A paper published this week in Current Biology describes some of the ideal mechanisms behind soil restoration. However, like many academic studies, it is questionably too complex and theoretical to …
Food security
Why are cuckoos important?
Common Cuckoos are an intercontinental migrant that join a throng of other European birds making their biannual journey to and from Africa. Hearing the first spring cuckoo call is always emotional. …
How important are soil invertebrates? A new paper in Science Advances may have the answer. Researchers have estimated the abundance of all land arthropods (animals like insects, crabs, spiders and …
How predatory arachnids absorb carbon in grassland
The environmental newspaper Mongabay published a piece titled ‘Animating the Carbon Cycle: Earth’s animals vital allies in CO2 storage.’ It’s long been known animals are essential for ecosystem vitality. But …
Sweet in Tooth and Claw Book Review
In her latest book Kristin Ohlsen investigates the body of knowledge that describes how cooperation, not competition, has created life on Earth as we know it. I highly recommend you …
Four reasons why Tiger Sharks are really important
Tiger Sharks are found throughout the world’s tropical and temperate oceans. While Great White Sharks steal the glory in terms of Hollywood, Tiger Sharks may be even more formidable. Their …
People write books about the things they love the most. It is a way to gather one’s thoughts, think more clearly, and reminisce. But mostly it’s to share an experience …
Insect rewilding. Love and hate in grasshopper country
A little known insect rewilding project happened this week in Melbourne Australia. Several thousand Key’s Matchstick Grasshoppers were introduced into Royal Park. Rewilding is modern conservationWhy is animal conservation important? …
A recent study published in the Journal of Paleoecology looked at the size of fish in the last interglacial period. It found that anchovies were less numerous. So, researchers conclude, …
How do Sperm Whales catch squid? Five curious adaptations.
One of my favourite books is Sperm Whales by Hal Whitehead. Reading this rounded off a lifetime of fascination with the species. Sperm Whales are one of the biggest animals …