Biodiversity

"U.S. health officials are set to rule on whether a faster-growing, genetically engineered fish is safe to eat in a decision that could deliver the first altered animal food to consumers' dinner plates."

The algae mats floating in a stretch of California's Bear River look pretty disgusting. The "didymo" -- short for its scientific name, Didymosphenia geminata -- looks something like shredded toilet paper. It also resembles another of its nicknames: "rock snot." Its behavior has changed in recent years, and it is spreading. It appears in trout streams and threatens trout. New Zealand has banned felt-soled wading boots (often used by fly fishers), which can spread it.

"Chesapeake oysters are a succulent treat that for centuries have been loved almost to extinction.  But some scientists and business people are making headway in bringing back the bivalve, for the sake of oyster lovers and the bay."

"A British beekeeper said on Wednesday he may have discovered a strain of honey bee immune to a parasite that has been gradually wiping out populations of the vital insect worldwide."

"A federal appeals court panel on Friday ruled that wild steelhead remain an endangered species and rebuffed Central Valley irrigators' efforts to relax federal government protections on the Pacific salmon."

"'Monkey see, monkey do' is about to be put to the test. Seems some cooped-up orangutans, finally moved into more spacious outdoor digs at a Dutch zoo, have forgotten how to swing through the trees. So the zoo, Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen, is bringing in Olympic gymnast Epke Zonderland to re-teach them."

"A federal judge has revoked the government's approval of genetically altered sugar beets until regulators complete a more thorough review of how the scientifically engineered crops affect other food."

"A unique collection of European fruit and berry crops could be destroyed after a court in Russia gave permission today for land at a research institute in St. Petersburg to be turned into a housing estate."