Sonora Desert

(Newser) - When threatened, the Sonoran desert toad secretes poison strong enough to kill a full-grown dog, writes Simon Romero for the New York Times. The poison can also be harvested, dried, and smoked, inducing feelings of euphoria intense enough to inspire the nickname "God molecule." And as Romero explains,...

(Newser) - A huge swath of breathtaking California desert just got federal protection courtesy of President Obama. The Los Angeles Times reports Obama named three new national monuments—Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow, and Castle Mountains—Thursday using a 1906 law letting presidents create such monuments to protect "objects of historic...

(Newser) - A massive shootout between rival drug and people-smuggling gangs left 21 people dead just 12 miles south of the border with Arizona, Mexican authorities say. The clash erupted in a remote area along a prime smuggling corridor in Sonora state, AP reports. All the dead are believed to be gang...

(Newser) - Citing environmental concerns, Mexico is calling on the US to revise its plan to expand border fences. The current layout threatens fragile ecosystems in the Sonora Desert area and could wipe out endangered species like the Mexican black bear, a new report shows. Mexico is ready to take the US...