Connected areas boost chance of elephant survival

Elephants have the best chance of survival when they live in areas that are not only protected, but also connected.

Karl Bates-Duke • futurity
Jan. 8, 2024 • ~6 min

Wild animals that survive limb loss are astonishing – and a sign of the havoc humans are wreaking on nature

When wild animals survive the initial trauma, blood loss and infection risk without medical help, it’s astonishing that they can adapt to life with three limbs.

Tara Pirie, Lecturer in Ecology and Conservation, University of Surrey • conversation
Oct. 25, 2023 • ~7 min

Elephants mix it up when it comes to food

Elephants eat surprisingly different foods from meal to meal, a new study shows.

Corrie Pikul-Brown • futurity
July 6, 2023 • ~8 min

UK ivory trade ban extended to five more species – here's why we think it will be ineffective

Any law that protects threatened wildlife should be welcomed – but a ban alone will not prevent illegal activity.

Angus Nurse, Head of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Nottingham Trent University • conversation
June 9, 2023 • ~8 min

Elephant relative graveyard is a ‘once-in-a-lifetime find’

Bones from an extinct relative of elephants offers a panoramic view of the state's prehistoric life, researchers say.

Jerald Pinson-U. Florida • futurity
June 1, 2023 • ~11 min

Human activities in Asia have reduced elephant habitat by nearly two-thirds since 1700, dividing what remains into ever-smaller patches

A new study looks back into history to assess human impacts on the range of Asian elephants and finds sharp decline starting several centuries ago.

Shermin de Silva, Assistant Professor of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, University of California, San Diego • conversation
April 27, 2023 • ~10 min

Mountain environments are key to biodiversity – but the threats to them are being ignored

Mountain environments are rich in plant and animal species, but the dual threat of human habitation and climate change means urgent action is needed to protect them.

Rob Marchant, Professor of Tropical Ecology, University of York • conversation
Jan. 11, 2023 • ~8 min

Japan's ivory market is no longer a threat to elephant populations – here's why

Japan was one of the world’s largest ivory markets – research explains why the country is no longer a key destination for the product.

Takahiro Kubo, Senior Researcher in National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) & Visiting Researcher in ICCS, University of Oxford • conversation
Nov. 18, 2022 • ~7 min

Manatee history includes giant 12-ton sea cow

Researchers have assembled the most complete story yet of the ancestry of manatees, including a 24,000-pound version that once swam in the Bering Sea.

Karl Bates-Duke • futurity
Aug. 26, 2022 • ~6 min

From whistling arrows and trumpeting elephants to battle cries and eerie horns, ancient soldiers used sound to frighten and confuse their enemies

Since antiquity people have harnessed sound as a weapon, and the practice continues – in new high-tech ways – today.

Adrienne Mayor, Research Scholar, Classics and History and Philosophy of Science, Stanford University • conversation
Aug. 3, 2022 • ~10 min

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