Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 8, 2008 2:53:44 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

Stories related to: extinction

Stories

Stories 1 - 20 of 22

1 2 Next >>
  • October 2008

    • One-Quarter of Mammal Species Imperiled: Survey

      Guardian (UK)  |  Oct 6, 08 2:17 PM CDT

      One-Quarter of Mammal Species Imperiled: Survey

      (Newser) - Nearly 25% of the world’s mammal species face extinction, the Guardian reports, and 3% are critically endangered. The stark conclusion, based on research conducted over 5 years in 130 countries, paints an especially bleak picture for marine mammals, the highly regarded Red List says. "We are threatening the future of wildlife and nature and denying our children the chance to experience what we have experienced," said the WWF's chief scientist. More »

  • September 2008

    • Half of Europe's Frog Species May Croak

      Independent  |  Sep 26, 08 3:49 AM CDT

      Half of Europe's Frog Species May Croak

      (Newser) - Half of all of Europe's amphibian species could be doomed to extinction within the next few decades, scientists warn. Habitat loss and climate change are already wiping out huge numbers of frogs, toads, newts and salamanders, the Independent reports. The situation has been exacerbated by a skin disease that has spread around the globe, devastating amphibian populations. More »

      Tags

      climate change  • Europe  • endangered species  • wildlife  • extinction  • frogs  • amphibians  • Zoological Society of London  • salamanders

    • 4 in 10 North American Fish Species in Peril

      Associated Press  |  Sep 10, 08 6:56 PM CDT

      4 in 10 North American Fish Species in Peril

      (AP) - About four out of 10 freshwater fish species in North America are in peril, says a major study by US, Canadian, and Mexican scientists. And the number of subspecies of fish populations in trouble has nearly doubled since 1989, the new report says. One biologist called it "silent extinctions" because few notice the dramatic dwindling deep in lakes, rivers, and streams. And while they are unaware, people are the chief cause of the problem by polluting and damming freshwater habitats, experts said. More »

      Tags

      environment  • pollution  • fish  • fishing  • extinction

  • August 2008

    • They Weren't Such 'Neanderthals'

      Independent (UK)  |  Aug 26, 08 2:05 AM CDT

      They Weren't Such 'Neanderthals'

      (Newser) - Neanderthals were just as smart as their stone-age rivals, the latest research into the roots of mankind concludes . Scientific teams who learned how to make and use Neanderthal tools found their technology just as efficient as that used by Homo sapiens, reports the Independent . The study runs counter to theories that inferior intellect and technology caused Neanderthals' extinction some 10,000 years after Homo sapiens came on the scene. More »

  • July 2008

    • Even Toughest Toads Are Being Unmanned

      Independent (UK)  |  Jul 13, 08 10:40 AM CDT

      Even Toughest Toads Are Being Unmanned

      (Newser) - The mystery of the hermaphrodite toads may be solved: Researchers have found that various chemicals used in farming are linked to sex changes in certain amphibian species, the Independent reports. In a population of cane toads, 40% of males had developed feminine coloring and ovaries, and an additional 20% had marked female characteristics. And the toads are not unique. More »

      Tags

      endangered species  • farming  • extinction  • chemicals  • frogs  • sex change  • amphibians  • hermaphrodite

  • June 2008

    • Caribbean Monk Seal Extinct

      MSNBC  |  Jun 7, 08 4:47 PM CDT

      Caribbean Monk Seal Extinct

      (Newser) - Caribbean monk seals, the sea dwellers first discovered during Columbus’s second voyage in 1494, are officially extinct—the only seal to vanish because of human causes, MSNBC reports. “Humans left the Caribbean monk seal population unsustainable after overhunting them,” a biologist explained. The seal, a native of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, hadn’t been spotted for 50 years. More »

  • May 2008

    • Odds of Cataclysmic Space-Rock Crash: 1 in 10

      Atlantic Monthly  |  May 25, 08 6:19 AM CDT

      Odds of Cataclysmic Space-Rock Crash: 1 in 10

      (Newser) - Chicken Little may have been smarter than we thought. A growing body of evidence reveals that the sky is falling, or at least gigantic space rocks are—and the Earth is at far greater risk of a catastrophic strike than previously thought, reports Atlantic . Despite the danger—an impact could make a nuclear bomb look like a firecracker—NASA is expending little effort to protect the planet. More »

      Tags

      NASA  • astronomy  • extinction  • asteroid  • space program  • crater  • comet

    • Ocean Sharks Face Extinction

      BBC  |  May 22, 08 1:40 PM CDT

      Ocean Sharks Face Extinction

      (Newser) - Ocean sharks are threatened with extinction, with 11 species designated “high-risk” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and five more also in danger. Sharks are dwindling from intentional fishing, which targets them for their meat and fins, and “bycatch” fishing that lands them in nets meant for tuna and swordfish. The group is calling for global catch limits, the BBC reports. More »

      Tags

      endangered species  • ocean  • fishing  • extinction  • shark  • threatened species  • fishing ban

    • Wildlife Populations Plunging

      BBC  |  May 16, 08 8:25 AM CDT

      Wildlife Populations Plunging

      (Newser) - Humanity is rapidly wiping out the planet's species, sending wildlife populations plunging, the BBC reports. Pollution, habitat loss, and overfishing have cut wildlife numbers as much as a third since 1970 and wipe out 1% of species each year. One of the "great extinction episodes" in Earth's history also spells serious trouble for humanity, warned the director of the World Wildlife Fund. More »

      Tags

      environment  • animal  • endangered species  • wildlife  • extinction  • biodiversity  • threatened species  • World Wildlife Fund

    • Endangered Frogs Find Their Noah

      Washington Post  |  May 12, 08 3:33 PM CDT

      Endangered Frogs Find Their Noah

      (Newser) - Half of all frog species are in danger of extinction, and conservationists are taking a page from the Bible in working to preserve them. A program called Amphibian Ark has named 2008 the Year of the Frog, and is working with zoos to harbor endangered species, including some that have vanished from the wild. The goal is to breed enough to revitalize the populations, reports the Washington Post . More »

      Tags

      endangered species  • zoo  • extinction  • frogs  • amphibians  • habitat

  • April 2008

    • Climate Killing Medical Hopes

      AFP  |  Apr 23, 08 1:53 PM CDT

      Climate Killing Medical Hopes

      (Newser) - The loss of biodiversity on Earth will seriously hamper efforts to cure human disease, AFP reports. Researchers at the UN-backed Business for the Environment conference highlighted undiscovered cures for pain, infections and even cancer that risk being lost forever if humans fail to reverse the widespread extinction of thousands of species caused, in large part, by climate change. More »

      Tags

      climate change  • environment  • medicine  • disease  • research  • extinction  • environmental damage  • biodiversity

    • Greenhouse Gases Destroying Koalas' Food

      The Australian  |  Apr 6, 08 5:45 AM CDT

      Greenhouse Gases Destroying Koalas' Food

      (Newser) - The koala and its marsupial cousins are in serious danger of extinction because greenhouse gases are rendering the eucalyptus leaves they rely on nutritionally worthless, reports the Australian. "What we're seeing is that the staple diet of these animals is being turned to leather," a professor said. "Life is set to become extremely difficult for these animals." More »

      Tags

      climate change  • Australia  •