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News Articles: habitat destruction

Spiderwebs can act as air filters that catch environmental DNA from terrestrial vertebrates, scientists say.

Need to track animals around the world? Tap into the 'spider-verse,' scientists say

Spiderwebs can capture environmental DNA, or eDNA, from vertebrate animals in their area, potentially making them a useful tool in animal monitoring, tracking and conservation.

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By:
  • Ari Daniel
A study published in the journal <em>Nature</em> found that the status of amphibians globally is "deteriorating rapidly," earning them the unenviable title of being the planet's most threatened class of vertebrates. Here, an endangered Agalychnis annae, commonly known as a Blue-Sided Leaf Frog, is seen at National Biodiversity Institute of Costa Rica, INBio, in Heredia, Costa Rica.

Scientists looked at nearly every known amphibian type. They're not doing great

A new global assessment of the world's amphibians finds that more than 2 of every 5 known species is at risk of extinction. Habitat loss, disease and climate change are the main drivers.

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By:
  • Nathan Rott
Researchers examine an evening bat while handling it for scientific measurements during a night of data collection on creek in Macon in 2015. The data collected that night is just one point in a just published seven year study of Georgia's bats.

PHOTOS: Georgia's bat populations are crashing, but signs of hope emerge in some habitats

A study of Georgia’s bats describes which parts of the state provide refuge for at least one species in the face of the ongoing, cataclysmic crash of bat populations in some habitats.

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Bats congregate in the Bat Cave in Queen Elizabeth National Park on August 24, 2018. Scientists placed GPS devices on some of the bats to determine flight patterns and how they transmit Marburg virus to humans. Approximately 50,000 bats dwell in the cave.

There's a second outbreak of Marburg virus in Africa. Climate change could be a factor

The first outbreak this year was in Equatorial Guinea, which has seen 20 deaths already. Now there are cases reported in Tanzania as well for this infectious disease with a high fatality rate.

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By:
  • Fran Kritz