(Natural News) The biggest of the trash islands in the oceans have gone from the size of Texas to bigger than Mexico. And their growth shows no sign of abatement due to the increasing amount of plastic use and waste around the world, warned a Pacific Standard article. Individual islands are formed out of seaweed, styrofoam, and […]

(Natural News) The majestic bald eagle faces a growing threat from hunters – not from bullet wounds, but from lead poisoning. The eagles reportedly have been eating dead animals whose carcasses were not properly disposed off by the hunters that shot them, according to WQAD.com. One eagle, which was rescued and brought to a SOAR (Saving […]

(Natural News) If human communities have health professionals, coral reefs have small fish called “cleaner fish” that keep them healthy. A Canadian-led study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences says their veterinarian-like services help ensure the health of the marine communities they live in, reported ScienceDaily. According to the study, coral reef […]

(Natural News) Mercury is found all over the world — in the soil, water, and air. Very rarely do we associate mercury with ice. Yet, as researchers have discovered, that’s what we have to worry about the most. After all, the world’s largest mercury deposit is present in the Northern Hemisphere’s permafrost. Between 2004 and […]

(Natural News) Aside from protecting various endangered species, the conservation of river-floodplain ecosystems is another challenge that experts are trying to address in the 21st century. According to a group of researchers from the University of Tsukuba in Japan, landscape genetics can be used to help sustain threatened ecosystems. The high soil moisture in forests […]

(Natural News) A study conducted by researchers from Iowa State University revealed that a certain species of birds helps chili peppers grow in the wild. According to the researchers, the data from their study helped them learn more about “a mutualistic, or mutually beneficial, relationship between birds and chili peppers in the Mariana Islands.” Haldre Rogers, an […]

(Natural News) Over the course of the next year, more than 60 million acres of the monarch butterfly’s natural habitat are expected to be sprayed with dicamba herbicide. The shocking report from the Center for Biological Diversity, a U.S. environmental group, explains that the widespread use of this toxin spells big trouble for the butterflies. […]

(Natural News) If you absolutely have to use drones to track something, why not turtles? A new study detailed how unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are revolutionizing research and conservation efforts involving endangered sea turtles, reported a Science Daily news article. Remote sensing data is vital to obtain an understanding of the spatial ecology of marine ecosystems. When combined with tracking […]

(Natural News) The massive depletion of tropical rainforests have driven many species of tropical flora and fauna into extinction. But a recent study of bat populations in the Brazilian Amazon suggested that displaced survivors from primary forests could potentially recover if there are secondary forests that can take them in, reported Science Daily. This is good news […]

(Natural News) “Adapt or die,” said the late Andy Grove, the founder of computer chip maker Intel who escaped Communist Hungary as a young man. A new study suggested plants adhere to the same dictum, adapting and discarding defenses according to what works best for the situation at hand, reported a ScienceDaily article. Researchers from […]