Anthropocene Nature

The fuzz of the fingernail-sized rosy maple moth may remind you of a teddy bear.

These Moths Are So Gorgeous They 'Put Butterflies to Shame'

To celebrate National Moth Week, bask in the beautiful variety of these oft-overlooked insects

The Chilean crocus, "Tecophilaea cyanocrocus," was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 2001. It's been considered "critically endangered" under ICUN guidelines ever since.

Plant Species Have Been Disappearing 500 Times Faster Than Normal, Thanks to Humans

Researchers call the results "frightening" because it's likely "gross underestimate” and the problem is probably much worse

Recent research found that fully one third of humanity can't see the Milky Way because of light pollution

Is Light Pollution Really Pollution?

As countries grow richer, light pollution gets worse–but some are fighting to change that

Torrance Coste of the Wilderness Committee illustrates the immensity of the missing Carmanah cedar in 2012.

Future of Conservation

How Thousand-Year-Old Trees Became the New Ivory

Ancient trees are disappearing from protected national forests around the world. A look inside $100 billion market for stolen wood

New Research

Study Shows 84% of Wildfires Caused by Humans

Over the last 21 years, debris burning, arson and campfires have combined with climate change to make the fire season much longer

Alaska's yellow-cedar forests are slowly dying as climate change takes root.

Anthropocene

This Music Was Composed by Climate Change

Dying forests make magnificently melancholy listening

Stephen Durham (left) and his father, Michael Durham, gather shells from Fence Creek in Madison, Connecticut.

Age of Humans

Ancient Oyster Shells Are Windows to the Past

Like thousands of soap-dish-sized Rosetta stones, the shells can reveal clues about the past—if you know what you’re looking for

Many boundaries between geologic eras are marked by physical golden spikes. This one, in South Australia, marks the end of the Ediacaran period, 635 million years ago.

Age of Humans

Where in the World Is the Anthropocene?

Some geologists believe we’ve entered a new era. Now they have to search for the rocks that prove it

Age of Humans

Mesmerizing Animation Shows Potential Animal Escape Routes in a Warming World

"Migrations in Motion" models the journeys over 2,900 species may take to find new habitats

Small fixes can keep birds from being snagged by fishing lines, which also helps fishing vessels not lose bait to the flying foragers.

Age of Humans

These Simple Fixes Could Save Thousands of Birds a Year From Fishing Boats

Changes as basic as adding a colorful streamer to commercial longline fishing boats could save thousands of seabirds a year

We're gonna need a bigger tank.

Age of Humans

Ginormous Goldfish Are Invading Australian Rivers

Abandoned by their owners, the fish run rampant and impact the environment

A male zebra finch.

Age of Humans

Birds Sing to Their Eggs, and This Song Might Help Their Babies Survive Climate Change

Embryonic learning—things birds pick up from their parents while still in the egg—may play a bigger role than imagined.

A condor, tagged with a transmitter for tracking, perches on California's coast.

Age of Humans

Mercury-Laden Sea Lion Carcasses Threaten California's Coastal Condors

The new findings put a wrench in conservation of one of the world's rarest birds

After the Deepwater Horizon oil blowout in 2010, rescuers rushed to save birds, like this pelican. In the end, it didn’t really matter, most birds died.

Age of Humans

Why We Pretend to Clean Up Oil Spills

Six years after Deepwater Horizon spewed oil into the Gulf of Mexico, we still have no idea what we're doing

Expanding human populations in India have pushed tigers into small, isolated habitats—and resulted in some unusual behaviors.

Anthropocene

Sorry, Tiger Dudes: Your Ladies Are Faking It

India’s tigresses may be feigning interest in sex as the result of shrinking habitat and overlapping territories

A captive Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) in Denmark.

Age of Humans

Mama Bears Use Humans To Keep Their Cubs Safe

During mating season, humans might stress female bears out, but male bears stress them out more

Age of Humans

Podcast: How Humans Caused Mass Extinctions Thousands of Years Ago

Humans have been the dominant species for longer than thought

Banaue rice terraces (N. Luzon, Philippines) taken from observation point at beginning of road to Bontoc

Age of Humans

Since the Late Pleistocene Humans Were Already Radically Transforming the Earth

A new study suggests that trying to return habitats to a non human-impacted environment might not be realistic

Under the waters in Pemuteran, in Bali, this structure might be helping restore a coral reef.

Age of Humans

This Coral Restoration Technique Is 'Electrifying' a Balinese Village

The technique is also changing attitudes and inspiring locals to preserve their natural treasures

This is what about a square inch of yttrium, a rare earth element, looks like.

Age of Humans

Podcast: All About Rare Earth Elements, the 'Vitamins' Of Modern Society

In this episode of Generation Anthropocene, learn about rare earth elements (which aren't really that rare) and why they're so prized.

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