News & Commentary

Catch of the Day

October 19, 2015 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

Scientists find super rare river sharks hiding in plain sight at a Papua New Guinea fish market.

Invasion of the Body Smashers

October 1, 2015 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

Thanks to warming waters off Antarctica, king crabs are plundering seas they haven’t been able to reach since the Jurassic era.

Net Effect

September 28, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Fishermen are throwing back green sea turtles with tumors on them, which may be weakening the Caribbean population.

Power of the People

September 8, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Crowdsourcing could cut conservation costs for boring, uncharismatic, or ugly species.

The Great Boto Botch Job

August 20, 2015 Latest NewsBrazilJason Bittel

How a brilliant marketing move led to the slaughter of thousands of pink river dolphins.

Polly Want a DNA Test?

August 13, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

A new study looks at how genetic analysis can help fight the exotic pet trade.

So You Want to Talk about Lions…

August 5, 2015 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

If #CeciltheLion got you mad about big cat trophies, wait until you hear what they’re doing with the bones.

Killer Snails vs. River Prawns

August 3, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Restoring an ecosystem may protect millions of people from a deadly (yet neglected) tropical disease.

CSI: Seahorse Key

July 21, 2015 Latest NewsFloridaJason Bittel

When birds suddenly up and abandon their nests by the thousands, who or what is to blame?

In Defense of Goldfish

July 2, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Scientists say exotic species may help spread a gruesome amphibian virus, but pesticides should take some blame, too.

The Dark at the End of the Tunnel

June 26, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Our nightlights do more than keep the bogeyman away—they affect the movement of bats.

In the Game of Species, You Win or You Go Extinct

June 17, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

The world’s endangered species are stuck in a cycle of woe and misery that even "Game of Thrones" author George R. R. Martin would find macabre.

Sawfish Virgin Births—Nature’s Hail Mary

June 10, 2015 Latest NewsFloridaJason Bittel

Scientists have discovered that smalltooth sawfish can reproduce without sex. But can parthenogenesis save the species?

Slugs, Bugs & Eelgrass: Unsung Heroes

June 5, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

When we mess with the food web, the food web gets messy.

Help Bats. Save the Environment. Drink Mezcal.

May 29, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

A bat scientist fights to make the tequila industry more bat-friendly.

Fighting Back Against 'the Nothing'

May 28, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Deforestation is an insidious, biodiversity-sucking void.

Save the Vegetarians, Save the World

May 11, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

A new review of the world’s largest herbivores shows 60 percent face extinction—and that’s bad news for everyone.

God Save the Hedgehog!

May 4, 2015 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

The hedgie is Britain’s national species, but adoring these cuties won’t be enough to save them.

Scan ‘Em, Don’t Can ‘Em

April 15, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

New tech allows us to get a peek at the elusive Atlantic sturgeon—and that could help save this ancient fish from extinction.

Sympathy for the Vulture

April 8, 2015 Latest NewsAfricaJason Bittel

Traditional medicine is threatening Africa’s soaring scavengers.