Coral reefs face an uncertain recovery from the 4th global mass bleaching event – can climate refuges help?

As baby corals float in the currents, they can expand their species’ range. But can they get to climate refuges fast enough to survive? A new study has good news and bad.

Noam Vogt-Vincent, Postdoctoral Fellow in Marine Biology, University of Hawaii • conversation
June 6, 2025 • ~8 min

From furry friends to fish, turning up the heat helps animals fight germs − how Mother Nature’s cure offers humans a lesson on fever

Fever isn’t necessarily a bad thing − it’s actually a useful response to infections.

Harry Bernheim, Associate Professor Emeritus of Biology, Tufts University • conversation
May 23, 2025 • ~7 min

As US ramps up fossil fuels, communities will have to adapt to the consequences − yet climate adaptation funding is on the chopping block

The administration wants to cut funding for programs that help communities adapt to wildfire risk, sea-level rise and invasive species, among many other risks.

Meade Krosby, Senior Scientist for the Climate Impacts Group, University of Washington • conversation
May 12, 2025 • ~9 min

As US doubles down on fossil fuels, communities will have to adapt to the consequences − yet climate adaptation funding is on the chopping block

The administration wants to cut funding for programs that help communities adapt to wildfire risk, sea-level rise and invasive species, among many other risks.

Meade Krosby, Senior Scientist for the Climate Impacts Group, University of Washington • conversation
May 12, 2025 • ~9 min

Bees, fish and plants show how climate change’s accelerating pace is disrupting nature in 2 key ways

Fast-rising temperatures can change how plants and animals behave and disrupt the delicate timing of pollination.

Courtney McGinnis, Professor of Biology, Medical Sciences and Environmental Sciences, Quinnipiac University • conversation
April 30, 2025 • ~7 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

Drug pollution in water is making salmon take more risks – new research

Pharmaceutical pollution can significantly affect wild animal behaviour, including speeding up salmon migration.

Michael Bertram, Assistant Professor in Ecology and Ecotoxicology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Guest Researcher, Stockholm University • conversation
April 10, 2025 • ~7 min

Atlantic sturgeon were fished almost to extinction − ancient DNA reveals how Chesapeake Bay population changed over centuries

Research that combined archaeology, history and ecology provides a nuanced understanding of the past that could help conservationists better plan for the future.

Logan Kistler, Curator of Archaeobotany and Archaeogenomics, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution • conversation
March 20, 2025 • ~11 min

How the human neck became a locus of power, beauty and frailty

The neck’s vitality and vulnerability are rooted in a quirky evolutionary history.

Kent Dunlap, Professor of Biology, Trinity College • conversation
Feb. 10, 2025 • ~7 min

Global wildlife trade is an enormous market – the US imports billions of animals from nearly 30,000 species

Understanding the number and origin of animals entering a country is important to control the health and ecological problems imported wildlife can bring.

Andrew Rhyne, Associate Professor of Marine Biology, Roger Williams University • conversation
Jan. 28, 2025 • ~8 min

/

10