New evidence challenges the story of Easter Island’s collapse

"We see clear evidence that while ancient islanders faced difficulties, they also found ingenious solutions..."

U. Arizona • futurity
June 26, 2024 ~12 min

Reptile loss is a big deal on small islands

New research examines the effects of reptile loss on Caribbean islands. The top villain in the story: the mongoose.

Esther Robards-Forbes - UT Austin • futurity
Feb. 20, 2023 ~6 min


Do treeshrews break the ‘rules’ due to climate?

The Northern treeshrew defies two widely tested ecological "rules" of body size variation within species, according to a new study.

Bess Connolly Martell-Yale • futurity
Nov. 29, 2022 ~7 min

Lone lady tortoise is a Galápagos mystery

Fernanda the tortoise is the only of her species discovered on the Galápagos island of Fernandina since 1906. She has baffled evolutionary biologists.

Bess Connolly Martell-Yale • futurity
July 21, 2022 ~8 min

Island foxes eat lots of shrimpy ‘beach hoppers’

Crustaceans called beach hoppers can be a significant portion of island foxes' diets, research finds.

Sonia Fernandez-UCSB • futurity
March 8, 2022 ~8 min

What happened to megafauna when humans got to Madagascar?

New research examines the effects of introduced animals on Madagascar’s extinct megafauna, like the elephant bird, dwarf hippo, and giant lemur.

Harrison Tasoff-UC Santa Barbara • futurity
July 28, 2021 ~13 min

Humans settled the Bahamas earlier than we thought

Humans arrived in the Bahamas around 700 AD, far earlier than previously thought. Those new settlers dramatically changed the area's landscape.

Keith Randall-Texas A&M • futurity
March 3, 2021 ~5 min

Team finds fossil iguana nesting burrow in Bahamas

The discovery of a fossil iguana nesting burrow answers questions about the now-endangered lizards.

Carol Clark-Emory • futurity
Dec. 11, 2020 ~8 min


Tiny fox bones are clues to human evolution

New research seeks to understand Homo floresiensis and human evolution by comparing the bones of island and mainland foxes.

Eric Stann-Missouri • futurity
Dec. 11, 2020 ~5 min

New Guinea is #1 for island plant diversity

A new study that lists almost 14,000 plant species shows that New Guinea is the most diverse island on the planet when it comes to flora.

U. Zurich • futurity
Aug. 7, 2020 ~7 min

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