead catfish

For more than a decade, anglers on Lake Memphremagog—which straddles the Quebec–Vermont border—have been catching brown bullhead catfish marked with distinctive black lesions.

phys.org

Kyoto's gardens provide habitats for local amphibians

Where they could once hop and amble freely, urbanization is diminishing amphibians' habitats. Yet small-scale water bodies managed by people—such as those found in the gardens of Japan's temples, shri...

phys.org

A 100-year-old mystery in the cat kidney may be linked to scent communication

Many animals obtain information about others from scent marks left in the environment, including urine. Because these marks remain after the sender has left, they allow animals to communicate across s...

phys.org

Most species in UK zoos are non-native and not threatened, undermining conservation goals

In British zoos and aquariums, fewer than 10% of vertebrate species are native to the UK, and just 2% are high conservation priorities, according to a study by Justin Lennon at the University of Brigh...

phys.org

Evolutionary process behind live birth in lizards uncovered

Scientists studying one of nature's greatest reproductive innovations have discovered how some lizards evolved from laying eggs to giving birth to live young. The new research is the first to reveal t...

phys.org

'Ecology of fear' can dramatically change the behavior of blue mussels

For a blue mussel, a good meal does not come entirely without risk. Blue mussels feed by filtering microscopic algae from seawater. But some unwelcome guests can slip in along with their food. Tiny pa...

phys.org

Were Denisovans tall compared to other ancient humans? We should be skeptical

Take a walk in London's Trafalgar Square this summer, and people of all body sizes—some tall, some short—will be wilting in the heat: a real mix of sizes.

phys.org

Warming waters draw summer 'feeding frenzies' by whales off Greenland

The effects of global warming depend on species: The losers are legion, but a lucky few are winners. Now, researchers have shown that baleen whales are taking advantage of a newly opened-up fish bonan...

phys.org

Ocean time travelers return with secrets of the Great Barrier Reef

A team of Australian researchers has woven together modern science and Indigenous knowledge to reveal new insights into the evolution, history and future of the southern Great Barrier Reef. The 24-day...

phys.org

Weatherwatch: Climate crisis fuelling steep fall in migratory bird numbers

Many species under threat use the African-Eurasian flyway, one of the planet’s largest mass-migration systems

theguardian.com

Humans have learned to fear ‘bugs’, but we shouldn’t – life as we know it hinges on invertebrates | Chris Packham

At this point of the crisis in our relations with the natural world, we’ve got to protect these creatures – and we are running out of time, says naturalist Chris Packham

theguardian.com

Lobsters and acidic seas: can shellfish help neutralise one of the greatest threats to the ocean?

Crustaceans are the subject of tests to see if alkalis added to seawater, so it absorbs more CO2, harm marine life. But Trump’s halt to funding threatens to scupper the research

theguardian.com

Otter spotted for first time in 100 years in New York City’s Bronx River

Image captured in early June shows animal foraging in the waterway in first since early 1900s, signaling its recovery

theguardian.com

California becomes first US state to set efficiency rules for replacement tires

Regulations that would block sale of older tires praised by environmental groups amid rightwing backlash

theguardian.com

Destructive and delicious: how an invasive deer in Hawaii is being turned into dinner

The overpopulation of axis deer has taken an environmental toll, but Maui Nui Venison sees it as a resource instead of a pest

theguardian.com

New Zealand opens marine reserves with groundbreaking Māori co-management model

DUNEDIN, Aotearoa New Zealand — At a U.N. meeting in 2015, Aotearoa New Zealand’s then Prime Minister John Key made a major announcement that drew praise from international conservation groups: His ad...

news.mongabay.com

Orangutan Day: Here's where the three critically endangered species stand

Aug. 19 is World Orangutan Day, a day to honor the three species of Southeast Asian great apes, all of which are classified as critically endangered by the IUCN, the global conservation authority. Ora...

news.mongabay.com

Nepal pushes for hydropower in protected areas through legal grey area

KATHMANDU – Nepal’s government has allowed several private hydropower producers to develop projects inside protected areas and the buffer zones surrounding them, contravening a Supreme Court order, a ...

news.mongabay.com

Sloth bears help shape India's dry forests as unlikely seed dispersers

Sloth bears play a critical role in structuring India’s dry deciduous forests by dispersing viable seeds and influencing plant regeneration, reports contributor Sneha Mahale for Mongabay India. “Dry d...

news.mongabay.com

Indigenous fishers rethink shark hunting & protect species on Colombia’s coast

LA GUAJIRA, Colombia — Feet from the ocean, four sharks and a ray lie dead on the wind-battered sand. Above them stands Wilfrido Arends, 46. The blade of a short knife glints in his hand. Carefully, h...

news.mongabay.com

Criminal probe clears Sloth World of criminal neglect in deaths of 57 animals

Authorities have cleared Sloth World of criminal neglect after dozens of wild-caught sloths that it imported from South America died.

news.mongabay.com

Cat's Friday Disappointment: Only Thursday

ALT: Cat's Friday Disappointment: Only Thursday

static.klipy.com

Gov. Tim Walz signs executive order banning nonferrous mining near Boundary Waters • Minnesota Reformer

No Democrat will reverse it,Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order Tuesday banning nonferrous mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in what may prove to be one of the most significant...

minnesotareformer.com