io9: Biodiversity

Africa's Western black rhino has been declared extinct

Robert T. Gonzalez — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:40:00 PST

In 2006, researchers undertook an extensive search for Western black rhinos in Cameroon, the place where the species was last sighted. No rhinos were found. Researchers failed to turn up any evidence of their dung, tracks, or signs of feeding. Had the rare subspecies of black rhinoceros gone the way of the dodo? Sadly, yes. More »

Get ready for ecosystem collapse in the years ahead

Robert T. Gonzalez — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:39:33 PST

The number of species (and entire genera) that are recognized as endangered is growing at an ever-increasing rate. Conservation scientists report in a new survey that they expect the Earth will suffer major hits to biodiversity levels in the years ahead. More »

Climate change is causing Earth's animals to shrink

Robert T. Gonzalez — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:09:18 PDT

Earth's species are shrinking. As temperatures rise, plants and animals the world over are adapting, some more quickly than others, by becoming smaller — a trend that scientists say could have serious implications for ecological diversity the world over. More »

Earth's worst mass extinction might not have been as bad as we thought

Alasdair Wilkins — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:30:00 PDT

The Permo-Triassic extinction event happened 251 million years ago, killing off 96% of all marine species, and 70% of those on land. As bad as all that was, it now appears that land-based species recovered much faster than previously believed. More »

The real reason behind the rainforest's extreme biodiversity

Alasdair Wilkins — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 14:15:09 PDT

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The rainforest ecosystem features dizzying levels of biodiversity, so much so that we can only estimate how many millions of species we still haven't discovered. But the actual reason why the rainforests are so diverse might surprise you. More »

The story of the woman who discovered new species in her garden

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 11:55:00 PDT

A nearly four-decade-long biology project conducted in a woman's garden revealed four separate species of insects previously unknown to science. Seemingly, all you need to discover a new species is a bit of land, some traps, and a lot of patience. More »

Our bellybuttons are home to hundreds of undiscovered species

Alasdair Wilkins — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 09:30:00 PDT

The Belly Button Biodiversity project recently began taking DNA samples from people's navels to find out what bacteria is living within. Of the roughly 1,400 bacterial strains discovered thus far, at least 662 of them are completely unknown. More »

Why the rock-paper-scissors game explains natural selection

Alasdair Wilkins — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:00:00 PDT

It's time for another apparently ridiculous analogy linking together a basic facet of the natural world with a piece of pop culture ephemera! This time around, rock-paper-scissors explains why three or more competitors for the same resources can coexist forever. More »

Invasive species destroyed biodiversity and triggered Earth's worst extinction event

Alasdair Wilkins — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 11:52:14 PST

375 million years ago, Earth suffered through its worst extinction event ever: 95% of all species perished. But here's the paradox: extinctions weren't actually any more common then than they are now. The real secret is that Earth's biodiversity collapsed. More »

European Space Agency Fights Alien Invasion

Ed Grabianowski — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 14:00:00 PST

The introduction of invasive species through the ballast water carried in ocean-going vessels is one of the biggest threats to marine environments. The ESA is using weapons hundreds of miles above the ocean surface in this environmental battle. More »

Will 50 percent of vertebrates go extinct over the next century?

Annalee Newitz — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 06:30:00 PDT

This map shows extinction hot spots for vertebrates (mammals, birds, and amphibians). Brown areas and blue areas are regions of intense die-offs. It's from a massive research study published today, showing nearly one-fifth of vertebrates are threatened with extinction. More »

Norway Builds Giant Shelter For The End Of The World

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:23:07 PST

Norway's "Doomsday Vault" will open tomorrow, just in time to safeguard our biodiversity against the apocalypse. Carved into the permafrost of a remote Arctic mountain, about 620 miles from the North Pole, the vault has been built to withstand nuclear missiles or a plane crash on top of it, but it's also far enough above sea level that it won't be flooded by melting icecaps. Click through for more images of the Doomsday Vault. More »