Itaituba: Brazil’s Gold Capital Resists Government Crackdown
ITAITUBA, Brazil — Itaituba, often referred to as the “City of Gold,” is at the heart of a complex and controversial gold mining economy in the Brazilian Amazon. Here, gold is more than a precious...
View ArticleResilient and resourceful, Brazil’s illegal gold capital resists government...
ITAITUBA, Brazil — José Maria Silva de Souza starts preparations early. Better known as Zé Maria, he has many stops to make before heading to his gold mine. A stop at the supermarket to buy groceries,...
View ArticleFlorida’s coral reefs are still ailing but doing better
A year after the worst coral bleaching ever recorded, Florida’s reefs are slowly recovering. Despite elevated ocean temperatures, scientists say this summer they didn’t see significant bleaching....
View ArticleAssociation for Tropical Biology and Conservation at 60: A look back and forward
KIGALI — When scientists, conservationists and policymakers from around the world gathered in East Africa this July (exchanging ideas, celebrating successes and planning for the future), the...
View ArticleAction at Scale: Elizabeth Yee on The Rockefeller Foundation’s Climate Strategy
In the world of philanthropy, few institutions carry as much historical heft as The Rockefeller Foundation. Founded over a century ago with the grand ambition to promote the well-being of humanity, it...
View ArticleWildlife busts in Malaysia’s Taman Negara show progress, and gaps, in...
Taman Negara, Peninsular Malaysia’s premier national park, is celebrated for its extraordinary biodiversity centered around a 130-million-year-old tropical rainforest that’s believed to be the world’s...
View ArticleIdaho is having its worst wildfire smoke summer in decades
Idaho is having its worst summer for wildfire smoke in 25 years and has been America’s top smoke producer since June. One megafire will likely only stop when snows arrive. The post Idaho is having its...
View ArticleTyphoon Yagi death toll reaches 63 after ripping through northern Vietnam
Torrential rains and strong winds from Typhoon Yagi devastated northern Vietnam on Sept. 9, leaving a reported 49 people dead and 732 injured, dozens more are missing. In the week of Sept. 3, Yagi...
View ArticleFirst-ever global atlas shines light on large mammal migrations
Every year, massive herds of large mammals take on arduous long-distance migrations to find food, favorable weather and a suitable place to raise their young. An international team of scientists has...
View ArticleThe Itombwe owl: Two birds and an identity crisis
A lost bird Everything we know for certain about the Itombwe owl comes from just two individuals: one dead for more than 70 years, and the other also most likely dead by now. The second, a small,...
View ArticleWinter crabbing strained Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population. It may soon...
After a 16-year prohibition, a group of Virginia watermen voted to reinstate winter crab dredging. Many argue the decision puts the blue crab’s fragile population in jeopardy. (Image credit: Mark...
View ArticleSuccessful Thai community-based hornbill conservation faces uncertain future
Budo-Sungai Padi National Park is a swath of dense tropical rainforest a fifth the size of Bangkok that lies along southern Thailand’s isthmus linking the country to Peninsular Malaysia. Its rugged...
View ArticleIn Venezuela, natural regeneration helps restore a threatened cloud forest
“And this big one?” Ancelmo Dugarte asks his 3-year-old son, Marco Antonio, pointing to a towering pine in front of them. “Pino laso,” the little voice replies. “And this one? What’s this called?”...
View ArticleBats & bees help ni-Vanuatu predict storms — but will climate change interfere?
Weeks before Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Harold loomed over the Vanuatu islands in 2020, Indigenous ni-Vanuatu people received nature’s warning call. Locals secured their thatched roofs and baked taro...
View ArticleBillionaire takes off for first ever private spacewalk
Reuters Billionaire Jared Isaacman has taken off in a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for what he hopes will be the first ever privately funded spacewalk. The mission, called Polaris Dawn, is the first of...
View ArticleLack of research as contaminated Yaqui River poses health risks
YAQUI VALLEY, Mexico — In June, residents of communities along the Yaqui River found various dead tilapia, carp and catfish floating on the banks of the river. According to Guadalupe Flores Maldonado,...
View ArticleRegenerative agriculture is sold as a climate solution. Can it do all it says?
Governments and industries are pouring billions of dollars into so-called “regenerative agriculture”. But while scientists say some of these farming practices do reduce planet heating pollution, for...
View ArticleBangkok turns to urban forests to beat worsening floods
“I remember when I was a young child in Bangkok, we used to sail our boat on the clean floodwater,” says landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom. “Flooding was fun.” But when a tropical storm hit the...
View ArticleIts supporters dream of heat-resistant cows. But gene editing is making...
BBC There’s nothing new about genetic engineering. By cross-breeding plants and animals, our Stone Age ancestors realised they could boost the amount of food they produced. Modern genetics has enabled...
View ArticleHow Memphis became a battleground over Elon Musk’s xAI supercomputer
A massive project headed by Elon Musk in Memphis, Tenn., to power AI has moved at breakneck speed. But it’s stirring controversy around pollution emissions. The EPA says it’s looking into it. (Image...
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