Sustainability
Feds draft plan to help protect bats from deadly white-nose syndrome
Since its discovery in January 2007 the lethal fungal infection known as white-nose syndrome (WNS) has killed at many as 1.5 million bats in the U.S.
Extinction Countdown
News and research about endangered species from around the world
Sustainability
Critically endangered Angolan antelope gets a second chance
Travel to the African nation of Angola and you'll see representations of the giant sable antelope ( Hippotragus niger variani ) everywhere you turn: on the country's currency, on stamps, and on company logos...
Sustainability
AIDS-like retrovirus threatens Australia's koalas with extinction
Koalas ( Phascolarctos cinereus ) may be one of the world's cuter critters, but that doesn't mean they have it easy. Not only have koala populations become heavily fragmented due to habitat loss, they face numerous threats that they never encountered before: household cats and dogs frequently kill koalas; hundreds die every year after being run over by cars and trucks; and now a deadly virus is spreading to koalas throughout Australia.The koala retrovirus, which infects and alters the animal's DNA, has been linked to a variety of diseases and medical problems, including leukemia, bone marrow failure, cancer and AIDS-like immune deficiencies...
Sustainability
Should cheetahs be reintroduced in India?
Cheetahs ( Acinonyx jubatus ) may be the world's fastest land mammal, but that hasn't helped them escape their worst enemy: humans. The big cats have been hunted to extinction in 15 countries, and their remaining African and Asian populations currently face genetic weaknesses, such as low sperm counts and deformed tails, because of inbreeding.Now, controversial efforts are underway to return the cheetah to India, the nation that gave the species its name ( citrakaya in Sanskrit)...
Sustainability
Rare plant worthy of Endangered Species Act protection--But won't get it
Goose Creek milkvetch ( Astragalus anserinus ), a rare plant that only exists in a 25-square-kilometer area straddling the borders of Idaho, Nevada and Utah, "warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act" (ESA) but it won't get it, because other species have "higher priorities," according to the U.S...
Sustainability
DNA bar codes, a new tool for tracking illegal wildlife trade
The illegal trade of bushmeat—meat and products made from wildlife—has grown dramatically in the past several years, thanks to high demand, enormous profits, a lack of law enforcement and minimal sentencing for criminals caught trafficking in bushmeat...
Sustainability
Last chance to save the Christmas Island bat fails; Species doomed to extinction?
Well folks, it looks like this is it for the Christmas Island pipistrelle bat ( Pipistrellus murrayi ). This critically endangered species of microbat now appears to be doomed to impending extinction as last-gasp efforts to capture the few remaining bats and place them in a captive breeding program have failed.Eight scientists, along with volunteers from the Australasian Bat Society, spent the last four weeks on Christmas Island (a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean), but were unable to capture a single bat."We knew it was a battle against the odds, as the bats have learned to avoid traps and are very difficult to catch," says Peter Garrett, Australia's minister for environment (and former Midnight Oil singer)...
Sustainability
Can Google's page-rank algorithm help save endangered species and ecosystems?
When users seek information from Google, the search engine relies on a proprietary algorithm called PageRank™ to determine the order of the sites that show up in search results.
Sustainability
Experts on the saola: The "Last chance" to save one of the world's rarest mammals
One of the world's rarest and least-known mammals risks extinction in the next few years if steps are not immediately taken to preserve it, according to experts speaking at an emergency meeting of the IUCN Species Survival Commission...
Sustainability
World's largest bat being hunted into extinction
With a wingspan of more than 1.5 meters, the large flying fox ( Pteropus vampyrus ) is the world's largest bat. But that size hasn't helped it. In fact, the giant fruit bat has become a target for hunting, and so many of them are being killed every year that the species now faces possible extinction, according to a new study...
Blog Index
@ScientificAmerican
STAFFBehind the scenes at Scientific American
Read
Anecdotes from the Archive
STAFF
Read
Anthropology in Practice
Exploring the human condition.
Read
Beautiful Minds
Insights into intelligence, creativity, personality, and well-being
Read
Budding Scientist
Everything you always wanted to know about raising science-literate kids
Read
Cross-Check
Critical views of science in the news
Read
Dark Star Diaries
STAFF
Read
Dog Spies
Explore the science behind the dog in your bed
Read
Extinction Countdown
News and research about endangered species from around the world
Read
Eye of the Storm
The Science Behind Extreme Weather
Read
Frontiers for Young Minds
Science by and for kids ages 8-15
Read
Guest Blog
Commentary invited by editors of Scientific American
Read
Hot Planet
Climate science in a changing world
Read
Illusion Chasers
Illusions, Delusions, and Everyday Deceptions
Read
Life, Unbounded
Discussion and news about planets, exoplanets, and astrobiology
Read
Observations
Opinion, arguments & analyses from guest experts and from the editors of Scientific American
Read
Roots of Unity
Mathematics: learning it, doing it, celebrating it.
Read
Rosetta Stones
Adventures in the good science of rock-breaking.
Read
SA Visual
STAFFIllustrating science since 1845
Read
Talking back
STAFFA science blog, sans blague
Read
The Artful Amoeba
A Blog About the Weird Wonderfulness of Life on Earth
Read
Voices
Exploring and celebrating diversity in science.
Read
