www.abc.net.au/news/science...

Now bird flu has hit seagulls a 'super-spreader' event is more likely

Unlike other birds detected with the virus so far in Australia, seagulls travel beyond coastal environments to more urban and inland areas too.

abc.net.au

How the minke whale got its name -- and how their underwater calls confused scientists for 50 years... https://therevelator.org/minke-whales/

Whale of the Month: Minke Whale • The Revelator

One of the world’s most widely distributed whale species is practically invisible in the media. Let’s change that.

therevelator.org

Bill Oddie, naturalist and broadcaster, dies aged 85 www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

Bill Oddie, naturalist and broadcaster, dies aged 85

Coming to fame in The Goodies, Oddie was later known for his wildlife expertise and presented BBC Springwatch

theguardian.com

Springwatch icon, humanist, and probably the UK's best-loved birdwatcher, Bill Oddie, has died aged 85. Very sad. Thank you for a lifetime of helping us understand nature.

Shape-shifters in the canopy: following the dramatic transformation of orchid seeds after their germination blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2026/07/27/s...

Shape-shifters in the canopy: following the dramatic transformation of orchid seeds after their germination | Te Papa’s Blog

Scientists from the Lions Ōtari Plant Conservation Laboratory and Te Papa have followed and documented the changes orchid seeds undergo from germination to adult form. A description of these rarely…

blog.tepapa.govt.nz

I simply love orcas and all of their brutal machinations! what new form of torture will they invent next! defector.com/orcas-are-ke...

Orcas Are Kerploding Sunfish Into A Thousand Pieces | Defector

In many ways, the sunfish could not have been better-designed as an orca’s chew toy. The largest species, the oceanic sunfish Mola mola, can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh up to 6,000 pounds. And y...

defector.com

theconversation.com/hidden-in-pl...

Hidden in plain sight: the race to discover new species before they’re gone

Even now, in an age of satellites and genome sequencing, the Earth still holds secrets.

theconversation.com

This how you preserve avian biodiversity, not by some pretend de-extinction.

Wilson Ornithological Society@wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social · 11mo ago

If you could use a little bit of optimism today, here are some stories of North American bird species that have recovered from the brink of extinction. #ornithology

News just in: H5N1 avian influenza (bird flu) has arrived in NZ. www.beehive.govt.nz/release/h5-b... We encourage you to look out for groups of sick/dead birds and report these to the MPI hotline ☎️ 0800 80 99 66. To keep safe and support detection: www.mpi.govt.nz/biosecurity-...

The natural history collections at the University of Texas, holding maybe 5 million specimens, is partly closed down because our buildings are falling apart and UT is doing the bare minimum of life support. We could fix it for 1/5th the price of a vanity purchase of a single dinosaur specimen.

AFP News Agency@en.afp.com · 3w ago

🦖 A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton nicknamed 'Gus' sells for $50.1 million at Sotheby's in New York, making it the most valuable dinosaur fossil bought at auction after a 10-minute battle between seven bidders u.afp.com/SKv4

Our new commentary rdcu.be/ftx6h in @natecoevo.nature.com written with folks from @inaturalist.bsky.social and @cornellbirds.bsky.social shows that use of AI to manipulate existing or create new wildlife images undermines the huge value of vast citizen science databases. 🌍🪰🪶 #Ornithology 🧵 1/10

Citizen science platforms must mitigate against the threat of generative AI

Nature Ecology & Evolution - Citizen science platforms must mitigate against the threat of generative AI

rdcu.be

www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/7...

A T. rex found in South Dakota could smash auction records - and possibly disappear forever

Before he became the namesake of one of the largest predators that ever lived - or made it into the footnotes of an auction catalogue - the late Gary "Gus" Licking, a cattle rancher in South Dakota, h...

rnz.co.nz

It was great chatting to Dr Barbara Anderson for the Otago Institute podcast about ancient environments, moa, and MythBusting de-extinction. You can check it out here www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kmn...

135 - Myth-busting de-extinction with Nic Rawlence

YouTube video by OAR FM Dunedin

youtube.com

"the media was essentially acting as an effective PR arm for Colossal—[that] was really shocking to me”

Carl T. Bergstrom@carlbergstrom.com · last mo.

The whole dire wolf thing was borderline fraud. And of course the point of all this bollocks is that all these accelerationists, longtermists, EAs, and their GOP allies have been salivating over an excuse to destroy the environment now on the grounds that later generations can recover it.

"The focus on high-glamour, extinct predators distracts resources from urgent, grounded conservation work needed for critically endangered living species"

Nic Rawlence@nicrawlencenz.bsky.social · 4w ago

www.openaccessgovernment.org/researchers-...

"Quite literally, it’s federal biologists, paid with taxpayer dollars, who will collect samples, which will then be stored and used for such things as “biotechnology development” by Colossal"

Our Public Lands & Waters@publiclandswaters.bsky.social · last mo.

A new agreement between the USFWS and Colossal Biosciences (of dire wolf revival fame) allows the private company to collect cell lines, tissue samples, and DNA from all species listed as threatened and endangered under the Endangered Species Act. #conservation #publiclands #endangeredspeciesact

From dodos to dire wolves, catch me on ABC’s Late Night Live talking about de-extinction. Drawing on my book Vanished: An Unnatural History of Extinction, which you might also fancy reading. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Reverse extinction: do we want that? - ABC listen

Last month a company in Texas announced it had made an artificial egg, with the hope of bringing back to life extinct birds like the dodo. But there are perils with this new scientific realm of ‘de-ex...

abc.net.au

There’s been hints that #ColossalBio has been playing fast and loose with their #RedWolf conservation plans and so–called ghost red wolves, of course along with very clickbaitable headlines. This thread is an excellent explainer, as is this video 🐺 👻 m.youtube.com/watch?v=V9fL...

Colossal Lies about Red Wolves

YouTube video by FloridianHoundsman

m.youtube.com

Wildlife Wire@wildlifewire.bsky.social · last mo.

Colossal’s new USFWS-backed deal to biobank ESA-protected species made headlines. While this may sound like positive action, it’s alarming for the critically endangered red wolf. Here’s why the partnership raises serious concerns for the species’ future🧵: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/c...

I also wrote about this last year and I agree with you... There is SO much misinformation on what this tech company is actually doing! factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....

Trump cabinet official misleads on 'de-extinction' after wolf cub announcement

The much-publicized introduction of genetically modified cubs that share features of extinct dire wolves sparked claims amplified by President Donald Trump's administration that fears about endangered...

factcheck.afp.com

i mean, ugh. de-extinction is a horrible bedrock basis for modern species conservation. what??

Concerns that genetic engineering would replace critical conservation work heightened when Mr. Burgum, the interior secretary, celebrated the company's announcement on X, writing that "the marvel of 'de-extinction' technology can help forge a future where populations are never at risk."

The San Diego Zoo already has one and it's actually based on science instead of hype. sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/story-hub/fr...

The Frozen Zoo: 50 Years in the Making

A timeline of inspiration, impact, and innovative wildlife conservation

sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org

Is the Trump administration teaming up with a company built around what geneticist Adam Rutherford calls "a con, full of gloss, bullshit and ghoulish greed" a match made in heaven? www.gmwatch.org/en/106-news/...

Faking it without making it: The de-extinction disinfo campaign manager’s history of hype

How Colossal Biosciences’ CEO Ben Lamm keeps the hype cycle going. By Jonathan Matthews

gmwatch.org

Sigh. More #ColossalBio grift — they literally have no product to sell, so “partner” with governments to build the “Colossal BioVault” system (up to 10 I think) and garner more press coverage, all the while the San Diego Frozen Zoo and others have been doing this for decades 1/n

Carl Zimmer@carlzimmer.com · last mo.

The US government is entering a partnership to store frozen cells and other biological samples from endangered and threatened species with Colossal, a private company best known for claiming to "de-extinct" dire wolves. Story by me & @catrineinhorn.bsky.social Gift link: nyti.ms/43Rzhfw

Today is #WorldSeabirdDay !🐧 Worldwide, there are 365 seabird species grouped into 17 families.🌎 BirdLife’s Seabird Tracking Database hosts one of the most comprehensive collections of seabird tracking data, helping address the growing threats to seabirds. Discover more👉 www.seabirdtracking.org

Should we mess with nature? www.marketplace.org/episode/2026...

Should we mess with nature?

Every time humans try to “fix” nature, we tend to create a new mess that needs fixing.

marketplace.org

Oh lord. This "de-extinction" stuff is just absolute nonsense on stilts.

Nic Rawlence@nicrawlencenz.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Just what we need....another colonialist de-extinction company wanting to resurrect animals from the dead, this time Aotearoa New Zealand's huia 🤬 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmom...

I'd put Colassal Biosciences somewhere in between Greenwater Services and Four Seasons Total Landscaping on a scale of trustworthiness and competence. Trump always finds the worst goddamn people.

Carl Zimmer@carlzimmer.com · last mo.

The US government is entering a partnership to store frozen cells and other biological samples from endangered and threatened species with Colossal, a private company best known for claiming to "de-extinct" dire wolves. Story by me & @catrineinhorn.bsky.social Gift link: nyti.ms/43Rzhfw

Conservation scientist here: Is there value in storing genetic samples from species of conservation concern? Sure. Would I trust basically any random person in the world to do this well more than I trust Colossal Biosciences? Yes.

Carl Zimmer@carlzimmer.com · last mo.

The US government is entering a partnership to store frozen cells and other biological samples from endangered and threatened species with Colossal, a private company best known for claiming to "de-extinct" dire wolves. Story by me & @catrineinhorn.bsky.social Gift link: nyti.ms/43Rzhfw