Cane-toad fighting Australians had better brace themselves for more bad amphibious news this week. Researchers at the University of Sydney have found that the invasive, poisonous cane toad that has been goading the southern continent for the better part of the last century will have a distinct advantage as global temperatures …
Animals
Asian Carp All Up in the Great Lakes
Fishermen in Lake Clumet, Illinois—just six miles downstream from Lake Michigan—netted a fish on Tuesday. That generally being what fishermen do, the news wouldn’t have caused much of a stir, but this was no ordinary fish. They caught a 20 lb. bighead carp, one of a number of Asian carp species that were imported into the U.S. in …
Hopes for a New Whaling Plan Fade As Talks Break Down
When Iceland resumed commercial whaling in 2006, an old whaling station in a deep, beautiful green fjord called Hvalfjordur — or ‘whale fjord’ — was dusted off about an hour’s drive outside the capital of Reykjavik. The company that had lobbied the government to resume commercial whaling was, in fact, the only company that …
Strawberries at Wimbledon: Not to bee?
Horror at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) as The Daily Telegraph reports that one of Wimbledon’s greatest traditions—strawberries and cream—is under threat. Apparently, the mass decline in bumblebees and other pollinators will cause “wonky” strawberries—perfectly shaped strawbs are created only when every …
Hot Times in Antarctica
The world’s polar regions are warming up faster than the global average, but the western edge of the Antarctic Peninsula is especially steamy. Over the past 50 years, winter temperatures have shot up by an almost unbelievable 6°C—more than five times the global average, according to a paper just published in Science.
Support for Japan’s Whaling: On the Verge of Extinction?
Whaling hasn’t had an overwhelming surge of global support since the days of oil lamps and corsets, but the eastern hemisphere’s tolerance for Japan’s ongoing hunt is wearing particularly thin these days.
The latest to jump ship is Palau, a Pacific island a few thousand miles south of Tokyo which has backed Japan in its exploitation …
White-Nose Syndrome Kills Bats Dead
If white-nose syndrome attacked a cuter species, we’d be all over it. But just because bats that are being afflicted—and not cute bunnies—doesn’t make the sudden spread of this disease any less worrying. Today the Center for Biological Diversity reported an outbreak of the disease in a new species of bat, the southeastern myotis, in …
Canine Cognition
The dogs at Duke University’s Center for Canine Cognition lab learn new tricks
Same-Sex Overtures Across Species
“Gay” behavior in lower-order animals isn’t the same as it is in humans, but a new study offers theories for its evolutionary purpose
Madagascar’s Remarkable Flora and Fauna
The island nation’s isolation has given rise to some of the world’s most fascinating plants and animals