New study: why plants produce different sized seeds
The longstanding belief as to why some plants produce big seeds and others small seeds is that in this case bigger-is-better, since large seeds have a better chance of survival.…
Evolution News
After years of controversy: Flores ‘hobbits’ are a new species of humans
When the 'hobbits' were discovered in 2003 they made news worldwide, sparking visions of a world our small relations lived among giant rats, dwarf elephants, and lizards bigger than the…
Extinct goat was “similar to crocodiles”
It sounds like something out of Greek mythology: a half-goat, half-reptilian creature. But researchers have discovered that an extinct species of goat, the Balearic Island cave goat or Myotragus balearicus,…
Present day tropical plant families survived in warmer, wetter tropics 58 million years ago
Fifty eight million years ago the tropical rainforests of South America shared many similarities with today's Neotropical forests, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of…
Will tropical trees survive climate change?, an interview with Kenneth J. Feeley
Fifth in a series of interviews with participants at the 2009 Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) conference. One of the most pressing issues in the conservation today is…
New species of ghostshark discovered off California’s coast
The discovery of Eastern Pacific black ghostshark Hydrolagus melanophasma is notable for a number of reasons. It is the first new species of cartilaginous fish—i.e fish whose skeletons are made…
Three new species discovered in mile-long underwater cave
The mysterious, fascinating, and lightning-quick mantis shrimp: An Interview with Maya deVries
Maya deVries is a graduate student studying integrative biology at Berkeley. Mongabay.com's fourth in a new series of interviews with 'Young Scientists'.
Tropical plant expert Stephen P. Hubbell wins this year’s Eminent Ecologist Award
Stephen P. Hubbell has won the 2009 Eminent Ecologist Award. Hubbell is a staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at…
Fish take less than a decade to evolve
Evolution is often thought of being a slow-process, taking thousands, if not millions, of years. However a new study in The American Naturalist found that Trinidadian guppies underwent evolution in…
The unknown role of coextinctions in the current extinction crisis
Scientists have long recognized ‘coextinctions’ as a major concern when it comes to the current mass extinction crisis. Despite such recognition, however, the role of coextinctions remains largely mysterious and…
Permian mass extinction caused by giant volcanic eruption
Two hundred and sixty million years ago the Earth experienced its worst mass extinction: 95 percent of marine life and 70 percent of terrestrial life vanished. Long a subject of…
Rooks use tools in captivity rivaling ‘habitual tools users such as chimpanzees’
The rook, a member of the crow family, is the most recent bird to prove the ability to use tools, a capacity once thought to belong only to humans. Although…
African pygmies diverged from other humans 60,000 years ago
Around 60,000 years ago the ancestors of modern African Pygmies, known worldwide for their small-stature, separated from local farmer populations, according to new genetic research published in PLoS Genetics. The…
Fastest evolving bird family produces new species
Poison frog diversity linked to the Andes
Frogs can be used to predict biodiversity hotspots
Rediscovery of the solenodon, a rare venomous mammal, in Haiti
First film footage also released of the strange solenodon
Newly discovered pink iguana sheds light on Galapagos evolution
Did cheetah come from China?
New species of flying lemurs discovered
New species of flying lemurs discovered New species of flying lemurs discovered mongabay.com November 10, 2008
Missing link between fish and land animals discovered
Missing link between fish and land animals discovered Missing link between fish and land animals discovered By Morgan Erickson-Davis, special to mongabay.com November 7, 2008 New fossil brings more insight…
Scientists discover 120 million year-old ant in the Amazon rainforest
Scientists discover 120 million year-old ant in the Amazon rainforest Scientists discover 120 million year-old ant in the Amazon rainforest mongabay.com September 17, 2008 Scientists have discovered a previously unknown…
For Australian beetles bigger is better; while American beetles don’t care about size
For Australian beetles bigger is better; while American beetles don't care about size For Australian beetles bigger is better; while American beetles don't care about size Jeremy Hance, mongabay.com September…
Aye-aye diverged from other lemurs 66M years ago
Aye-aye diverged from other lemurs 66M years ago Aye-aye diverged from other lemurs 66M years ago wildmadagascar.org February 25, 2008 The aye-aye — a bizarre, nocturnal lemur that taps on…
Evolution of whales challenged
Evolution of whales challenged Origin of whales challenged mongabay.com December 19, 2007 Modern whales appear to have evolved from a raccoon-sized creature with the body of a small deer, according…
New theory on the evolution of pygmies
High death rates drove evolution of human pygmies New theory on the evolution of pygmies mongabay.com December 10, 2007 Early childbearing age in the face of high death rates, drove…
Global warming may provoke evolution
Global warming may provoke evolution Global warming may provoke evolution mongabay.com November 26, 2007 Some 80 million years ago, during a period of global warming, a group of relatively immobile…
Missing link between humans and apes possibly discovered
Missing link between humans and apes possibly discovered Missing link between humans and apes possibly discovered mongabay.com November 12, 2007 A 10 million-year-old jawbone discovered in Kenya may represent a…
Flying lemurs are primates’ closest cousins
Flying lemurs are primates' closest cousins Flying lemurs are primates' closest cousins mongabay.com November 1, 2007 New molecular and genomic analysis shows that flying lemurs are the closest relatives of…
New software tracks individual global warming emissions
Software tracks personal global warming emissions Software tracks individual global warming emissions mongabay.com November 1, 2007 A new Windows software program called TerraCuro enables users to track their energy use…
Climate change did not cause extinction of Neanderthals
Climate change did not cause extinction of Neanderthals Climate change did not cause extinction of Neanderthals mongabay.com September 12, 2007 Researchers in Europe have found evidence that rules out a…
Special series
Forest Trackers
- Narco airstrips beset Indigenous communities in Peruvian Amazon
- 15 illegal narco-trafficking airstrips found near Peru Indigenous communities
- Satellite data show bursts of deforestation continue in Indonesian national park
- Fires rip through Indigenous territories in Brazilian Amazon
Oceans
- Scientists, Māori experts uncover new insights into rare spade-toothed whale
- Coral reefs could survive climate change, but in altered state, study says
- Conservationists see progress for swordfish, problems for sharks at Atlantic fisheries summit
- As tidal power rides a wave of clean energy optimism, pitfalls persist
Amazon Conservation
- ‘World’s largest’ carbon credit deal in the Amazon faces bumpy road ahead
- New conservation model calls for protecting Amazon for its archaeological riches
- Brazil dredges Amazon rivers to ease drought isolation, raising environmental concerns
- ‘We need white men on our side to save the Amazon from destruction,’ 92-year-old Indigenous Chief Raoni says
Land rights and extractives
- Should mining companies consider no-go zones where isolated Indigenous peoples live? (Commentary)
- Brazil sets a date to remove illegal miners from Munduruku land, more details await
- Peruvian logger loses FSC label after latest clash with isolated Mashco Piro
- A national park and its rangers in Bolivia endure persisting road construction, illegal mining
Endangered Environmentalists
- Environmental journalist in Cambodia shot and killed by suspected logger
- Vietnam sentences yet another energy expert over renewables research
- Mother Nature Cambodia activists sentenced to prison — again
- Mongabay video screening at Chile’s Supreme Court expected to help landmark verdict in Brazil
Indonesia's Forest Guardians
- On a Borneo mountainside, Indigenous Dayak women hold fire and defend forest
- Fenced in by Sulawesi national park, Indigenous women make forestry breakout
- In Borneo, the ‘Power of Mama’ fight Indonesia’s wildfires with all-woman crew
- Pioneer agroforester Ermi, 73, rolls back the years in Indonesia’s Gorontalo
Conservation Effectiveness
- How effective is the EU’s marquee policy to reduce the illegal timber trade?
- How sharing and learning from failures can transform conservation (commentary)
- Is planting trees as good for the Earth as everyone says?
- Failure in conservation projects: Everyone experiences it, few record it
Southeast Asian infrastructure
- An ‘ocean grab’ for a property megaproject leaves Jakarta fishers grounded
- Study: Indonesia’s new capital city threatens stable proboscis monkey population
- Indonesia’s new capital ‘won’t sacrifice the environment’: Q&A with Nusantara’s Myrna Asnawati Safitri
- Small farmers in limbo as Cambodia wavers on Tonle Sap conservation rules
