Beyond de-extinction and dire wolves, gene editing can help today’s endangered species

A legal scholar with a Ph.D. in wildlife genetics explains the promise biotechnology techniques hold for some animals that are currently endangered.

Alex Erwin, Assistant Professor of Law, Florida International University • conversation
June 6, 2025 ~10 min

How redefining just one word could strip the Endangered Species Act’s ability to protect vital habitat

The public has until May 19 to weigh in on a Trump administration plan that would leave many endangered species at much greater risk.

Karrigan Börk, Professor of Law, University of California, Davis • conversation
May 13, 2025 ~9 min


Trump is stripping protections from marine protected areas – why that’s a problem for fishing’s future, and for whales, corals and other ocean life

America’s marine protected areas help fish populations thrive. Trump’s plan to open them to industrial fishing may ultimately harm the fishing industry itself.

David Shiffman, Faculty Research Associate in Marine Biology, Arizona State University • conversation
April 23, 2025 ~8 min

Environmental protection laws still apply even under Trump’s national energy emergency − here’s why

President Trump’s national energy emergency declaration does not qualify as an emergency that would exempt energy projects from environmental laws and regulations.

Albert C. Lin, Professor of Law, University of California, Davis • conversation
March 13, 2025 ~8 min

Federal protection for monarch butterflies could help or harm this iconic species, depending on how it’s carried out

Will protecting monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act improve their chance of surviving? Not necessarily, 2 entomologists caution.

Michael Crossley, Assistant Professor / Agricultural Entomologist, University of Delaware • conversation
Dec. 19, 2024 ~9 min

Untreated sewage and fertilizer runoff threaten the Florida manatee’s main food source, contributing to malnutrition

Manatees along Florida’s coast are eating less seagrass and more algae than they did a few decades ago. This dietary shift could pose a new threat to the survival of the beloved species.

Aarin-Conrad Allen, Ph.D. Candidate in Marine Sciences, Florida International University • conversation
Nov. 14, 2024 ~9 min

Grizzly bear conservation is as much about human relationships as it is the animals

Whether people are hunters can have a big effect.

Alexander L. Metcalf, Associate Professor of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, University of Montana • conversation
April 16, 2024 ~9 min

After an 80-year absence, gray wolves have returned to Colorado − here's how the reintroduction of this apex predator will affect prey and plants

At one time, perhaps as many as 2 million gray wolves roamed the North American continent. But now those numbers are down to a few thousand.

Joanna Lambert, Professor of Environmental Studies and Faculty in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Jan. 10, 2024 ~7 min


Emperor penguins get Endangered Species Act protection – with 98% of colonies at risk of extinction by 2100, can it save them?

Emperor penguins survive in a ‘Goldilocks zone’ between too much sea ice and too little. Climate change is having an impact.

Stephanie Jenouvrier, Associate Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution • conversation
Oct. 31, 2022 ~9 min

Monarch butterflies join the Red List of endangered species, thanks to habitat loss, climate change and pesticides

The iconic monarch butterfly has been added to the Red List of endangered species, but hasn’t received protection in the US yet. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Kristen A. Baum, Professor of Integrative Biology and Associate Dean for Research, Oklahoma State University • conversation
July 26, 2022 ~9 min

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