Tiny diatoms – which are capable of locking up large amounts of carbon dioxide in ocean floor sediments – could potentially be a big help in putting the brakes on anthropogenic climate change.
Howling Over Federal Plan to Expand Wolf Killing
Following complaints from hunters that they are killing too many deer and elk, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has changed rules regarding states’ and tribes’ rights to “manage” and “remove” – in other words, kill – Gray Wolves that were reintroduced in Idaho and the Greater Yellowstone Region in the 1990’s.
Seagull Blood Used to Detect Oil Spills
Spanish scientists have found that blood samples from the Yellow Legged Seagull can be used to monitor the delayed effects of oil spills on ecosystem health.
Military May Defend Japanese Whalers
Amidst clashes in Antarctica between Japanese whaling boats and the conservation groups Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd, the Japanese government is threatening to send in armed aircraft to protect its whaling fleet.
Refugee link to wildlife decline
The hunting of wild animals by hungry refugees in East Africa threatens wildlife populations, say conservationists.
Elephants Evolve Smaller Tusks Due to Poaching
In what appears to be an example of lightning-quick evolution, the size of African and Indian Elephants’ tusks have grown dramatically smaller in the last 150 years. Oxford scientists suggest that poaching might be the cause of this never-before-seen rate of evolution.
White House Exempts Navy From Sonar Ban, Angering Environmental Groups
The Bush administration has exempted the Navy from the Coastal Zone Management Act, a move which can strengthen the Navy’s case regarding the testing of sonar that may harm or kill marine animals.
Greenpeace 'Heads Off Whale Ship'
Greenpeace activists on the ship Esperanza have succefully driven whalers out of the hunt zone in Japan’s controversial whale hunt, which aims to kill 500 minke whales and 50 fin whales in what some are saying is a front for commercial whaling.
Where Do The Buffalo And Elk Still Roam?
A report released by the World Wildlife Fund and Princeton University shows that about 80% of Earth’s terrestial surface has been rid of large mammals that inhabited them 500 years ago, a result of human impacts that has long term effects on ecosystem health.
Elephants Keep Ants in Harmony With Tree Hosts
Highlighting the unexpected effects of ecological disturbances, a new study suggests that the mutual realtionship between Acacia trees and ants that inhabit and protect the tree can turn ugly in the absence of large herbivores.