EN News aggregated by NLBIF from various external sources http://www.nlbif.nl/ National Geographic News Glowing cockroaches and a destructive fungus make the grade in Arizona State's list of top 10 new species of 2012. [National Geographic News] Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/05/pictures/130523-top-ten-new-species-animals-plants-science/ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/05/pictures/130523-top-ten-new-species-animals-plants-science/ Science The virus's ability to move between these mammals might not bode well for humans. So far, it appears that H7N9 doesn't pass easily between people, but it could mutate over time and pose more of a threat. [Science] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/23/186304710/researchers-find-bird-flu-is-contagious-among-ferrets?ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/23/186304710/researchers-find-bird-flu-is-contagious-among-ferrets?ft=1&f=1007 LiveScience.com A new map shows distinct species are not well protected under current plans. [LiveScience.com] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Livesciencecom/~3/66e4G9LuAjA/34645-endangered-species-poorly-protected.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Livesciencecom/~3/66e4G9LuAjA/34645-endangered-species-poorly-protected.html LiveScience.com Frogs, toads and salamanders are vanishing from American habitats faster than feared. [LiveScience.com] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Livesciencecom/~3/XfaY7SSbfG8/34644-amphibians-in-sharp-decline.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Livesciencecom/~3/XfaY7SSbfG8/34644-amphibians-in-sharp-decline.html Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk A glow-in-the-dark cockroach, a harp-shaped carnivorous sponge and the smallest vertebrate on Earth are among the top 10 newly discovered species selected by a global committee of taxonomists     [Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2013/may/23/top-10-new-species-in-pictures http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2013/may/23/top-10-new-species-in-pictures Newswise: SciNews WCS builds assurance colonies in its zoos and in the field to help restore endangered turtles. [Newswise: SciNews] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewswiseScinews/~3/yqYA_NZqwUc/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewswiseScinews/~3/yqYA_NZqwUc/ LiveScience.com Other wacky creatures like a monkey with a blue butt also made the list. [LiveScience.com] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Livesciencecom/~3/yJc3Gi6beJk/34636-top-10-new-species-announced.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Livesciencecom/~3/yJc3Gi6beJk/34636-top-10-new-species-announced.html LiveScience.com Check out the wacky creatures that made the list this year. [LiveScience.com] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Livesciencecom/~3/CZ1Btnwbgtg/34633-top-10-new-species-2013.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Livesciencecom/~3/CZ1Btnwbgtg/34633-top-10-new-species-2013.html The Economist: Science and technology Taking out the enemy CONSERVATIONISTS, being by definition conservative, usually view the introduction of new species into an environment with horror. If such a species is successful, it is described as “invasive”—a rather pejorative word. But how much change such species actually cause (or how much damage they do, from the conservationist point of view) is often moot. So two recent studies of European buckthorn in North America, which attempt to find this out, are a welcome shaft of light on the debate.Buckthorn was imported from Europe to America in the 19th century, to make garden hedges. Since then it has spread through the country’s woodlands, which many naturalists think has been bad for local wildlife. The new studies suggest they are right—if you are a frog or a small bird. If you are a coyote or a raccoon, though, buckthorn is a good thing.Seth Magle, of Lincoln Park Zoo, in Chicago, suspected these predators are commoner where buckthorn grows. He therefore set up motion-activated cameras in 35 woods near the city. Some sites had a lot of buckthorn. Some did not.He did indeed find more coyotes and raccoons where buckthorn is common—... [The Economist: Science and technology] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21578355-ecological-effects-buckthorn-north-america-thorny-questions?fsrc=rss|sct http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21578355-ecological-effects-buckthorn-north-america-thorny-questions?fsrc=rss|sct Africa News latest RSS headlines - The Africa News.net Uganda loses nearly 100,000hectares of forest cover annually through encroachment, exposing the population to the risks and costly consequences of climate change. It is therefore for this reason that the Norwegian Embassy has pledged continued support to Uganda in form of increased funding in forest restoration, environment management and conservation as part of their micro-development projects ... [Africa News latest RSS headlines - The Africa News.net] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theafricanews.net/index.php/sid/214716468/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec http://www.theafricanews.net/index.php/sid/214716468/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Africa News latest RSS headlines - The Africa News.net Nairobi - Amid warnings that Kenya's agricultural water use is surpassing sustainable levels and adversely affecting food security, biodiversity researchers say that agrobiodiversity should be considered as a vital tool to combat this. "In order to feed the nation, the country must explore agrobiodiversity, specifically (the growing of) vegetables and fruits, which have been neglected ... [Africa News latest RSS headlines - The Africa News.net] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theafricanews.net/index.php/sid/214716618/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec http://www.theafricanews.net/index.php/sid/214716618/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk Atlas drawn up by international experts aims to expand understanding of soil and how Africa can manage it sustainablyA team of international experts has drawn up the Soil Atlas of Africa – the first such book mapping this key natural resource – to help farmers, land managers and policymakers understand the diversity and importance of soil, and the need to manage it through sustainable use.They say that despite soil's importance, most people in Africa lack knowledge about it, partly because information tends to be confined to academic publications read only by scientists.'There was an existing database on soil that had not been updated by soil science experts from Africa, so we asked them to provide us with new information, which we translated into a form understandable to key stakeholders,' said Arwyn Jones, a member of the soil team at the land resource management unit of the European commission's joint research centre, which produced the atlas.The project began four years ago, and involved experts from the European commission, the African Union (AU) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. The atlas was released at the meeting of the AU and EU commissions in Addis Ababa last month.Robert Zougmoré, regional programme manager for west Africa at the Cgiar research programme on climate change, agriculture and food security, says the atlas displays the diversity of African soil for both agricultural and non-agricultural purposes.'We documented all the different types of soils and mapped them so that our decision-makers at national and regional levels can use the maps to decide where to invest in terms of food production and urbanisation,' he says. 'Using the atlas, we can identify regions such as central Africa, some parts of west Africa, and southern Africa where a type of fertile soil called vertisol – which maximises crop yields – can be found in greater quantities.'Zougmoré tells SciDev.Net that most African countries have national soil bureaus that are inadequately resourced, making it difficult to generate new soil information. He is now calling for more support from African governments.Peter Okoth, a Nairobi-based natural resources consultant, says: 'Regional users [of the atlas] have the opportunity to know about trends, problem hotspots and patterns of soil distribution'. But he cautions that unless users are properly trained, they may find using the atlas challenging.Pedro Sanchez, project director of the Africa Soil Information Service (Afsis), and a soil expert at the US-based Earth Institute at Columbia University, welcomes the atlas as an 'important tool'. But he points out that because the atlas is not interactive, users may find it difficult to determine relationships between soil properties and their impacts.'We are also working on another interactive, web-accessible digital soil map that covers all the non-desert areas of Sub-Saharan Africa,' says Sanchez, adding that Afsis hopes to complete this project by the end of the year.• Download the Soil Atlas of Africa (part one, part two, part three). The atlas is also available as a printed copy from the EU's publication office.SoilFarmingAfricaAgricultureguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds     [Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/may/23/africa-soil-diversity-mapped http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/may/23/africa-soil-diversity-mapped AllAfrica News: Environment [Namibian]POOR farming practices, illegal and excessive mining and deforestation are among many factors that have contributed to the degradation of the Namibian environment, the Minister of Environment and Tourism Uahekua Herunga said last weekend. [AllAfrica News: Environment] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://allafrica.com/stories/201305231053.html http://allafrica.com/stories/201305231053.html Newswise: SciNews A new project, Notes from Nature, is digitizing information from natural history collections, such as those at the University of Virginia's Mountain Lake, for broader, easier access. [Newswise: SciNews] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewswiseScinews/~3/zWRTS4Ycllg/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewswiseScinews/~3/zWRTS4Ycllg/ AllAfrica News: Environment [SA Govt]The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Mrs Edna Molewa today, 22 May 2013 on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB), launched the Mining and Biodiversity Guideline: Mainstreaming biodiversity into the mining sector, in Kirstenbosch, Cape Town. [AllAfrica News: Environment] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://allafrica.com/stories/201305230539.html http://allafrica.com/stories/201305230539.html BBC News - Science & Environment A major new report from 25 wildlife organisations, assessing the state of Britain's Nature, is warning that many species of wildlife are facing extinction in the UK unless urgent action is taken. [BBC News - Science & Environment] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22634300#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22634300#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa AllAfrica News: Wildlife [New Vision]The Albertine Rift, which includes Western Uganda, is one of Africa's most biodiverse regions, with a great diversity of living plants and animals in a large range of different environments. [AllAfrica News: Wildlife] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://allafrica.com/stories/201305230122.html http://allafrica.com/stories/201305230122.html Africa News latest RSS headlines - The Africa News.net Kenya joined the rest of the world in making the International Day for Biodiversity with call to prioritize biodiversity conservation to propel green growth, reduce poverty and transform rural ... [Africa News latest RSS headlines - The Africa News.net] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theafricanews.net/index.php/sid/214704291/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec http://www.theafricanews.net/index.php/sid/214704291/scat/c1ab2109a5bf37ec CBD News Headlines A leading scientist has rated Indonesia's water management policies as among the worst in the world, and called for greater use of research and technology improve access to the precious resource for drinking and irrigation [CBD News Headlines] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/indonesia-water-policies-among-worlds-worst-scientist/ http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/indonesia-water-policies-among-worlds-worst-scientist/ CBD News Headlines FIJI joined billions of people around the world in marking World Biodiversity Day yesterday in Colo-i-Suva. [CBD News Headlines] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=234732 http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=234732 CBD News Headlines SWAT: The University of Swat marked International Day for Biodiversity on Wednesday with a call to conserve medicinal plants from northern Pakistan. [CBD News Headlines] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://tribune.com.pk/story/553037/environmental-initiative-international-day-for-biodiversity-observed/ http://tribune.com.pk/story/553037/environmental-initiative-international-day-for-biodiversity-observed/ CBD News Headlines Biodiversity and ecosystem services have an important role to play in attaining the sustainable development goals relating to food security, water, energy and poverty eradication, the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity said at Headquarters today. [CBD News Headlines] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2013/130522_Biodiversity.doc.htm http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2013/130522_Biodiversity.doc.htm CBD News Headlines The United Nations designated May 22 as the 'International Day for Biological Diversity,' to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. 'Water and Biodiversity' is this year's theme. [CBD News Headlines] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/ignore-biodiversity-management-at-your-own-peril/article4740211.ece http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/ignore-biodiversity-management-at-your-own-peril/article4740211.ece CBD News Headlines KOLKATA: Electronic fence and mobile squad to keep elephants and gaurs off train tracks and forest villages in North Bengal, drive elephants away from human settlements in forest areas of Rupnarayan, Kharagpur, Bankura and Purulia, rescue and transport leopards from North Bengal, install nylon net fence around vulnerable villages to prevent tiger straying in the Sunderbans; and rescue, transport and treatment mechanism for smaller animals in central Bengal. [CBD News Headlines] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Japan-funds-for-biodiversity-project/articleshow/20218127.cms http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Japan-funds-for-biodiversity-project/articleshow/20218127.cms CBD News Headlines A publication on water management, Watering Biodiversity, Ecosystem released by the National Biodiversity Authority, calls on the government to take up ecologically viable water management strategies to help bring down the cost of water. [CBD News Headlines] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/Biodiversity-galore/2013/05/23/article1601538.ece http://newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/Biodiversity-galore/2013/05/23/article1601538.ece CBD News Headlines ISLAMABAD: Pakistan needs to improve its floodplain management, consider water conservation and focus on harnessing the power of excessive rains to solve its water crisis, said experts at a ceremony in Islamabad on Wednesday. [CBD News Headlines] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://tribune.com.pk/story/552991/environmental-sustainability-harnessing-water-resources-to-protect-biodiversity/ http://tribune.com.pk/story/552991/environmental-sustainability-harnessing-water-resources-to-protect-biodiversity/ Inter Press Service » Environment – IPS Inter Press Service News Agency Journalism and Communication for Global Change The Food and Agriculture Organisation’s recommendation to consider using edible insects as a food source to combat hunger may have particular repercussions in Colombia and Mexico, two Latin American countries that have a tradition of eating insects and a high degree of biodiversity. Mexico has 300 edible insect species, according to a study published in [...] [Inter Press Service » Environment – IPS Inter Press Service News Agency Journalism and Communication for Global Change] Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/05/insects-from-delicacy-to-tool-against-hunger/ http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/05/insects-from-delicacy-to-tool-against-hunger/ Newswise: SciNews An amazing glow-in-the-dark cockroach, a harp-shaped carnivorous sponge and the smallest vertebrate on Earth are just three of the newly discovered top 10 species selected by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University. A global committee of taxonomists -- scientists responsible for species exploration and classification -- announced its list of top 10 species from 2012 today, May 23. [Newswise: SciNews] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewswiseScinews/~3/fI1vSG-AKGo/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewswiseScinews/~3/fI1vSG-AKGo/ USGS Newsroom CORVALLIS, Ore. — The first-ever estimate of how fast frogs, toads and salamanders in the United States are disappearing from their habitats reveals they are vanishing at an alarming and rapid rate. According to the study released today in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, even the species of amphibians presumed to be relatively stable and widespread are declining. And these declines are occurring in amphibian populations everywhere, from the swamps in Louisiana and Florida to the high mountains of the Sierras and the Rockies. The study by USGS scientists and collaborators concluded that U.S. amphibian declines may be more widespread and severe than previously realized, and that significant declines are notably occurring even in protected national parks and wildlife refuges. 'Amphibians have been a constant presence in our planet's ponds, streams, lakes and rivers for 350 million years or so, surviving countless changes that caused many other groups of animals to go extinct,' said USGS Director Suzette Kimball. 'This is why the findings of this study are so noteworthy; they demonstrate that the pressures amphibians now face exceed the ability of many of these survivors to cope.' On average, populations of all amphibians examined vanished from habitats at a rate of 3.7 percent each year. If the rate observed is representative and remains unchanged, these species would disappear from half of the habitats they currently occupy in about 20 years. The more threatened species, considered 'Red-Listed' in an assessment by the global organization International Union for Conservation of Nature, disappeared from their studied habitats at a rate of 11.6 percent each year. If the rate observed is representative and remains unchanged, these Red-Listed species would disappear from half of the habitats they currently occupy in about six years. 'Even though these declines seem small on the surface, they are not,' said USGS ecologist Michael Adams, the lead author of the study. 'Small numbers build up to dramatic declines with time. We knew there was a big problem with amphibians, but these numbers are both surprising and of significant concern.' For nine years, researchers looked at the rate of change in the number of ponds, lakes and other habitat features that amphibians occupied. In lay terms, this means that scientists documented how fast clusters of amphibians are disappearing across the landscape. In all, scientists analyzed nine years of data from 34 sites spanning 48 species. The analysis did not evaluate causes of declines. The research was done under the auspices of the USGS Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative, which studies amphibian trends and causes of decline. This unique program, known as ARMI, conducts research to address local information needs in a way that can be compared across studies to provide analyses of regional and national trends. Brian Gratwicke, amphibian conservation biologist with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, said, 'This is the culmination of an incredible sampling effort and cutting-edge analysis pioneered by the USGS, but it is very bad news for amphibians. Now, more than ever, we need to confront amphibian declines in the U.S. and take actions to conserve our incredible frog and salamander biodiversity.' The study offered other surprising insights. For example, declines occurred even in lands managed for conservation of natural resources, such as national parks and national wildlife refuges. 'The declines of amphibians in these protected areas are particularly worrisome because they suggest that some stressors – such as diseases, contaminants and drought – transcend landscapes,' Adams said. 'The fact that amphibian declines are occurring in our most protected areas adds weight to the hypothesis that this is a global phenomenon with implications for managers of all kinds of landscapes, even protected ones.' Amphibians seem to be experiencing the worst declines documented among vertebrates, but all major groups of animals associated with freshwater are having problems, according to Adams. While habitat loss is a factor in some areas, other research suggests that things like disease, invasive species, contaminants and perhaps other unknown factors are related to declines in protected areas. 'This study,' said Adams, 'gives us a point of reference that will enable us to track what's happening in a way that wasn’t possible before.' Read FAQs about this research The publication, Trends in amphibian occupancy in the United States, is authored by  Adams, M.J., Miller, D.A., Muths, E., Corn, P.S., Campbell Grant, E.H., Bailey, L., Fellers, G.M., Fisher, R.N., Sadinski, W.J., Waddle, H., and Walls, S.C., and is available to the public. Read a USGS blog, Front-row seats to climate change, about 3 other recent USGS amphibian studies. For more information about USGS amphibian research, visit http://armi.usgs.gov/   [USGS Newsroom] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=3597&from=rss http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=3597&from=rss NYT > Environment Slow lorises in the deep dark of the Vietnamese forest are probably wise to avoid the scientist who wanders by with a flashlight and a notebook. There are other humans about with less noble intentions.     [NYT > Environment] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/a-forest-denizen-at-risk/?partner=rss&emc=rss http://scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/a-forest-denizen-at-risk/?partner=rss&emc=rss LiveScience.com Researchers identified the exact strain of plant disease that caused the devastating famine. [LiveScience.com] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Livesciencecom/~3/_eQiu2KUJUI/34603-irish-potato-famine-pathogen-strain.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Livesciencecom/~3/_eQiu2KUJUI/34603-irish-potato-famine-pathogen-strain.html LiveScience.com Camera traps captured rare footage of the giant panda, stumped tail macques and more roaming through their remote natural habitats in China’s southwestern Sichuan Province. [LiveScience.com] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Livesciencecom/~3/gEY8S_UOsg8/34602-2012-an-endangered-species-odyssey-caught-on-video-in-china.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Livesciencecom/~3/gEY8S_UOsg8/34602-2012-an-endangered-species-odyssey-caught-on-video-in-china.html National Geographic News Sole survivors: Up to a hundred fungi species flourish on our feet, a new study says. [National Geographic News] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/05/130522-fungus-feet-health-body-science-weird-gross/ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/05/130522-fungus-feet-health-body-science-weird-gross/ News - Up to the minute news and analysis from Science. Scientists find large diversity of the microbes on our tootsies [News - Up to the minute news and analysis from Science.] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/05/scienceshot-feet-are-a-treat-for.html?rss=1 http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/05/scienceshot-feet-are-a-treat-for.html?rss=1 LiveScience.com Camera traps captured footage of pandas and their neighbors in a remote part of China. [LiveScience.com] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Livesciencecom/~3/BJVXoQplV34/34596-elusive-animals-caught-on-camera-in-china.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Livesciencecom/~3/BJVXoQplV34/34596-elusive-animals-caught-on-camera-in-china.html Science While studying microorganisms on humans is not new, tracking fungi is. In a census of sorts, scientists checked the skin of healthy volunteers. They found an expansive ecosystem of silent inhabitants. [Science] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/22/185821644/research-reveals-yeasty-beasts-living-on-our-skin?ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/22/185821644/research-reveals-yeasty-beasts-living-on-our-skin?ft=1&f=1007 Newswise: SciNews Scientists hope to learn more about how life thrives in these harsh environments [Newswise: SciNews] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewswiseScinews/~3/01IPyqUoteE/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewswiseScinews/~3/01IPyqUoteE/ Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk Readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific conceptsI'd have thought that with common ancestors, the eyes would have evolved in similar ways.Carole Atkinson, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria• Post questions and answers below or email them to nq@guardian.co.uk. Please include name, address and phone numberCatsZoologyBiologyAnimalsPetsguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds     [Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/may/22/why-big-cats-eyes-round-domestic-slitted http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/may/22/why-big-cats-eyes-round-domestic-slitted Inter Press Service » Environment – IPS Inter Press Service News Agency Journalism and Communication for Global Change Amid warnings that Kenya’s agricultural water use is surpassing sustainable levels and adversely affecting food security, biodiversity researchers say that agrobiodiversity should be considered as a vital tool to combat this. “In order to feed the nation, the country must explore agrobiodiversity, specifically (the growing of) vegetables and fruits, which have been neglected in favour [...] [Inter Press Service » Environment – IPS Inter Press Service News Agency Journalism and Communication for Global Change] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/05/eating-peas-and-greens-to-maximise-water-usage/ http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/05/eating-peas-and-greens-to-maximise-water-usage/ Science Although scientists have known that a funguslike organism caused the potato blight that triggered the Great Famine in Ireland in the 1840s, they didn't know which strain was the culprit. But they do now, thanks to the genes in some 19th century potato samples. [Science] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/21/185821964/how-genomics-solved-the-mystery-of-irelands-great-famine?ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/21/185821964/how-genomics-solved-the-mystery-of-irelands-great-famine?ft=1&f=1007 News catalogue Protected areas cover more than one fifth of the land in the 39 countries working with the European Environment Agency (EEA). On International Biodiversity Day, the EEA encourages Europeans to find out more about their closest nature reserve or national park using a new interactive map. [News catalogue] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/is-there-a-protected-area?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/is-there-a-protected-area?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic Covering Environmental Issues and Green News | The Earth Times Biodiversity is the term given to the variety of life on Earth and the natural pattern it forms. The biodiversity we see today is the result of millions of years of evolution, initially shaped by natural processes, but in modern times increasingly as a result of human intervention. We are an integral part of the web of biodiversity and we depend on this web, as does every other life form on the planet. [Covering Environmental Issues and Green News | The Earth Times] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.earthtimes.org/nature/international-day-biodiversity-22-may/2359/ http://www.earthtimes.org/nature/international-day-biodiversity-22-may/2359/ Covering Environmental Issues and Green News | The Earth Times When Chinese people eat scales of pangolins, they are destroying several species of a unique and precious mammal in the forest food web. Vietnam has begun the slow process of re-education and also getting the animals back into a depleted number of habitats. [Covering Environmental Issues and Green News | The Earth Times] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.earthtimes.org/conservation/pangolin-paradise-vietnam/2358/ http://www.earthtimes.org/conservation/pangolin-paradise-vietnam/2358/ Covering Environmental Issues and Green News | The Earth Times The tropical forests of the whole of South East Asia have been disappearing fast for years. The WWF and the EIA are now questioning just how long making a quick buck will take precedence over essential conservation. [Covering Environmental Issues and Green News | The Earth Times] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.earthtimes.org/nature/tropical-forests-disappearing/2357/ http://www.earthtimes.org/nature/tropical-forests-disappearing/2357/ - Environment RSS Feed pAlmost two thirds of British species have declined in the past 50 years and one in 10 faces the risk of extinction from our shores, according to an extensive new report into the state of Britain's nature./p [- Environment RSS Feed] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/british-wildlife-species-in-rapid-decline-with-one-in-10-at-risk-of-extinction-8626604.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/british-wildlife-species-in-rapid-decline-with-one-in-10-at-risk-of-extinction-8626604.html EurekAlert! - Breaking News Large-river specialist fishes -- from giant species like paddlefish and blue catfish, to tiny crystal darters and silver chub -- are in danger, but researchers say there is greater hope to save them if major tributaries identified in a University of Wisconsin-Madison study become a focus of conservation efforts. [EurekAlert! - Breaking News] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/uow-tm052213.php http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/uow-tm052213.php EurekAlert! - Breaking News In the first study of human fungal skin diversity, National Institutes of Health researchers sequenced the DNA of fungi at skin sites of healthy adults to define the normal populations across the skin and to provide a framework for investigating fungal skin conditions. The study appears in the May 22, 2013, early online issue of Nature. [EurekAlert! - Breaking News] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/nhgr-nrc052013.php http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/nhgr-nrc052013.php EurekAlert! - Breaking News Dinosaurs are often thought of as large, fierce animals, but new research highlights a previously overlooked diversity of small dinosaurs. In the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, a team of paleontologists from the University of Toronto, Royal Ontario Museum, Cleveland Museum of Natural History and University of Calgary have described a new dinosaur, the smallest plant-eating dinosaur species known from Canada. [EurekAlert! - Breaking News] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/sovp-ssp052213.php http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/sovp-ssp052213.php BBC News - Science & Environment A 'stocktake' of UK nature suggests 60% of animal and plant species have declined in the past 50 years - and one in 10 could end up disappearing. [BBC News - Science & Environment] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/22609000 http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/22609000 CBD News Headlines As the international community strives to accelerate its efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and define a post-2015 agenda, including a set of goals for sustainable development, water and biodiversity are important streams in the discussion. [CBD News Headlines] Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.cbd.int/idb/doc/2013/messages/idb-2013-unsg-message-en.pdf https://www.cbd.int/idb/doc/2013/messages/idb-2013-unsg-message-en.pdf