extinction

Honeybees invaded a reporter’s home, and upended everything she thought she knew about them

by

As It Happens108:20:00Honeybees invaded a reporter’s home, and upended everything she thought she knew about them It started with a single bee. Sarah Kliff, a New York Times reporter, was working from home in Washington, D.C., a few weeks back, when she found a bee buzzing in her window.  “I thought it had just gotten … Read more

How documenting the disappearance of the great auk led to the discovery of extinction

by

Quirks and Quarks17:24How documenting the disappearance of the great auk led to the discovery of extinction When species cease to exist, we often say they went “the way of the dodo.” But it might be more fitting to say they went “the way of the great auk” because it was the Icelandic bird’s disappearance that led to the discovery that … Read more

North Pacific humpback whale numbers fall by 20%, but some scientists aren’t worried yet

by

A sprawling international study of humpback whales in the northern Pacific has found their population has shrunk significantly since 2012 — despite the once-endangered species’ remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction.  The new research, published in Royal Society Open Science journal on Wednesday, estimated a roughly 20 per cent drop in the cetacean species’ numbers … Read more

How scientists tracked the 1,000 km journey of a woolly mammoth using its tusk

by

As It Happens6:35How scientists tracked the 1,000 km journey of a woolly mammoth using its tusk With nothing more than a tusk, researchers were able to track the 1,000 kilometre journey of a woolly mammoth that lived 14,000 years ago.  “The fact that we can actually regenerate her movement, her place along a landscape … … Read more

Climate Change Drove Great Ape Species to Extinction, Study Finds

by

washington —  An ancient species of great ape was likely driven to extinction when climate change put their favorite fruits out of reach during dry seasons, scientists reported Wednesday. The species Gigantopithecus blacki, which once lived in southern China, represents the largest great ape known to scientists — standing 10 feet tall and weighing up … Read more

Colonialism contributed to extinction of woolly dogs valued by Indigenous people, study suggests

by

For thousands of years, a breed of white, woolly dog played an important and cultural role for Coast Salish people in Western Canada but when colonists moved in the animal quickly became extinct, a new study says. It started with a dog named Mutton that died in 1859. Its pelt had been in a collection at the … Read more

Why do these mosquitoes keep perching on the nostrils of frogs who want to eat them?

by

As It Happens6:28Why do these mosquitos keep perching on the nostrils of frogs who want to eat them? John Gould had been snapping pictures of mosquitoes on frogs for years before he noticed a trend — the bloodsuckers always seem to land right on the amphibians’ noses. “You would think that a frog would be … Read more

Glacier melt opens up new territory for salmon — and mining

by

A new paper published in Science says that as glacier ice melts, new land and rivers are being revealed in the ice-covered transboundary region shared by northern B.C., Alaska, and the Yukon.  The peer-reviewed paper was a collaboration among researchers from Simon Fraser University, the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs’ Office, the University of Montana Flathead Lake … Read more