Conservation

One of the rarest orchids east of the Mississippi, the small-whorled pogonia, emerges from a long dormancy when there is an abundance of specific fungi in the soil.

A Mystery of Hiding Orchids, Solved

Smithsonian scientists have discovered what triggers the rare small-whorled pogonia to awaken from dormancy

Scimitar-horned oryx being released into their holding pen in Chad last March

Second Group of the Once-Extinct African Oryx to Be Released Into the Wild

Hunting wiped out wild populations of the scimitar-horned creatures, but breeding programs are helping them make a comeback

As his ancestors have done for generations, Icelander Árni Hilmarsson catches an Atlantic puffin in a net called a háfur.

Disappearing Puffins Bring an Icelandic Hunting Tradition Under Scrutiny

Historically, hunting seabirds has been a distinctive feature of Nordic coastal culture. Should it still be?

The Javan myna is critically endangered in its natural Indonesian habitat, but exploding populations in Singapore have made it a nuisance there.

How Escaped Exotic Pet Birds Could Help Save Threatened Species

Though usually seen as a threat to local populations, these escapees could also help in the recovery of creatures in trouble

A street cat lounging in inner Sydney, Australia.

Feral Cats Now Cover 99.8 Percent of Australia

The fluffy murderbeasts pose a major threat to wildlife

J2, better known as "Granny," was the oldest-known living orca.

World’s Oldest-Known Orca Is Missing and Believed Dead

Over a century old, "Granny" hasn't been spotted since early October

Tusks from an $8 million shipment intercepted in Singapore

There's a New Tool in the Fight Against Elephant Poaching

An American biologist wields an innovative weapon against the illegal trade in African ivory

The journals that scientists consider most prestigious are often in English.

English Is the Language of Science. That Isn't Always a Good Thing

How a bias toward English-language science can result in preventable crises, duplicated efforts and lost knowledge

Yosemite National Park

The Year in National Parks

From people stealing baby bison and Yosemite trademarks to epic blooms in Death Valley, 2016 has been an eventful centennial year for the NPS

China Has Banned the Ivory Trade

By the end of 2017, the world’s largest ivory market will be closed

Ocean Legacy has a task not even Sisyphean would envy: picking up, sorting and recycling the vast amount of plastic that ends up on our shores.

Turning Ocean Garbage Into Gold

From the common plastic water bottle to the shoes of tsunami victims, one recycling organization tries to find a home for all ocean refuse

Leah Desrochers, a former employee of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, holds a stranded Kemp's ridley sea turtle.

Why Are Endangered Sea Turtles Showing Up Cold and Seemingly Lifeless on Northeastern Shores?

In the past three decades, scientists have confronted a worsening epidemic of stranded Kemp's ridley sea turtles

Poppies near Ribeira de Piscos, Côa Valley, Western Iberia, Portugal

A Project to "Rewild" Europe, Brings a Safari-Style Camp to Portugal

See Europe as it was five thousand years ago

Cheetah Populations Plummet as They Race Toward Extinction

Hunting, habitat loss and the pet trade have reduced the fastest land animal to roughly 7,100 individuals

Two of the last remaining wolves on Isle Royale

Park Service May Boost Wolf Pack on Isle Royale

The NPS has proposed a plan to boost the wolf population on the island where currently only two inbred canines remain

Shell's Polar Pioneer drilling platform

Obama and Trudeau Protect Millions of Acres From Drilling in the Arctic and the Atlantic

But questions remain about the permanency of the act in the arctic

Phuket Horned Tree Agamid, Acanthosaura phuketensis, found in Phuket,Thailand

Meet the Klingon Newt, Ziggy Stardust Snake—Two of the 163 New Species Discovered in the Mekong

A new reports details the dozens of new animal and plant species scientists found in Southeast Asia's Greater Mekong in 2015

Bei Bei, the National Zoo's youngest giant panda cub, during a veterinary exam when he was less than three months old.

The Long, Adorable History of Pandas in America

Su Lin was the first giant panda to come to America, landing in San Francisco in 1936

Swabbing the toads to sample their microbiomes.

Meet the Colorful New Weapon Scientists Are Using to Save Toads From a Devastating Fungus

Researchers are supplementing the amphibians’ natural microbiomes with a fluorescent fungus-fighter they've dubbed "Purple Rain"

Giraffes Silently Slip Onto the Endangered Species List

Years of habitat destruction and poaching have reduced giraffe numbers by 30 percent, placing them in the vulnerable category for the first time

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