Florida laboratory tests exposed endangered Caribbean corals to predatory bacteria; more than half showed no bleaching beyond the infection site

Representative Image (AI-generated) Coral reefs are often called the rainforests of the sea, but across the Caribbean, many of them are struggling to survive. Along with warming oceans and habitat loss, bacterial diseases have become a growing threat, capable of wiping out large sections of coral in a short time. Now, researchers in Florida have…

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Quote of the day by Chandrika Kumaratunga: ‘Power is a joke, but it gives me the authority to do what I think I need to do for the country’

Quote of the day by former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga. When Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga sat down with Australian journalist Michael Maher in July 2005 for an interview on the ABC program Foreign Correspondent, her presidency was drawing to a close. Asked about the allure of supreme political office, Sri Lanka’s first female president brushed…

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From 1952 to 2020, US inspectors recorded 2,562 woodwasp interceptions; researchers found wooden packaging was the dominant invasion pathway

When a shipment arrives at a port, inspectors are usually focused on what’s inside the containers. But sometimes, the biggest biosecurity risk isn’t the cargo at all, it’s the wooden pallet or crate carrying it.A new study published in Biological Invasions suggests that this has been the case for woodwasps, a group of wood-boring insects…

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Scientists identified seven new diamond frog species in Madagascar after a 12-year search through forests and museum collections

Representative Image (Image Credit: Canva) Madagascar has earned a reputation as one of the world’s greatest biodiversity hotspots, yet it continues to surprise scientists. A new study published in Vertebrate Zoology has identified seven previously unknown species of diamond frogs belonging to the genus Rhombophryne. The discovery brings the total number of recognised diamond frog…

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As UK oceans warm up, experts warn great white sharks are ‘already lurking off beaches’ and another toothy predator could follow

With rising ocean temperatures, great white sharks are migrating further north than ever documented. Researchers suggest that these formidable predators might already be silently exploring British waters. This phenomenon signifies a broader ecological crisis, forcing various marine species to adapt their hunting and migration patterns in response to shifting sea temperatures, highlighting the urgent need…

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Over 170 migrants rescued after Channel boat catches fire; UK says ‘all will be returned’ to France

Over 170 migrants rescued after Channel boat fire. More than 170 migrants were rescued on Tuesday after a small boat attempting to cross the English Channel from France to the UK caught fire, prompting a major cross-border rescue operation, BBC reported.French authorities said the vessel’s engine caught fire before its “structural integrity deteriorated very rapidly”,…

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In 1950s, the US built a neighbourhood upon 22,000 tons of buried toxic waste, then children began returning home with burns exposing the worst environmental scandal of the country

Originally designed to be a groundbreaking canal project, this site succumbed to a fate of pollution as industrial and municipal waste accumulated over decades. The catastrophic rainfall in 1976 triggered the release of these harmful chemicals into nearby homes, displacing numerous families. This incident catalyzed the formation of the Superfund program, dedicated to remedying toxic…

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Why vultures don’t get sick from eating rotten meat; the remarkable adaptations that make them nature’s ultimate clean-up crew

Wondering how vultures can eat a carcass and not get sick? Well vultures may have one of the toughest diets in the animal kingdom but their bodies are built to cope. These birds can feed off carcasses that would make most animals dangerously sick, because their digestive systems are specially adapted to destroy harmful bacteria,…

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