Category: Environment

Deep in the forests of Uganda, a team of scientific detectives has uncovered a secret: chimpanzees are running their own pharmacy. Scientists observing wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) have confirmed that the animals deliberately seek out plants with anti-bacterial and pain-relieving properties to heal themselves. The 13-strong team, comprising botanists and primatologists, conducted their “detective… Continue reading Forest pharmacists — chimpanzees are teaching scientists how to treat disease

The invention of the contraceptive pill marked the onset of the sexual revolution in the 1960s. Now, scientists are seeking to revolutionise wildlife control by adding animals to the mix. Trials are afoot in the United Kingdom and other European countries where pigeons, squirrels and wild boar are given contraceptives. Deer and invasive parakeets are… Continue reading Wildlife on the pill — the new age of animal population control

What if you never saw the stars again? In fact, you have probably never seen a real night sky in your entire life due to the damage that urban areas have on the light. We all find a starry night mesmerising. So why do we all ignore the immense issue that is progressively getting worse… Continue reading Let there be night! What is light pollution?

Record low sea ice in late 2023 led to breeding failures in one-fifth of Antarctica’s emperor penguin colonies. Record low sea ice in late 2023 led to breeding failures in one-fifth of Antarctica’s emperor penguin colonies. Emperor penguins suffered mass breeding failures due to record low sea ice in 2023, according to scientists with the… Continue reading “We’re predicting that we’ll lose around 99%” — emperor penguins face extinction by 2100

There are only around 22,000 lions left in Africa, compared to about 100,000 not many years ago. Kruger National Park has some of the best access to wild animals in all of Africa and is possibly the most famous game reserve on the continent. South African National Parks—SANParks—has acknowledged that poachers have poisoned lions in… Continue reading Lions in South Africa’s Kruger Park are being poisoned by poachers who want their body parts

Heavy rains and flash flooding have driven Australian wildlife to seek higher ground, creating a terrifying reality for residents in New South Wales and Queensland: the rise of the toilet snake. As floodwaters inundate roads and isolate towns, reptiles are seeking refuge in the driest places they can find — often inside human homes. While… Continue reading Terror from below — why snakes are invading Australian toilets

Gold, platinum and rhino horn are among the world’s most valuable materials, with rhino horn being the most expensive. According to National Geographic, late in 2011, it fetched from $33 to $133 a gram on the streets of Vietnam. Samuel Wasser, a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle’s Department of Biology, described rhino… Continue reading Dye and poison are being used to stop rhino poachers

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) described the UK’s current climate efforts as “worryingly slow”. The CCC warned that the government is less confident in reaching its target than a year ago, due to a trend of lower performance in its net zero commitments. The UK can cut two-fifths of the emissions projected for the next… Continue reading Is the UK backtracking on its climate targets?