Ancient fossils show how the last mass extinction forever scrambled the ocean’s biodiversity

Not everything dies in a mass extinction. Sea life recovered in different and surprising ways after the asteroid strike 66 million years ago. Ancient fossils recorded it all.

Stewart Edie, Research Geologist and Curator of Paleobiology, Smithsonian Institution • conversation
June 10, 2025 • ~10 min

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

If it looks like a dire wolf, is it a dire wolf? How to define a species is a scientific and philosophical question

Figuring out whether de-extinction is possible is as much a technical puzzle as a philosophical one. Add two kinds of DNA to the mix, and it gets even more complex.

Elay Shech, Professor of Philosophy, Auburn University • conversation
May 30, 2025 • ~12 min

Billions of cicadas are emerging, from Cape Cod to north Georgia – here’s how and why we map them

Two ecologists explain why a misleading map is worse than no map at all, and how they have worked for years to track the emergences of 13-year and 17-year cicadas.

John Cooley, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut • conversation
May 22, 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

Butterflies declined by 22% in just 2 decades across the US – there are ways you can help save them

The causes involve more than just habitat loss, but there are steps you can take to help save these delicate creatures

Eliza Grames, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, State University of New York • conversation
March 6, 2025 • ~9 min

Butterflies declined by 22% in just 2 decades across the US

The causes involve more than just habitat loss, but there are steps you can take to help save these delicate creatures

Eliza Grames, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, State University of New York • conversation
March 6, 2025 • ~9 min

Nature conservation works, and we’re getting better at it – new study

Two-thirds of conservation actions studied were found to benefit target ecosystems and species.

Jake E. Bicknell, Senior Lecturer in Biodiversity Conservation, University of Kent • conversation
April 25, 2024 • ~8 min

Rogue taxonomists, competing lists and accusations of anarchy: the complicated journey toward a list of all life on Earth — podcast

Stephen Garnett takes us inside a scientific spat about how to govern the naming of new species. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.

Gemma Ware, Editor and Co-Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation • conversation
Feb. 1, 2024 • ~3 min

What makes a good bird name?

North American ornithologists are seeking to replace all bird species named after people - but what should they be called instead?

Andrew Gosler, Professor of Ethno-ornithology, University of Oxford • conversation
Jan. 3, 2024 • ~7 min

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