Animals

Tiger populations are on the rise, after years of losses, according to a new survey. Here, a tiger cub explores its nature reserve for the first time in England last year.

Number Of Wild Tigers Increases For First Time In 100 Years

1:52pm April 11, 2016

by Bill Chappell

Early in the 20th century, the world had some 100,000 tigers, according to estimates. The number fell sharply over time — but the World Wildlife Fund says it has now risen for the first time in years.

During a weekend run in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, Biko and his owner paused as a funeral procession passed by.

Doggone It, Why Do They Make It So Hard To Take A Pooch On A Plane?

12:59pm April 10, 2016

by Donatella Lorch

Our 94-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback has moved from the Kenya to Nepal — and now to Turkey. It was really ruff.

A tiger in a rescue center in Cambodia in 2011.

Cambodia Launches Plan To Reintroduce 'Functionally Extinct' Tigers

7:50pm April 07, 2016

by Laura Wagner

A successful revival would mean not only a healthier and more balanced ecosystem, but it could also boost Cambodia's ecotourism, bringing more revenue to the national economy.

Peruvian anchoveta being processed at a fish meal factory in Lima in 2009. The small forage species has been heavily fished.

Tiny Forage Fish At Bottom Of Marine Food Web Get New Protections

2:54pm April 07, 2016

by Alastair Bland

Demand for sardines and other small species has exploded, with many being used as feed for livestock and fish farming. New rules aim to protect these species from overfishing off the U.S. West Coast.

Victoria Thomas' backyard was overrun with rats a few years ago. She tried everything from trenching and underground fencing to poison traps but nothing worked — until she got three feral cats.

Science

Facing A Growing Rat Problem, A Neighborhood Sets Off The Cat Patrol

8:16pm April 04, 2016

by David Schaper

Chicago has a bad rat problem, and it gets worse when old buildings are demolished. Residents of a Chicago neighborhood decided to counter the rat invasion with natural enemies — feral cats.

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Let the record show: this is not the bull Jon Stewart saved on Friday.

Jon Stewart And The Runaway Bull: A Tale In 5 Headlines

2:41pm April 02, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

No, it wasn't an April Fool's joke.

The Secret, Social Lives Of Mountain Lions

5:00pm March 31, 2016

by Melodie Edwards

Mountain lions are known to be scary lone hunters, but a biologist aims to prove us wrong with thousands of videos showing the big cats in their natural habitat.

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Science

Tundra Issue: How To Keep Oil Workers From Crossing Paths With Bears

3:11pm March 31, 2016

by Rachel Waldholz

March is when oil equipment starts using ice roads on the Alaskan North Slope. It's also when polar bears and cubs emerge from dens. Aerial spotters find dens so roads and workers can bypass bears.

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Idmonarachne brasieri, from the Late Carboniferous period and found in Montceau-les-Mines, France.

Science

305 Million-Year-Old Fossil A Glimpse Into The Origins Of Spiders

7:47pm March 30, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The main point of distinction between this creature and true spiders: It very likely could produce silk but lacked the spinnerets used by true spiders to, well, spin it, scientists say.

The modern broiler, or meat chicken, grows incredibly fast. But some critics say the bird — and the flavor of its meat — may suffer as a result. Whole Foods wants all of its suppliers to shift to slower-growing chicken breeds, like this one, seen at A

Why Whole Foods Wants A Slower-Growing Chicken

1:54pm March 30, 2016

by Dan Charles

A modern broiler, or meat chicken, grows incredibly fast. The bird suffers as a result, and some critics say its flavor does too. Now Whole Foods wants its suppliers to shift to slower-growing breeds.

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