Global mass extinction 250 million years ago triggered fungus explosionOctober 5th, 2009 SYDNEY - A new study has determined that the world's worst mass extinction 250 million years ago was the trigger for a fungus explosion, which puts to rest the idea that an asteroid impact may have had a hand in the massive destruction. When the worldwide extinction took place, lush forests lay in ruins all across the supercontinent Pangea.
Let giant pandas go extinct, says leading conservationistSeptember 23rd, 2009 SYDNEY - BBC wildlife presenter and conservationist Chris Packham has stirred controversy after calling on wildlife groups to let giant pandas go extinct because of their inability to effectively evolve. According to a report in www.news.com.au, the leading conservationist has called on wildlife groups to leave giant pandas alone and let them die out "with a degree of dignity".
Scientists define global conservation priorities for endangered carnivoresAugust 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, a team of Brazilian researchers has defined global conservation priorities that encompass socioeconomic and life-history factors for endangered carnivores. The team, led by Dr.
New species emerge just as often as they die outAugust 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study by paleontologists has statistically proven that new species emerge just as often as they die out, with most evolution occurring in small bursts. The study, by Luke Harmon, professor of biological sciences at the University of Idaho, who worked with a research team led by Michael Alfaro, UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) assistant professor of ecology and evolution biology, analyzed the evolution of the 60,000 species of jawed vertebrates using genetic data.
Earth's mass extinctions not likely caused by crashing cometsJuly 31st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new University of Washington research indicates it is highly unlikely that comets have caused any of Earth's mass extinctions or have been responsible for more than one minor extinction event. The work also shows that many long-period comets that end up in Earth-crossing orbits likely originate from a region astronomers have long believed could not produce observable comets.
Australia and Pacific becoming 'extinction hotspots' for animals and plantsJuly 29th, 2009 LONDON - A new study has found that the Earth is in the throes of its "sixth great extinction event" and Australia and the Pacific are becoming the worst regions for the destruction of animals and plants. According to a report in the Telegraph, the study, published in the journal Conservation Biology, said that since records began, Australian agriculture had changed or destroyed half the woodlands and forests of the country.
Caribbean's marine species survived extinction by having sexJuly 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Fossil records of organisms in the Caribbean Sea show that if a species could shift from clonal to sexual reproduction, it can survive extinction, which suggests that environmental change eventually drives evolutionary change. Researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Scripps Institution of Oceanography report that hungry, sexual organisms replaced well-fed, clonal organisms in the Caribbean Sea as the Isthmus of Panama arose, separating the Caribbean from the Pacific.
How humans can help save critically endangered waterbird from extinctionJuly 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Humans can help in saving the world's most threatened bird species, called the white-shouldered ibis or waterbirds, from extinction, according to new findings by the University of East Anglia (UEA). The study by UEA conservation experts explores the exact reasons behind the decline of the critically endangered white-shouldered ibis.
Group: world failing to halt biodiversity decline as more corals, amphibians, mammals in perilJuly 2nd, 2009 Group: World failing to halt biodiversity declineGENEVA — Governments are failing to stem a rapid decline in biodiversity that is now threatening extinction for almost half the world's coral reef species, a third of amphibians and a quarter of mammals, a leading environmental group warned Thursday. "Life on Earth is under serious threat," the International Union for Conservation of Nature said in a 155-page report that describes the past five years of a losing battle to protect species, natural habitats and geographical regions from the devastating effects of man.
30 percent of world's sharks threatened with extinctionJune 25th, 2009 LONDON - In a new assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it has been estimated that over 30 percent of the world's sharks are threatened with extinction. According to a report by BBC News, the Red list gives the status of 64 types of shark and ray, over 30 percent of which face the danger of extinction.
New global programme to save tigers to link IndiaJune 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a bid to save wild tigers from extinction, the Smithsonian Institution and the World Bank Group plan to link relevant institutions in India, China, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand and other tiger range countries with global conservation science and professional training centres. The National Zoo's Conservation and Research Centre located in the Shenandoah Mountains in Front Royal, Virginia, will serve as one of the initial launch-pads for development of the proposed conservation and development network.
Islands important part of any global conservation strategyMay 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has found that rare and unique ecological communities will be lost if oceanic islands aren't adequately considered in a global conservation plan. Although islands tend to harbor fewer species than continental lands of similar size, plants and animals found on islands often live only there, making protection of their isolated habitats our sole chance to preserve them.
Dinos may have survived extinction for half a mln yrs in 'lost world' in AmericaApril 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - New scientific evidence suggests that dinosaur bones from the Ojo Alamo Sandstone in the San Juan Basin, USA, date from after the mass extinction event, and that dinos may have survived in a remote area of what is now New Mexico and Colorado for up to half a million years, in a scenario resembling that of the fictional 'Lost World'. This controversial new research, is based on detailed chemical investigations of the dinosaur bones, and evidence for the age of the rocks in which they are found.
Asteroid hit didn't cause dinosaurs' extinction: StudyApril 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An asteroid hit which caused the vast Chicxulub crater 65 million years ago, might not have actually wiped out the dinosaurs, along with 65 percent of all species, according to a new study. The crater, discovered in 1978 in northern Yucatan in Mexico, measuring about 180 kilometres in diameter, recorded a massive extra-terrestrial impact.
Wetlands restoration helps dwindling bird species thriveMarch 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Conservation efforts are helping stem dwindling numbers of some bird species, according to report based on 40 years of data analysed by official US agencies. The report shows such efforts have protected 30 million acres of wetlands and contributed to thriving populations of hunted waterfowl, herons, egrets and other birds, according to the US State of the Birds report.
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