Extinction News
June 16, 2025
Top Headlines
June 15, 2025 — Underground fungi may be one of Earth s most powerful and overlooked allies in the fight against climate change, yet most of them remain unknown to science. Known only by DNA, these "dark taxa" make up a shocking 83% of ectomycorrhizal species fungi ...
June 15, 2025 — Ten thousand years after mastodons disappeared, scientists have unearthed powerful fossil evidence proving these elephant cousins were vital seed spreaders for large-fruited trees in South America. ...
June 14, 2025 — Study suggests that appetite for bushmeat -- rather than black market for scales to use in traditional Chinese medicine -- is driving West Africa's illegal hunting of one of the world's most ...
June 12, 2025 — Reef "beauty salons" staffed by tiny cleaner fish aren t just for parasite removal they may also shape the microbial life of the entire ecosystem. A fascinating new study shows these bustling fish stations influence which microbes move around the ...
June 10, 2025 — After millions of years of evolutionary isolation, Madagascar developed an unparalleled array of wildlife, and recent research has uncovered an unsung ecological hero: the lizard. Though often ...
June 9, 2025 — For millions of years, large herbivores like mastodons and giant deer shaped the Earth's ecosystems, which astonishingly stayed stable despite extinctions and upheavals. A new study reveals that only twice in 60 million years did environmental ...
June 6, 2025 — Frogs, salamanders, and other amphibians are not just battling habitat loss and pollution they're now also contending with increasingly brutal heat waves and droughts. A sweeping 40-year study shows a direct link between the rise in extreme weather ...
June 3, 2025 — To satisfy the seafood needs of billions of people, offering them access to a more biodiverse array of fish creates opportunities to mix-and-match species to obtain better nutrition from smaller ...
May 30, 2025 — A new species of velvet worm, Peripatopsis barnardi, represents the first ever species from the arid Karoo, which indicates that the area was likely historically more forested than at present. In the Cape Fold Mountains, we now know that every ...
May 30, 2025 — Forest-based agroforestry can restore forests, promote livelihoods, and combat climate change, but emerging agroforestry initiatives focusing only on tree planting is leading to missed opportunities to support beneficial outcomes of forest ...
May 30, 2025 — A new study shows that wildlife underpass tunnels dramatically reduce deaths of frog, salamanders, and other amphibians migrating across ...
May 30, 2025 — A study finds small-scale tree cover in Costa Rica boosts biodiversity while limiting dangerous mosquito ...
Latest Headlines
updated 12:11pm EDT
June 13, 2025 — Despite Earth's most devastating mass extinction wiping out over 80% of marine life and half of land species, a group of early reptiles called archosauromorphs not only survived but thrived, ...
June 10, 2025 — A prehistoric digestive time capsule has been unearthed in Australia: plant fossils found inside a sauropod dinosaur offer the first definitive ...
May 29, 2025 — Spring in the Arctic brings forth a plethora of peeps and downy hatchlings as millions of birds gather to raise their young. The same was true 73 million years ago, according to a new article. The ...
May 29, 2025 — Replanting forests can help cool the planet even more than some scientists once believed, especially in the tropics. But even if every tree lost since the mid-19th century is replanted, the total ...
May 29, 2025 — Scientists have documented the way a single gene in the bacterium that causes bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis, allowed it to survive hundreds of ...
May 29, 2025 — Palaeontologists have analyzed the most complete stegosaurian skull ever found in Europe and rewritten the evolutionary history of this iconic group of ...
May 29, 2025 — As rising global temperatures alter ecosystems worldwide, animal species usually have two choices: adapt to changing local conditions or flee to a cooler clime. Ecologists have long assumed that the ...
May 28, 2025 — Many bat species native to Germany, such as the Leisler's bat, are forest specialists. However, as it is becoming increasingly hard for them to find ...
May 28, 2025 — This study measured the growth rate of coral reefs in Honaunau Bay, Hawaii, using on-site data gathering and aerial imagery. Researchers found that the reefs are being eroded by sea urchin ...
May 27, 2025 — Researchers conducted a systematic review of 99 scientific publications that compared the flora or fauna of old-growth forests, managed forests and clearcut sites in boreal Europe. The reviewed ...
Earlier Headlines
May 27, 2025 — Scientists, who have spent more than a decade examining the impact of artificial light at night on the world's coasts and oceans, have shown that more than one-fifth of the global ocean -- an ...
May 23, 2025 — New international research demonstrates global-scale patterns in how El Ni o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences mangrove growth and degradation. Previously, impacts had only been documented at ...
May 23, 2025 — A new study shows that monitoring and managing select bird species can provide benefits for other species within specific ...
May 22, 2025 — Research reveals that for C. elegans worms, the presence of dead members of their species has profound behavioral and physiological effects, leading them to more quickly reproduce and shortening ...
May 22, 2025 — New research shows how rapidly proliferating turf algae are waging 'chemical warfare' to inhibit the recovery of kelp forests along Maine's warming ...
May 22, 2025 — Scientists have analyzed ancient DNA and compared more than 400 fossils from 17 natural history museums to figure out how and why extinct sloths got so ...
May 22, 2025 — An analysis of 900 species over a 20-year period showed that biodiversity enhances ecosystem stability and helps safeguard natural communities in a changing ...
May 22, 2025 — New research examining 11,700 years of bowhead whale persistence throughout the Arctic projects that sea ice loss due to climate change will cause their habitat to severely contract by up to 75 per ...
May 21, 2025 — Songbirds who make the arduous flight from their nesting sites in northern boreal forests to warm, southern climates in the winter may be rewarded for their journey with greater genetic ...
May 20, 2025 — Forests play a crucial role in promoting health and wellbeing, but not all forests provide the same benefits. A large-scale study demonstrates how specific forest characteristics -- such as canopy ...
May 20, 2025 — A novel analysis suggests more than 3,500 animal species are threatened by climate change and also sheds light on huge gaps in fully understanding the risk to the animal ...
May 19, 2025 — A new report identifies the top 12 emerging threats that could accelerate pollinator losses within the next 5-15 years, according to ten of the world's leading ...
May 19, 2025 — Animal abduction: Biologists documented five male capuchin monkeys carrying at least eleven different infant howler monkeys -- a behavior never before seen in wild primates. Rise and spread: The ...
May 16, 2025 — A new study reveals that heat-tolerant symbiotic algae may be essential to saving elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) -- a foundational species in Caribbean reef ecosystems -- from the devastating ...
May 16, 2025 — In the natural world -- where predators pounce, prey flee, and group members feed and sleep in solidarity -- animal behavior is glorious in its variety. Now, new research suggests there may be an ...
May 16, 2025 — A study has shown scientific knowledge on the conservation of endangered species is often overlooked when not presented in ...
May 15, 2025 — The Amazon rainforest may be able to survive long-term drought caused by climate change, but adjusting to a drier, warmer world would exact a heavy toll, a study ...
May 15, 2025 — Natural ecosystems comprise groups of species capable of living in the specific conditions of a biological system. However, if we visit a specific natural area, we will not find all the species ...
May 15, 2025 — A new study shows that seagrass ecosystems along the northern half of Florida's Gulf Coast have remained relatively healthy and undisturbed for the last several thousand ...
May 14, 2025 — Before Homo sapiens arrived, Europe's forests were not dense and dark but shaped by open and light-rich woodland landscapes. Researchers have analyzed 917 native forest plant species in Central ...
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Friday, May 23, 2025
- El Niño and La Niña Climate Swings Threaten Mangroves Worldwide
- Managing Surrogate Species, Providing a Conservation Umbrella for More Species
Thursday, May 22, 2025
- The Scent of Death? Worms Experience Altered Fertility and Lifespan When Exposed to Dead Counterparts
- New Study Reveals How Competition Between Algae Is Transforming the Gulf of Maine
- Scientists Have Figured out How Extinct Giant Ground Sloths Got So Big and Where It All Went Wrong
- Diversity Is Key to Ecosystem Stability
- Climate Change Poses Severe Threat to Bowhead Whale Habitat
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
- Forest Management Can Influence Health Benefits
- Thousands of Animal Species Threatened by Climate Change
Monday, May 19, 2025
- Bees Facing New Threats, Putting Our Survival and Theirs at Risk
- Capuchin Monkeys Develop Bizarre 'fad' Of Abducting Baby Howlers
Friday, May 16, 2025
- Heat-Tolerant Symbionts a Critical Key to Protecting Florida's Elkhorn Coral from Bleaching During Marine Heatwaves
- Very Different Mammals Follow the Same Rules of Behavior
- Language a Barrier in Biodiversity Work
Thursday, May 15, 2025
- Amazon Could Survive Long-Term Drought but at a High Cost
- Human Activity Reduces Plant Diversity Hundreds of Kilometers Away
- Scientists Use Fossils to Assess the Health of Florida's Largest Remaining Seagrass Bed: Surprisingly, It's Doing Well!
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
- Europe's Forest Plants Thrive Best in Light-Rich, Semi-Open Woodlands -- Kept Open by Large Herbivores
- Australia's Oldest Prehistoric Tree Frog Hops 22 Million Years Back in Time
- An Ink That Boosts Coral Reef Settlement by 20 Times
- UV Light and CT Scans Helped Scientists Unlock Hidden Details in a Beautifully-Preserved Fossil Archaeopteryx
- Genome of Near-Extinct Northern White Rhino Offers Hope for Reviving the Species
Monday, May 12, 2025
Friday, May 9, 2025
- First Fossil Evidence of Endangered Tropical Tree Discovered
- New Ancient Fish Species Earliest Known Salmon Ancestor
Thursday, May 8, 2025
- New Study Traces Sharp Regional Shifts in Ischemic Heart Disease Burden -- A Global Warning Signal
- Red Alert for Our Closest Relatives
- Just 30 Species of Tree Dominate World's Most Diverse Savanna
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
- Biologists Create a One-Stop Shop for World's Most Charismatic Plants, Ferns
- Pioneering Research Reveals Tree-Mendous Potential of Inexpensive Drones to Help Community Forests Flourish and Unlock Restoration Funding
- Fewer Parasites in the Indian River Lagoon Signal Big Ecosystem Problems
- Triassic Fossil Reveals Nature's Best Jaw for Hunting Fast Fish
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
- T. Rex's Direct Ancestor Crossed from Asia to North America
- Replanted Rainforests May Benefit from Termite Transplants
- AI Has Untapped Potential to Advance Biodiversity Conservation
- Two New Crocodile Species Discovered
Monday, May 5, 2025
- Halo Patterns Around Coral Reefs May Signal Resilience
- How Are They Biting? High Speed Video Reveals Unexpected Jaw Movements in Reef Fish
- Saving the Asian 'unicorn' -- If It Still Exists
- Ancient Poems Tell the Story of Charismatic River Porpoise's Decline Over the Past 1,400 Years
Friday, May 2, 2025
Thursday, May 1, 2025
- Study Shows How Millions of Bird Sightings Unlock Precision Conservation
- Intensifying Farmland Can Sometimes Degrade Biodiversity More Than Expansion
- Ptero Firma: Footprints Pinpoint When Ancient Flying Reptiles Conquered the Ground
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
- Deciphering the Migratory Behavior and Connectivity of Mediterranean and Atlantic Cory's Shearwaters
- From the Front Garden to the Continent: Why Biodiversity Does Not Increase Evenly from Small to Large
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Monday, April 28, 2025
- Elephant Instead of Wild Boar? What Could Have Been in Europe
- Want to Understand Grasslands? Look at the Bigger Picture
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
- Paying Fishers to Release Endangered Catches Can Aid Conservation, but Only If Done Right
- Nature Accounting in Colombia Makes Sound Economic Case for Protecting Native Ecosystems
- How Bacteria in Our Aging Guts Can Elevate Risk of Leukemia and Perhaps More
- What Rattlesnake Venom Can Teach Us About Evolution: New USF Study
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Monday, April 21, 2025
- What If Mother Earth Could Sue for Mistreatment?
- Introduced Trees Are Becoming More Common in the Eastern United States, While Native Diversity Declines
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
- Secret to Crocodylian Longevity
- Experiment in Floodplain Forest: Using Tree Mortality to Support Oak Regeneration
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Monday, April 14, 2025
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
- European Bird Declines Linked to Range of Climatic Conditions Experienced
- Coral Reefs Exude Myriad Chemicals, Fueling Dynamic Microbial Recycling of Nutrients
- Prehistoric Rhinos Lived in Super-Herds
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
- Life Recovered Rapidly at Site of Dino-Killing Asteroid: A Hydrothermal System May Have Helped
- Declining Insect Biodiversity in the Tropics
- Restoration Programs Won’t Save Coral Reefs
- Dinosaurs' Apparent Decline Prior to Asteroid May Be Due to Poor Fossil Record
Monday, April 7, 2025
Friday, April 4, 2025
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
- Ancient Amphibians as Big as Alligators Died in Mass Mortality Event in Triassic Wyoming
- Footprints Reveal Prehistoric Scottish Lagoons Were Stomping Grounds for Giant Jurassic Dinosaurs
- Sensing Sickness: New Method for Boosting Bee Health
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
- Mammals Were Adapting from Life in the Trees to Living on the Ground Before Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid
- Surprising Number of Environmental Pollutants in Hedgehogs
Monday, March 31, 2025
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
- Coral Diseases and Water Quality Play a Key Role for Coral Restoration and Survival Efforts
- How Elephants Plan Their Journeys: New Study Reveals Energy-Saving Strategies
- Getting Hit by Lightning Is Good for Some Tropical Trees
- The Devastating Human Impact on Biodiversity
Monday, March 24, 2025
- Teaching Kids About Bugs Benefits the Environment
- Introduced Pacific Oysters Provide Biodiversity Benefits in Port River
Thursday, March 20, 2025
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
- New 'shy' Fungus Found in Old-Growth Forest
- Red Coral Colonies Survive a Decade After Being Transplanted in the Medes Islands
- Scientists Uncover Principles Underlying the Toxicity of 'selfish' Genes
- Coastal Guardians Pioneer a New Way to Protect the Florida Keys' Shorelines
- Time Is Not the Driving Influence of Forest Carbon Storage
- Conservation Efforts Are Bringing Species Back from the Brink, Even as Overall Biodiversity Falls
- Conservation Efforts Analysis Reveals Which Actions Are Most Helpful for Endangered Species Status
Monday, March 17, 2025
- How a Hummingbird Chick Acts Like a Caterpillar to Survive
- Wolves Make a Rapid Recovery in Europe
- Unique Dove Species Is the Dodo of the Caribbean and in Similar Danger of Dying out
- How Big Brains and Flexible Skulls Led to the Evolution of Modern Birds
- Iguanas Floated One-Fifth of the Way Around the World to Colonize Fiji