One in five species of Australian mammals at risk of extinction

October 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study indicates that conservation biologists are setting their minimum population size targets too low to prevent extinction. The study, by University of Adelaide and Macquarie University scientists, has shown that populations of endangered species are unlikely to persist in the face of global climate change and habitat loss unless they number around 5000 mature individuals or more.

October 12th, 2009 LONDON - Scientists have warned of an alarming increase in the extinction of animal species, because of threats to biodiversity and ecosystems, like pollution, climate change and urban spread. According to a report by BBC News, the comments come two days ahead of a meeting of the Diversitas group of global experts on biodiversity in the South African city of Cape Town.

September 29th, 2009 SYDNEY - About 850 new species inhabiting underground water, caves and micro-caverns have been discovered in semi-arid Australia. These invertebrates include various insects, small crustaceans, spiders, worms and many others.

September 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Australian researchers have discovered 850 new species of invertebrates, which include various insects, small crustaceans, spiders, worms and many others, in underground water, caves and "micro-caverns" amid the harsh conditions of the Australian outback. The team, led by Professor Andy Austin (University of Adelaide), Dr Steve Cooper (South Australian Museum) and Dr Bill Humphreys (Western Australian Museum), has conducted a comprehensive four-year survey of underground water, caves and micro-caverns across arid and semi-arid Australia.

September 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Google has developed an algorithm for ranking web-pages, which can be used to determine which species are critical for sustaining ecosystems. The algorithm, known as "PageRank", can be applied to the study of food webs, the complex networks describing who eats whom in an ecosystem, according to Drs.

August 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The world's largest species of fruit bat, Pteropus vampyrus, could be driven to extinction in Peninsular Malaysia at the current hunting rate, scientists have warned. They say that around 22,000 of these bats, also known as "large flying fox", are legally hunted each year in Peninsular Malaysia, a level that is unsustainable based on their estimates of the number of bats in the country.

August 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.

July 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.

July 28th, 2009 LONDON - A new survey has indicated that two thirds of all species of freshwater crab maybe at risk of going extinct, with one in six species particularly vulnerable. According to a report by BBC News, the study, which is the first global assessment of the extinction risk for any group of freshwater invertebrates, makes freshwater crabs among the most threatened of all groups of animals assessed so far.

July 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The sex chromosome that only males carry is deteriorating and could disappear within a few million years. A pair of Penn State University (PSU) scientists discovered that the male Y chromosome evolved at a much more rapid pace than X chromosome, which both males and females carry.

July 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research has revealed that the sex chromosome that only males carry is deteriorating and could disappear within a few million years. Scientists at Penn State University (PSU) found that the male Y chromosome evolved at a much more rapid pace than X chromosome, which both males and females carry.

July 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.

June 25th, 2009 LONDON - In a new study, scientists have found out that evolution in animals is faster in regions with warmer climates, which could help explain why the warm topics are so species-rich. According to a report by BBC News, researchers have found that among pairs of mammals of the same species, the DNA of those living in warmer climates changes at a faster rate.

June 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The loss of endangered species sends alarm bells ringing among conservationists, but what happens to the parasites they host? Although most people would side with the panda over the parasite, which group should we worry about more? North Carolina State University (NCSU) biologist Rob Dunn and colleagues examined the concept of co-extinction, the loss of one species upon the extinction of another. "Decline in host species could drive parasite species to switch onto alternative hosts, which could escalate the rate of emerging pathogens and parasites both for humans and our domesticated animals and plants," Dunn said.

April 28th, 2009 Rule limiting species protections revokedWASHINGTON — The Obama administration will again require federal agencies to consult with the government's wildlife experts before taking any actions that could impact threatened or endangered species. The Interior and Commerce departments said Tuesday they have revoked a last-minute rule change by the Bush administration that ended the consultation requirement.