She helped save one of the world's rarest creatures from extinction - and herself along the way
Jana Johnson was a struggling grad student in 2003 when she first met the butterfly that would change her life.She was 34, with two little boys and a crumbling marriage.Her research into the effect of wildfires on reptiles in the Santa Monica Mountains had stalled, she was juggling multiple part-time jobs, and her family was far away in Texas.
London Is Making Waves As This Inland Surfing Venue Threads Its Way To Enfield
The Wave is bringing an exciting inland surfing destination to London, offering man-made waves for surfing without the need to check surf forecasts.
The Wave in Enfield reflects a vision of inclusivity, biodiversity focus, and access to green spaces, providing diverse activities beyond surfing. [ more ]
Financial Market Challenges and ML-Supported Asset Allocation
Editor's note: Peter Schwendner, PhD is a speaker for ODSC Europe this June.Be sure to check out his talk, "ML Applications in Asset Allocation and Portfolio Management," there!The year 2022 presented two significant turnarounds for tech: the first one is the immediate public visibility of generative AI due to ChatGPT.
Biodiversity: Can extinctions be stopped? DW 03/05/2024
Humans are driving the sixth mass extinction by significantly increasing the extinction rate of species through activities like deforestation and pollution.
Conservation measures have been able to reverse declines in some species, but efforts may fail if the approach is not correct. [ more ]
Biodiversity: Can extinctions be stopped? DW 03/05/2024
Humans are driving the sixth mass extinction with an extinction rate pushed to around 27,000 annually.
Conservation measures, including breeding programs, environmental laws, and reserves, have helped reverse declines in some species, but are insufficient to compensate for rapid global extinction rates. [ more ]
I discovered a way to identify the millions of species on Earth after a lightbulb moment in the supermarket
The challenge of identifying diverse moth species overwhelmed a seasoned entomologist, leading to a breakthrough idea of using DNA for species identification. [ more ]
The Perfect Long Weekend in Dunedin: Biking Florida's Coast-to-Coast Trail With Jeff Jenkins
Florida has an extensive trail network for various activities like biking, walking, hiking, and kayaking.
The Coast-to-Coast Trail in Florida is a significant 250-mile route connecting the Gulf of Mexico on the West Coast to the Atlantic on the East Coast. [ more ]
Four New Octopus Species Discovered in the Deep Sea
Scientists have discovered four new species of deep-sea octopuses off the coast of Costa Rica.
The octopuses were found near hydrothermal vents, suggesting they may have evolved to use the warmth from the vents to accelerate the incubation process. [ more ]
Bizarre Blue ‘Jellyfish’ Washing Up on California Beaches Are a Sign of Spring
Along the U.S. Pacific coast, droves of alien creatures about the size of a doughnut are washing up on beaches and leaving a mat of briefly blue debris that soon fades to a crackly white-hiding just how bizarre these animals are."Most people experience them as some kind of weird, off-white, old-toenail-color crunchiness that you walk on on the beach," says Julia Parrish, a marine ecologist at the University of Washington.
Hunters and Anglers Are Critical to Climate Change Action
"Everything everywhere all at once" became more than an Oscar-sweeping movie title recently as the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) described what it will take to halt and reverse the disastrous effects of climate change in the last piece of its sixth report.
Amazon rainforest nears tipping points, but it's not too late: study finds
As much as half of the Amazon rainforest may cross tipping points as soon as 2050, affecting Earth's biodiversity and carbon balance sheet.
Greenhouse gas emissions cuts and curbs in deforestation can reduce the likelihood and severity of large-scale shifts in the Amazon rainforest. [ more ]
Amazon rainforest could reach tipping point' by 2050, scientists warn
10% to 47% of Amazonian forests will be threatened by a combination of impacts including global warming, changing rainfall, deforestation and fires.
This could trigger the collapse of forest ecosystems, causing irreversible loss of wildlife, affecting rainfall, and hitting lives and livelihoods. [ more ]
Conservation groups hail Cop28 plans to protect nature
Conservation groups are pleased with the inclusion of biodiversity and a global deforestation goal in the UAE consensus from Cop28.
There are concerns that the language on fossil fuel emissions is not strong enough to address global heating and its impact on forest resilience. [ more ]
UN: Nearly half of migratory species are in decline as global extinction risks rise
More than a fifth of migratory species are threatened with extinction, with habitat loss and overexploitation being the biggest threats.
97% of listed migratory fish are at risk of extinction due to habitat loss and overexploitation, climate change, pollution, and invasive species. [ more ]
Norway's deep-sea mining plans could put it on collision course with the EU
The European Parliament raised concerns over Norway's plans for deep-sea mining and its potential impact on EU fisheries, food security, and Arctic marine biodiversity.
Norway, despite not being an EU member, is bound by the EEA Agreement and must adopt European laws in exchange for access to the single market. [ more ]
Asian hornet warning as bee-killers could bring ecological nightmare' to UK
Asian hornets pose a major threat to British honey bees and can eat 30 to 50 a day.
Beekeepers are urging the public to report sightings of Asian hornets and to be cautious when clearing shrubs and trees, as they may disturb hornet nests. [ more ]
Chance to buy landmark Yorkshire crag is genuinely unique opportunity'
The sale of one of Yorkshire's best-known landmarks has been described as a genuinely unique opportunity.Kilnsey Crag is the 170ft-high (52m) limestone cliff which dominates the drive into Upper Wharfedale, in the Yorkshire Dales.As well as featuring on countless postcards, the crag is a well-known climbing hot-spot and was even painted by JMW Turner in 1816.
Royal Mail unveils four decorated postboxes across UK to celebrate coronation
Royal Mail has unveiled four specially decorated postboxes across the UK to mark the coronation.The boxes in Westminster, central London; Edinburgh; Cardiff; and Hillsborough, Northern Ireland display the occasion's official emblem.The Westminster postbox is situated close to Westminster Abbey where the coronation will take place on Saturday.
Wildflower seeds for primary schools to mark coronation
Wildflower seeds are to be sent to primary schools so that children can mark the coronation by sharing the King's love of nature.It is hoped children will want to learn about and improve the biodiversity of schools' green spaces and also make them nicer places to work and learn, under the scheme run by the Department for Education (DfE) and the Eden Project.
Ed Davey brands pumping sewage into waterways a crime against nature'
The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, has called for tighter regulation to stop the pumping of sewage into rivers and seas which he branded a crime against nature.The party has released analysis of Environment Agency figures that show water companies dumped sewage into England's chalk streams for 14,162 hours last year.
Coffee production has evolved from shade-grown to unshaded monocultures, but there is renewed interest in shade-grown coffee due to biodiversity concerns.
Shade-grown coffee provides habitat for a variety of creatures and helps to preserve biodiversity in coffee-growing regions. [ more ]
Key EU biodiversity law makes next stage despite rebellion from MEPs
The European Union has passed a new biodiversity law aimed at protecting ecosystems and species from the effects of human activities.
The new law requires member states to set sustainability targets, such as reducing the impact of fishing on marine ecosystems, and creates a new fund to support conservation efforts. [ more ]
Poverty, climate, regional stability on agenda as Saudi crown prince visits France
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris as part of an official visit, during which he will also participate in a global financing summit aimed at fighting poverty and climate change.Macron and the prince sat down for a one-to-one working lunch at the Elysee presidential palace.
Four New Octopus Species Discovered in the Deep Sea
Scientists have discovered four new species of deep-sea octopuses off the coast of Costa Rica.
The octopuses were found near hydrothermal vents, suggesting they may have evolved to use the warmth from the vents to accelerate the incubation process. [ more ]
Four New Octopus Species Discovered in the Deep Sea
Scientists have discovered four new species of deep-sea octopuses off the coast of Costa Rica.
The octopuses were found near hydrothermal vents, suggesting they may have evolved to use the warmth from the vents to accelerate the incubation process. [ more ]
Undulating green roof helps Creek Cabin "live in harmony with the surrounding environment"
An undulating green roof and timber cladding help this Suffolk house by MAP Architecture and Jon Broome Architects, which was designed to Passivhaus standards, blend into the surrounding wetland.Named Creek Cabin, the home was built into a bank in the Suffolk Broads Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and was designed to pay respect to the nature on the site.
Pattern found in world's rainforests where 2% of species make up 50% of trees
Just 2% of rainforest tree species account for 50% of the trees found in tropical forests across Africa, the Amazon and south-east Asia.
Understanding the commonest tree species in tropical rainforests can help predict how the entire forest will respond to environmental changes. [ more ]
How Much Can Trees Fight Climate Change? Massively, but Not Alone, Study Finds.
Restoring global forests where they occur naturally could capture a third of the carbon humans have released since the Industrial Era.
Allowing existing forests to recover to maturity could provide extra carbon storage, but there are caveats like timber and palm oil needs, carbon loss from climate change, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions is necessary.
Forests are essential for addressing climate and biodiversity crises, but the reliance on trees to solve the climate crisis is a subject of debate. [ more ]
Residents dismayed by wanton destruction' of trees along rail line in Lewisham
R esidents in a south London conservation area are outraged by the sudden felling of trees for rail improvements.Joy Carter was shocked by the scale of the three-mile cull in habitats where 30 species of birds, rare insects and hedgehogs breed.Network Rail apologised for letting down locals who were initially told the latest work would begin this Sunday.
Reintroduction of endangered vulture in Spain paused over planned windfarm
Conservationists in Spain are calling for a profound debate on how best to balance the protection of wildlife with renewable energy demands after efforts to reintroduce endangered bearded vultures to an eastern area of the country had to be paused because of the threat posed by a huge new windfarm.The bearded vulture known in Spanish as the quebrantahuesos, or bone-breaker, because of the way it drops bones from a great height so they shatter and yield their marrow was common across the country until the 20th century, when it was poisoned and hunted to the brink of extinction.
England's vital hedges under threat from cuts to funding, farmers say
1. England is facing a major funding cut for vital hedges as a result of Brexit, which could have significant consequences for the country's farming industry. 2. Financial support for farmers is being reduced due to the UK's decision to leave the European Union, which could cause a significant decrease in crop
Drivers will have better views of monuments under new plans to boost the green credentials of England's busiest roads.National Highways said it wants to protect and enhance heritage assets adjacent to motorways and major A roads.This includes improving the visibility and accessibility of historically significant sites, and providing more information to road users about the features of areas they are travelling through.
Flagship EU law to restore nature must not be derailed, warns environment chief
A flagship law to restore nature across Europe must be agreed by member states or risk sending a dangerous, negative signal to the world, the EU's environment commissioner has warned, amid growing opposition to the legislation.Last June, the European Commission revealed proposals for legally binding targets for all member states to restore wildlife on land, rivers and the sea.
Field of fresh cow pats welcomes first dung beetles to be rewilded in France
In a forest clearing filled with cowpats, French history is being made: the country's first translocation of dung beetles in a nature reserve near Bordeaux.With the same pomp and ceremony afforded to the release of an Iberian lynx or a European bison, about 60 ball rolling insects were brought to the marshy forests of Etang de Cousseau in south-west France on Wednesday to restore a vital ecosystem function on the Atlantic coast.
Scientists Sequenced DNA of Nearly Every Mammal on Earth in Unprecedented Project
ABSTRACT breaks down mind-bending scientific research, future tech, new discoveries, and major breakthroughs.Scientists from across the globe have sequenced and compared the DNA of almost all forms of mammals, in the most massive and ambitious genetics project ever.In a package of 11 studies published on Thursday in a special issue of Science, researchers outline what they've learned from this formidable undertaking, dubbed the Zoonomia Project.
Review: Julia Wolfe's unEarth' Is Crowded Out by Multimedia
Since moving back into David Geffen Hall this season, the New York Philharmonic has tried to use its newly renovated, technologically adept space to give extra multimedia glamour to a few premieres.Etienne Charles's San Juan Hill opened the season in October, and dealt directly with the midcentury displacement of economically vulnerable populations on the blocks that became Lincoln Center.
Family of foxes make Chicago's Millennium Park home
Below the towering skyscrapers lining Chicago's Millennium Park, an unlikely group is holing up in a garden: A family of foxes.Several kits frolicked in Lurie Garden as their mother looked on Sunday night.They played on the walkway, groomed one another atop a concrete slab and walked under metal gates lining the park.
Forest regeneration scheme has created area smaller than Regent's Park
A government scheme to support the natural regeneration of trees has in two years created an area of new woodland smaller than Regent's Park in London.Just 192 hectares (474 acres) of natural colonisation have been established in England through the woodland creation offer, a financial support package launched by the government in May 2021 after natural regeneration was hailed as one of the cheapest, efficient and most wildlife-friendly ways of increasing tree cover and capturing carbon.
Lina Ghotmeh wraps Hermes leather workshop in "galloping arches"
Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh has created a brick workshop in Louviers, France, for luxury brand Hermès that is the first industrial building to achieve France's highest environmental labelling.The wood-framed Maroquinerie de Louviers workshop, located in Hermès' hub in Normandy, was built from over 500,000 bricks produced by local brick-makers located 70 kilometres from the site.
Synthetic gasoline promises neutral emissionsbut the math doesn't work
Synthetic fuel promises to put gasoline back in our future.Motorsport will be using it in 2026, and European Union law is using it as a stay of execution for the combustion engine.Advertising promises that a future without fossil fuels doesn't need to be one without gasoline.But burning petrochemicals, wherever they come from, is still burning petrochemicals, and synthetic fuels come at a cost their supporters aren't talking about.
Some 800,000 years ago , the Earth's climate cooled, and huge glaciers invaded what is now the Western United States.Areas once teeming with life became uninhabitable to many species.But most of them weren't driven to extinction.Instead, prehistoric climate refugees migrated to regions that for one reason or another were buffered from the cold and the ice - from the Southwestern desert lowlands to sheltered, temperate nooks in the Pacific Northwest.
Nearly All of Earth's Ecological Vital Signs Are In The 'Danger Zone' Scientists Warn
1. Recent scientific evidence suggests that the Earth is rapidly entering an 'ecological danger zone' due to human-caused global warming and habitat destruction. 2. In order to prevent the Earth from entering a state of 'irreversible environmental damage', immediate action must be taken to reduce emissions,
Keeping 1.5C alive bottom of desired outcomes for global businesses at Cop28'
Limiting global warming to 1.5C is bottom of the list for global businesses' desired outcomes at this year's Cop28, new research has shown.The findings suggest the business world has a lack of confidence in the Glasgow Climate Pact pledge to keep 1.5C alive from Cop26 and that some markets have already priced-in exceeding the target, according to researchers from advisory firm East & Partners and consultancy Impact & Influence.
FLORA observatory suspends among a canopy of treetops to research the biodiversity of a natural park in Barcelona - Yanko Design
Called the Forest Lab for Observational Research and Analysis (FLORA), this observatory is located at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), suspended among the treetops of Barcelona's Collserola Natural Park.The innovative and unique scientific research facility is developed by students and researchers of Masters in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities.
Just Between Us Squirrels, There Might Be Trouble in the Arctic Dating Scene
Male Arctic ground squirrels go through puberty every year.As if that wasn't hard enough, now the females have a problem, too.According to a paper published on Thursday in the journal Science, climate change appears to be making them emerge from hibernation earlier.That matters, because it could throw off the timing of the animals' mating cycle.
Rise in Sightings of Honeybee Swarms Has U.K. Beekeepers Scrambling
The sight is one that beekeepers say is understandably intimidating to the ordinary person out for a walk: a sliver of sky suddenly darkening amid the collective roar of thousands of honeybees before they cluster on branches or bushes.In Britain, the behavior, known as swarming, typically takes place from May to July and is a natural process in which a honeybee colony splits in half and leaves with a queen bee in search of a new home.
New garden cities and suburbs are a solution to the housing crisis | Observer letters
Rowan Moore mentions how 2.8 million people now live in areas based on the idea of the garden city (Green belts once served a purpose, but now they are squeezing the life out of cities, Comment).In order to start solving the housing problem, would it not be possible to build new garden cities and suburbs?
Allotments plan for wasteland in Hounslow to help pupils learn about food
Hounslow Council's Grow for the Future scheme has been awarded 165,000 from the government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund.It means unused and unloved council land that is currently being used for fly-tipping or is inaccessible to the public will be transformed into new allotments, community gardens and orchards.
Visiting the Migrant Camp at the San Diego-Tijuana Border
Image A migrant camp in between the border walls that separate San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico.Credit...Mark Abramson for The New York Times SAN DIEGO At California's southern border, two parallel, towering fences stretch for miles, their reddish steel beams cutting through rugged hillsides thick with tall stocks of yellow wildflowers and marking where Mexico ends and the United States begins.
Chonk the snapping turtle delights locals with Chicago River appearance
A large snapping turtle dubbed Chonk has become a viral favorite of Chicago residents after the enormous reptile has been spotted repeatedly lounging by the once-toxic Chicago River.Look at the size of that thing!Joey Santore said as he filmed Chonkosaurus, or Chonk, as the giant creature lay atop of what appears to be an old rusty chain and tree snags.
Rwanda floods, landslides fueled by climate change DW 05/09/2023
At least 130 people died amid severe flooding and landslides in Rwanda in early May, while thousands were displaced as entire villages were engulfed.Beyond the 5000 homes, 17 roads and 26 bridges destroyed, a whole hospital was lost amid torrential rain that followed an extended drought.The small, mountainous, landlocked African nation often called the "land of a thousand hills" is one of the most densely-populated countries in the region, note researchers.
Indigenous Shipibo-Konibo-Xetebo Group Defends Peruvian Amazon From Destruction
Aerial view of Cano Belludo, a tributary of the Ucayali River, in Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, Ucayali River, Peru.Kike Calvo / Universal Images Group via Getty Images The Shipibo-Konibo-Xetebo people of the Peruvian Amazon are organizing themselves to protect their ancestral forests and waters from illegal fishing, logging, and coca growing amidst conservation and development efforts from both the government and international nonprofits that they say are ineffective at best and actively harmful to Indigenous ways of life at worst.
EPA Report Shows Common Family of Pesticides Poses Threat to Over 200 Species
A bee pollenates a flower during a bloom of yellow wildflowers in Palos Verdes Estates, California on May 5, 2023.PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP via Getty Images A newly published assessment from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns that three of the most commonly used neonicotinoid insecticides threaten the continued existence of more than 200 endangered plant and animal species.
This Map Shows The Best National Parks For Wildlife
Summer is just around the corner.If you haven't locked in your vacation plans, or you're desperately looking for day trips to keep the kids busy, a new map that outlines which national parks have the best biodiversity might be a great way to start your search.Vacation rental company Casago wanted to find out the best state parks across the U.S. that are perfect for families who are obsessed with wildlife.
Environmental groups sue the FAA over SpaceX launch from Texas
Several environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday, saying that the agency had not sufficiently regulated the launch of SpaceX's Starship rocket from South Texas.In the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, DC, the groups say that the FAA failed to account for the damage caused by testing and launching the Starship rocket, which results in "intense heat, noise, and light that adversely affects surrounding habitat areas and communities, which included designated critical habitat for federally protected species as well as National Wildlife Refuge and State Park lands."
Climate change and the impacts it bring - Iman Yasin (GGS)
Climate change and the impacts it bring - Iman Yasin (GGS) (Image: Iman Yasin) Climate change and the impacts it brings A current environmental catastrophe that threatens both people and animals is human-accelerated climate change.We are already observing effects of the planet being 1C warmer than pre-industrial levels, including as severe weather, rising sea levels, and thinning Arctic Sea ice.
Beginning of a new era': Pacific islanders hail UN vote on climate justice
A group of Pacific Island students who were instrumental in pushing a UN resolution that should make it easier to hold polluting countries legally accountable for failure to act on the climate crisis have greeted its adoption as historic.Young people across the world will recall the day when we were able to get the world's highest court, the international court of justice, to bring its voice to the climate justice fight, said Solomon Yeo, campaign director of Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC), who is from Solomon Islands.
UN adopts 'historic' resolution on legal obligations to fight climate change
The countries of the United Nations led by the island nation of Vanuatu adopted what they called a historic resolution on Wednesday calling for the UN's highest court to strengthen countries' legal obligations to curb warming and protect communities from climate disaster.he resolution was adopted by consensus and Vanuatu's prime minister, Ishmael Kalsakau, called it "a win for climate justice of epic proportions".