The ultimate goal of the Paris climate agreement is to limit human-caused global warming to “well below” two-degrees Celsius, while pursuing efforts to keep it lower than 1.5 degrees. A new, large-scale study suggests that if we can keep the mercury from rising above the 1.5 mark, many of the Earth’s plants and…

The origin of the world’s deadliest amphibian disease has remained elusive for decades, but not anymore. New research has pinned down where the infamous fungal plague “Bd” got its start and how it began infiltrating habitats across the globe. Unsurprisingly, humans are largely responsible for its spread.

Oregon’s coastal martens (Martes caurina humboldtensis) are adorable, fierce, and extremely rare. Sadly, new research suggests that if something doesn’t change soon for these secretive, enchanting mammals, they may become extinct in the state within a few decades.

Late last month, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke left Northwest wildlife advocates pleasantly surprised when he reignited an environmental impact study on the reintroduction of grizzly bears into Washington’s North Cascades National Park, putting his enthusiastic support behind the regional recovery of what he…

In the forest-flanked waters of the Eleven Point River in southern Missouri’s Ozarks, scientists are on the hunt for one of the rarest crayfishes in the United States. To evaluate the status of their populations, researchers are using two very different methods—one of which is an emerging high-tech tool that may…

It’s March, which means that once again, snow is melting, plants are leafing out, and furry beasts are walloping on each other on Twitter. Yes, for the sixth year running, March Mammal Madness has engrossed science Twitter, turning rodent against marsupial and carnivore against nectar-slurper in the annual battle to…

We humans are a loud group of primates, with the constant clanging and droning of our machines emanating from our cities and towns. All this racket may have permanent and insidious effects on wildlife, including throwing a wet blanket on cricket sex, according to new research.

As global temperatures rise, the lives of countless plants and animals are changing in response. That includes king penguins, which a new study predicts will see profound, climate-driven changes in their numbers and the location of their breeding grounds over the next century.

Thanks to climate change, the hallmarks of winter’s end—snow melting and plants budding and flowering—are occurring earlier and earlier. While humans might cheer a little less time dealing with snow and slush each year, the animals that have evolved to sync their coat color with their seasonal surroundings are in…

As Earth’s atmosphere soaks up an ever-increasing amount of carbon dioxide, our oceans are becoming more acidic, which is causing problems for animals that create hard shells, from crabs to shellfish. Now, new research has revealed a more subtle and sinister consequence of acidification. By the end of this century,…

Vultures are a critical part of ecosystems across the world, acting as the primary cleanup crew for the dead. New research suggests that if vultures weren’t here to do what they do best, the whole recycling side of the Circle of Life could grind to a halt, because other scavengers just don’t fill their feathered shoes.

Polar bears are a fitting avatar for the dire consequences of climate change, living right at the heart of where the Earth has been warming the fastest. Now, two new studies add to a swelling pile of evidence that polar bears aren’t handling their rapidly changing environment very well. The new research suggests that…

Hawaiʻi ʻamakihi are survivors. The tiny, yellow-green forest birds have persisted against an onslaught of challenges in recent centuries, from human-introduced predators and disease to habitat loss. However, new research suggests that the resilience of the ‘amakihi may not be without a price. The birds’ songs appear…

A new insect invader is spreading in eastern North America’s pine forests, and it’s causing trouble wherever its wings can carry it.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) causes a serious illness that can threaten the lives of our beloved dogs, so many pet owners take care to vaccinate their furry buddies against it. But CDV can also infect a diversity of wild carnivore species, from coyotes to skunks and raccoons. Unfortunately, CDV has now found a new…

When it comes to extreme heat, zebra finches should theoretically have it handled. The birds are native to Australia’s hot, arid interior, which experiences intense summer temperatures. But new research suggests heat waves take a toll on the birds’ reproductive health, misshaping male finches’ sperm and rendering them…

Quick: what has eight legs and a face like a pair of hairy salad tongs? If you’re a spider, you know exactly what I’m describing—a beast, which, at least to smaller spiders, is an otherworldly, eldritch terror: the pelican spider. Now, new research published today in the journal ZooKeys details the discovery of a…

Populations of large, wild herbivores aren’t doing that great. Some 60 percent of large herbivore species are threatened with extinction thanks to overhunting, poaching, and the depletion suitable habitat. Now, researchers have zeroed in on another human-driven source of trouble for these animals: armed conflict. In…

Invasive Burmese pythons have become the ravenous, ever-multiplying scourge of South Florida. But new research suggests that the snakes have brought more than just their teeth and appetites to the Sunshine State. They’ve also brought along their own parasites, which are now infecting native snakes.