In 2006, a tiny deep-reef fish was pulled from deep water off South Australia and misidentified; nearly 20 years later, scientists recognised a new species

In 2006, a tiny deep-reef fish was pulled from deep water off South Australia and misidentified; nearly 20 years later, scientists recognised a new species

Image Credit: Journal of Lost Species Some discoveries happen the moment a specimen is collected. Others take years. In this case, it took nearly two decades.A tiny deep-reef fish brought up from the waters off South Australia in 2006 spent nearly two decades in a museum collection after being mistaken for a known species. According…

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Scientists placed 42 sea sponges in a polluted Spanish port. 455 days later, one species had thrived while four others died |

Scientists placed 42 sea sponges in a polluted Spanish port. 455 days later, one species had thrived while four others died |

Representative Image of marine life thriving around resilient chicken kidney sponges in polluted waters (AI-generated image) Researchers in Spain spent 455 days tracking how sponges from five species of Mediterranean sea life coped with being moved from clean, natural habitats toward a heavily polluted recreational marina near Girona. The experiment was designed to test a…

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In 2003, China planted small islands of native trees along a degraded river; 20 years later they held only 19–30% of an intact forest’s diversity and biomass

In 2003, China planted small islands of native trees along a degraded river; 20 years later they held only 19–30% of an intact forest’s diversity and biomass

Tropical forests have been heavily degraded because of human activities. (Representational photo) Planting trees across vast areas may not be the only way to restore damaged tropical forests, according to a new study. Instead, small patches of native trees can gradually help degraded forests recover.The study was carried out by Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG)…

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Scientists discover four dangerous fish bacteria in Brazil for the first time; one has jumped to a new host species

Scientists discover four dangerous fish bacteria in Brazil for the first time; one has jumped to a new host species

For the first time, Brazil faces a significant challenge as bacteria previously exclusive to Asia and the USA have been identified within its borders. These bacteria, known to cause columnaris disease, pose an acute risk to the thriving aquaculture sector. Researchers have isolated four species from the Flavobacterium genus, which can infect both Nile tilapia…

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Scientists tracked global forest photosynthesis for 20 years and found species-rich forests improved faster; biodiversity loss could reduce the trend by up to 17% by 2050

Scientists tracked global forest photosynthesis for 20 years and found species-rich forests improved faster; biodiversity loss could reduce the trend by up to 17% by 2050

Forests with more tree species appear to be improving faster over time, according to a new global study published in Nature Climate Change. doi.org/10.1038/s41558-026-02698-7By tracking forest photosynthesis across two decades, researchers found that biodiversity does more than support healthy ecosystems in the present: it also helps forests strengthen their ability to absorb carbon as the…

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Scientists found slugs, beetles and crabs spread seeds for 186 plant species; one crab can swallow more than 1,000 in a night

Scientists found slugs, beetles and crabs spread seeds for 186 plant species; one crab can swallow more than 1,000 in a night

How beetles and crabs help forests spread seeds When we think about how forests grow and regrow, we often think about colorful birds carrying berries or monkeys dropping fruit seeds. For a long time, these animals have been known as nature’s seed dispersers, carrying seeds far from the parent plant and helping forests grow. But…

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Quote of the day by Stephen Hawking: "My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been…" - a powerful lesson in resilience and gratitude |

Quote of the day by Stephen Hawking: “My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been…” – a powerful lesson in resilience and gratitude |

Quote of the day by Stephen Hawking Life rarely goes exactly the way anyone plans it. Careers shift direction unexpectedly, and personal challenges arrive without any warning at all. Stephen Hawking faced a version of that shock more extreme than almost anyone. Diagnosed with motor neurone disease at 21, with doctors initially giving him only…

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Arctic: Most ancient Arctic carbon entering the ocean gets buried instead of becoming greenhouse gas, study finds |

Arctic: Most ancient Arctic carbon entering the ocean gets buried instead of becoming greenhouse gas, study finds |

Representative Image of thawing Arctic permafrost releasing ancient carbon into coastal waters (AI-generated image) As Arctic permafrost thaws and coastlines erode, enormous quantities of ancient carbon that has sat frozen in the ground for thousands of years are being carried into the sea. Scientists have long worried that microorganisms in the ocean would break this…

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Watch: Viral video of dolphin carrying its dead newborn through the Indian Ocean reveals a deep and old 'mourning ritual'

Watch: Viral video of dolphin carrying its dead newborn through the Indian Ocean reveals a deep and old ‘mourning ritual’

Fraggle, a grieving mother dolphin, carried her deceased calf for six days, a poignant testament to her profound maternal love. Captured by drone footage in the Indian Ocean, this heart-wrenching scene revealed the support of her pod, which gathered around her in solidarity during her mourning. This behavior, seen in over twenty cetacean species, underscores…

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In 2023, scientists turned part of San Diego's ocean bright pink to see how river water reaches the sea |

In 2023, scientists turned part of San Diego’s ocean bright pink to see how river water reaches the sea |

Representative Image of an ocean dye experiment tracking how river water reaches the sea (AI-generated image) In January and February 2023, waves along a stretch of San Diego coastline briefly turned a striking shade of fuchsia, the result of a deliberate scientific experiment rather than any natural phenomenon. Researchers from UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution…

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Australia has built bridges just for crabs so millions of red crabs can safely migrate across Christmas Island every year |

Australia has built bridges just for crabs so millions of red crabs can safely migrate across Christmas Island every year |

Every year, one of the world’s most remarkable wildlife migrations takes place on Australia’s remote Christmas Island, where millions of bright red crabs leave the rainforest and journey towards the Indian Ocean to breed. As the crabs cross roads, forests and beaches, they create a spectacular natural phenomenon that attracts visitors from around the globe….

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