South Georgia: The lost whaling station at the end of the world

First posted June 10, 2014 “When we killed the sea whales,” Roddy Morrison, from Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, remembers, “they used to make a noise, like a crying noise. They seemed so friendly, and they’d come round and they’d make a noise, and when you hit them, they cried really… It is difficult to recover… Read More South Georgia: The lost whaling station at the end of the world

In an ancient forest, I look for peace, but instead I find Happy the puppy

Max Porter As I lie down under a 2,000-year-old small-leaved lime coppice, I contemplate what is truly sacred This is me trying to have a sacred encounter with the 2,000-year-old small-leaved lime coppice at Westonbirt Arboretum. Because of my terrible hunched posture I’m always looking for an opportunity to lie down and alleviate the pain in my… Read More In an ancient forest, I look for peace, but instead I find Happy the puppy

‘We need to be braver’: young naturalists on the world beyond Cop15

Birdwatchers Mya, Arjun and Kabir have grown up seeing the effects of wildlife decline. They talk about what inspires them, their hopes for future action and how everyone can connect with the nature on their doorstep More than 300 young people from around the world are gathering in Montreal for a two-day youth summit ahead… Read More ‘We need to be braver’: young naturalists on the world beyond Cop15

Rats got stoned on 500 kilograms of ganja, say Indian police in Mathura

Vedika Sud, CNN Rats in northern India have been accused of eating hundreds of kilograms of cannabis seized from drug dealers and stored in police warehouses. “Rats are small animals, and they aren’t scared of the police,” noted a court in the city of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, after hearing that local police were unable to… Read More Rats got stoned on 500 kilograms of ganja, say Indian police in Mathura

Jeremy Plester: How the humble salp is helping to fight the climate crisis

Salps are jelly-like sea creatures, so humble that few people even know they exist. But there are countless numbers of them swimming in the world’s oceans and they help fight climate change. Salps cruise around the sea surface at night, sucking up and digesting phytoplankton, microscopic plant-like organisms that absorb CO2 for their photosynthesis. During the… Read More Jeremy Plester: How the humble salp is helping to fight the climate crisis

Bdelloid rotifer survives 24,000 years frozen in Siberia

A microscopic multi-celled organism has returned to life after being frozen for 24,000 years in Siberia, according to new research. Scientists dug up the animal known as a bdelloid rotifer from the Alayeza River in the Russian Arctic. Once thawed, it was able to reproduce asexually, after spending millennia in a state of frozen animation… Read More Bdelloid rotifer survives 24,000 years frozen in Siberia

George Monbiot: In 2008, we bailed out the banks. In 2021, we need to bail out the planet

COVID-19 is not a random event. It is a symptom of a global economic system that is destroying the living planet and killing off our magnificent wildlife. COVID-19 might be the first pandemic many of us have experienced. But unless we change course, it will almost certainly not be the last. So before we spend… Read More George Monbiot: In 2008, we bailed out the banks. In 2021, we need to bail out the planet

Arctic ice loss forces polar bears to use four times as much energy to survive – study

Polar bears and narwhals are using up to four times as much energy to survive because of major ice loss in the Arctic, according to scientists. Once perfectly evolved for polar life, apex predators are struggling as their habitats shrink and unique adaptations become less suited to an increasingly ice-free Arctic, researchers say. The mammals are… Read More Arctic ice loss forces polar bears to use four times as much energy to survive – study

Jack Guy: Spectacular eight-mile frieze of Ice Age beasts found in Amazon rainforest

Thousands of rock art pictures depicting huge Ice Age creatures such as mastodons have been revealed by researchers in the Amazon rainforest. The paintings were probably made around 11,800 to 12,600 years ago, according to a press release from researchers at Britain’s University of Exeter. The paintings are set over three different rock shelters, with the largest, known… Read More Jack Guy: Spectacular eight-mile frieze of Ice Age beasts found in Amazon rainforest