Jake Buehler

EartherConservation

There Are More Tiger Types Than We Thought, New Genetic Analysis Reveals 

Tigers seem pretty straightforward: stripes, sharp claws, awe-inspiring grace wielded by hundreds of pounds of rippling muscle, fondness of sugary cereal, etc. But new research on the big cats’ DNA is the latest indication that underneath that striking orange and black pelage, not all tigers are the same. Scientists are now reporting that tigers are … Continued

EartherConservation

Mysterious New Plant Discovered in Museum Collection Is Probably Already Extinct

It took a little while, but a tiny, delicate plant found in Japan 26 years ago has been formally classified as a new species. But after residing in a museum collection since the early 1990s, the single specimen of Thismia kobensis remains the only one ever found. Tragically, this means the so-called “fairy lantern” may … Continued

EartherConservation

Beautiful New Andean Hummingbird Is Already Critically Endangered

High in the Ecuadorian Andes, a stunningly beautiful species of hummingbird—decorated with a flashy, sapphire throat—has revealed itself to science for the first time. But scientists fear it’s already perilously close to extinction. The new hummingbird was first spotted by Francisco Sornoza-Molina of Ecuador’s Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad. It all started in April 2017, when … Continued

EartherConservation

Cute, Cheap, and Popular Exotic Pets Most Likely to Be Released Into the Wild

Baby iguanas, Chinese water dragons, or even ball pythons are undoubtedly cute and tempting to own as pets. But these popular reptiles don’t stay small forever. And according to new research, they are precisely the kind most likely to be released into the wild by humans. The exotic pet trade is by far the biggest way non-native … Continued

EartherConservation

Social Media Might Not Ruin Nature, After All

Once pristine natural places become Instagram famous, everything changes. Lonely trails clog with hikers; empty forest pools fill with swimmers. Some have argued that the meshing of social media with the outdoors could cause locations to be loved to death, or even fundamentally taint outdoor recreation itself. But painting our obsession with digital documentation as … Continued

EartherConservation

Looks Like Rock ‘N’ Roll Is Noise Pollution, After All

Humans and their constant barrage of noise cause all sorts of problems for wildlife. But new research suggests noise pollution may do more than impact individual animals—it can potentially modify whole ecosystems by messing with how predators interact with their prey. How did scientists figure this out? By blasting plants and insects with AC/DC, of … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Giant Clam Shells May Help Predict Future Tropical Storms

To understand how our warming oceans impact tropical cyclones, scientists need more information about storm patterns during the past. Unfortunately, a reliable historical record of these storms doesn’t extend all that far back—not even two centuries. Now a team of researchers thinks giant clam shells could help fill in some of the gaps. Tridacna maxima … Continued

EartherConservation

Five New Snail-Slurping Snakes Discovered in Ecuador

Ecuador has five new species of snake, described by science for the first time. But these critters aren’t just any rainforest snakes: the new species have a diet that’s exceptionally weird, eating almost nothing but soft, gooey prey like snails and slugs. The researchers who found them also took the unusual step of auctioning the … Continued

EartherConservation

Madagascar’s Toxic Toad Invasion Is Worse Than We Realized

Madagascar has an invasive toad problem, and new research suggests that fears about its ecological consequences are well-deserved. Almost every predator native to the island is likely sensitive to the toads’ dangerous toxins. Asian common toads (Duttaphrynus melanostictus) were only recently introduced to Madagascar. They first turned up at the eastern port city of Toamasina … Continued

EartherConservation

The Practically-Extinct Northern White Rhino Just Got Some Good News

Things look pretty bleak for the northern white rhinoceros. Since the death of Sudan, the last male, the entirety of the subspecies has dwindled to only two females. But a group of scientists is churning away on a high-tech save involving carefully cryopreserved cells and tissue cultures from long-dead northern white rhinos. And a new … Continued

EartherConservation

France is Being Invaded By Giant Killer Worms

France is known for many of its cultural items, including exceptional cuisine, wine, and the Louvre. Soon, it may also be known for its arm-length, shovel-headed, carnivorous worms. New research suggests that several species of these discomfiting creatures—known as hammerhead flatworms—have slithered into the country as invasive species. Perhaps even stranger is the fact that … Continued

EartherConservation

Hawaii Is Losing Its Most Iconic Tree to Disease

Over the last several years, a deadly fungal disease has killed hundreds of thousands of native Hawaiian ʻōhiʻa trees. Before now, the disease—Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death—was limited to Hawaiʻi Island. But the disease-causing fungus has now been found on the island of Kauaʻi. And that’s a big problem, considering that ʻōhiʻa is arguably the most important … Continued

EartherConservation

The Paris Agreement’s Reach Goal Might Just Save the Web of Life

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 animals—especially insects … Continued

EartherConservation

We Finally Know Where the World’s Deadliest Amphibian Plague Got Started

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. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a fungal pathogen that infects amphibians—like … Continued

EartherConservation

Oregon’s Cutest Predator Is on the Verge of Extinction

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. Martens are “mustelids,” small carnivores like weasels and otters. Coastal martens—only about the size of a ten … Continued

EartherConservation

The War Against Grizzly Bears Is Now a Fight to Save Them

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 termed “the great bear.” Resuming the project is, frankly, a … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Scraps of DNA Are Helping Scientists Track Down Nature’s Most Elusive Creatures

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 change how conservation biologists … Continued

EartherConservation

March Madness Is About Animals Now

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 the finish that has become … Continued

EartherConservation

Noise Pollution Could Make it Hard For Crickets to Find Love

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. Scientists have recently discovered that noise pollution is disruptive … Continued

EartherConservation

Most King Penguins Could Vanish By the End of the Century

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. King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) live and breed on a collection of small, … Continued