Animals

Well-Managed Solar Parks Could Boost Pollinators in UK, Study Says

Well-Managed Solar Parks Could Boost Pollinators in UK, Study Says

When combined with green spaces, solar panels can provide more benefits than generating clean energy. According to a new study, led by Lancaster University scientists in collaboration with the University of Reading, well-managed solar parks that feature solar panels and vegetation could boost pollinator populations and biodiversity. The researchers published their findings in the journal […]

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    Hedgehog Sightings Increasing in the UK After Years of Decline

    Hedgehog Sightings Increasing in the UK After Years of Decline

    According to a survey by BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, hedgehog sightings in the UK are finally on the rise after declining observations of these mammals since 2000. A separate report from 2022, State of Britain’s Hedgehogs, noted a marked decline in hedgehogs, particularly in eastern Britain. According to that report, rural hedgehogs had decreased 30% […]

    Coral Reefs 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Coral Reefs 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Quick Key Facts What Are ‘Coral Reefs’? Coral reefs consist of hundreds of thousands of coral polyps — marine animal invertebrates with hard calcium carbonate exoskeletons. Different species grow to form a variety of measurements and shapes — from the size of a pinhead to as large as a foot in diameter. Coral colonies are […]

    Scientists Find Pollutants in Corals Linked to Burning Fossil Fuels

    Scientists Find Pollutants in Corals Linked to Burning Fossil Fuels

    While scientists have known that pollutants from human activities like agriculture, plastic production and coastal development threaten corals, a new study is the first to find pollutants tied to burning fossil fuels embedded in corals. Researchers from the Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal collected samples from the coral species Cladocora caespitosa of […]

    ‘We’re Wiping Out One of the World’s Oldest and Toughest Creatures’: Green Groups Urge Endangered Protections for Horseshoe Crabs

    ‘We’re Wiping Out One of the World’s Oldest and Toughest Creatures’: Green Groups Urge Endangered Protections for Horseshoe Crabs

    Horseshoe crabs have been on Earth for more than 450 million years — since before the dinosaurs. They are more closely related to spiders and scorpions than crustaceans and can live as long as 25 years. Despite having lived through ice ages, the breaking apart of the continents and many other geological and atmospheric changes […]

    Environmental Groups, Oil Industry File Separate Legal Challenges to Biden’s Offshore Drilling Plan

    Environmental Groups, Oil Industry File Separate Legal Challenges to Biden’s Offshore Drilling Plan

    Legal petitions have been filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia by environmental groups and oil and gas interests challenging the Biden administration’s plan to offer additional Gulf of Mexico drilling leases. The congressionally mandated five-year plan includes three sales — the least number being offered since 1980, reported […]