Inconsistent human behaviour around animals putting wildlife at risk

A computer model suggests that wildlife may face survival problems if some of the humans in the environment help wild animals while others hunt them Life 16 March 2022 By Christa Lesté-Lasserre Feeding wild animals might give them the misleading impression that all humans will offer assistance d3sign/Getty Images Well-meaning humans might be inadvertently putting … Read more

Creatures living in our cities are evolving in some surprising ways

From mosquitoes and rats to foxes and birds, the urban environment is transforming animals that live among us – but which new species should we expect next? Life 9 March 2022 By Rob Dunn Pigeons, as well as crows, jays and owls, are thriving in the urban jungle Bjorn Grotting/Alamy TO THE naturalist in me, … Read more

Toads: Amphibians surprise biologists by climbing trees

Citizen surveys have revealed that common toads often climb trees to hide in hollows or in nest boxes Life 11 March 2022 By Michael Le Page The European common toad (Bufo bufo) Henry Andrews The common toad is a rather rotund animal with short legs and an ungainly gait. It certainly doesn’t look like a … Read more

‘Lost’ medieval literature uncovered by techniques used to track wildlife | Science

Ask any Dutch schoolchild about Reynard the fox, and they’ll tell you all about the adventures of the dashing, anthropomorphic folk hero, whose exploits were laid down in the 13th century by Willem die Madoc maecte, or “William who made the Madoc.” Madoc is likely the name of another once-popular poem about a legendary Welsh … Read more

Identify local wildlife and aid research with the iNaturalist app

Capture photos of wild plants and animals, identify species you come across and contribute to biodiversity and conservation research, suggests Layal Liverpool Life 9 February 2022 By Layal Liverpool Shutterstock/Wut_Moppie ONE of my New Year’s resolutions was to spend more time outdoors, in nature. Inevitably, there are apps for that, and the one I decided … Read more

Glorious photos of garden-variety wildlife vie for international prize

These highlights of the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition feature a beautiful ant rendezvous and a “melancholy” butterfly Life 9 February 2022 By Gege Li Pepe Badia Marrero/IGPOTY THIS vibrant selection of images showcasing curiosities and beauties of nature features some of the top entries in this year’s International Garden Photographer of the … Read more

Glorious photos of garden-variety wildlife vie for Kew prize

These highlights of the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition feature a beautiful ant rendezvous and a “melancholy” butterfly Life 9 February 2022 By Gege Li Pepe Badia Marrero/IGPOTY THIS vibrant selection of images showcasing curiosities and beauties of nature features some of the top entries in this year’s International Garden Photographer of the … Read more

Chlamydia: Infectious disease found in 1 in 3 birds tested at Australian animal hospital

A survey of birds entering an Australian animal hospital shows a huge number of them carry chlamydia, including strains never seen before in Australia Life 31 January 2022 By Alice Klein The laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae), native to Australia electra kay-smith / Alamy Nearly one-third of hospitalised Australian birds are carrying chlamydia, including some novel … Read more

How Marine Wildlife can Coexist With Offshore Wind [Sponsored]

This podcast was produced for Ørsted by Scientific American Custom Media, a division separate from the magazine’s board of editors. April Reese: Offshore wind in the US is poised for a boom. States from Rhode Island on down to Virginia all have plans to ramp up offshore wind over the next decade, and the Biden administration … Read more

MRSA: Bacteria on hedgehogs evolved antibiotic resistance before use of drugs

A strain of the antibiotic-resistant bacterium MRSA seems to have colonised the skin of hedgehogs more than 200 years ago – and many other similarly evasive bugs might exist in nature Life 5 January 2022 By Jessica Hamzelou A European hedgehog Coatesy/Shutterstock A strain of the antibiotic-resistant bacterium MRSA seems to have evolved in hedgehogs … Read more