Biodiversity

"A preliminary report suggests that mask wearing and social distancing may curb the spread of disease from humans to great apes."

"Lawmakers from Massachusetts and New Jersey want to set up a new grant program to help develop technology that assists in saving a rare species of whale from extinction."

"America’s national bird is more beleaguered than previously believed, with nearly half of bald eagles tested across the U.S. showing signs of chronic lead exposure, according to a study published Thursday."

"In Jordan, researchers, activists and fishers are hopeful that their coral reefs — and the life they support — can survive climate change."

"The world is spending at least $1.8tn (£1.3tn) every year on subsidies driving the annihilation of wildlife and a rise in global heating, according to a new study, prompting warnings that humanity is financing its own extinction."

"Antarctica’s two native flowering plants are spreading rapidly as temperatures warm, according to the first study to show changes in fragile polar ecosystems have accelerated in the past decade."

"The Fish and Wildlife Service today [Monday] proposed Endangered Species Act protections for the prostrate milkweed, a plant found in Texas that’s been awaiting action for quite some time."

"Just outside of Los Angeles, in one of the most human-modified parts of the planet, a rare coastal ecosystem is being pinched against the Pacific Coast. The mountain range is home to one of the highest concentrations of threatened and endangered species in the country."

"The Australian government has officially listed the koala as endangered after a decline in its numbers due to land clearing and catastrophic bushfires shrinking its habitat."