Animals

A northern spotted owl in a Redwood forest.

To Save Threatened Owl, Another Species Is Shot

12:19pm January 17, 2014

by Elizabeth Shogren

The rare northern spotted owl species faces habitat loss and, now, intruding barred owls. A biologist, and the federal government, have made a difficult decision — killing one owl to ward off the extinction of another.

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National

Months After 'Blackfish' Release, Controversy Over SeaWorld Grows

9:11pm January 15, 2014

by Greg Allen

An anti-SeaWorld movement has unfolded online and on social media in the wake of the documentary about the death of an orca trainer at the park. Musical acts and schoolchildren have boycotted the theme park — but it's still drawing big crowds.

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Emerald ash borer larvae damage the ash trees they live in.

Environment

The Upside Of The Bitter Cold: It Kills Bugs That Kill Trees

7:19pm January 10, 2014

by David Schaper

Scientists say that the freezing weather can help reduce the population of a beetle that harms trees, as well as other invasive species. In Minnesota, up to 80 percent of the beetle's larvae may die off, buying some time for those who feared its negative effects on the ash tree population.

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No Polar Vortex For Brazil; Instead, Sizzling Heat

10:21am January 10, 2014

Zookeepers in Rio brought in icy treats to help the animals "beat the heat" that reached 120 degrees. Primates cooled off with strawberry and mango popsicles. The big cats got icy blocks of meat.

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A diving whale off the coast of Southern California near the Los Angeles suburb of Palos Verdes in 2010.

Whale Traffic Jam Delights Visitors And Baffles Scientists

6:13pm December 30, 2013

by Kirk Siegler

Now is a good time to spot gray whales off the coast of Southern California, but scientists have been seeing an unusually high number of other whales. "The fact that we're getting a chance to see at this time of year fin whales, blue whales, is really a mystery," says a marine biologist.

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A technique called optogenetics is being used in the laboratory to observe and control what brain circuits are doing in real time.

Experimental Tool Uses Light To Tweak The Living Brain

8:09am December 30, 2013

by Jon Hamilton

An experimental technique called optogenetics is starting to change the way researchers look at the brain. The tool allows them to switch entire brain circuits on and off using light, and may help figure out what's going wrong in brain ailments from epilepsy to depression.

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A Scientist's New Job: Keeping The Polar Bears' Plight Public

3:43pm December 28, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

Global warming is pushing species like the polar bear to the brink of extinction. It's not a typical conservation problem, so one government biologist discovered the best way he could help save the great white bears was to quit his job.

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After Major Comeback, Is The Gray Wolf Still Endangered?

7:15pm December 27, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to take the gray wolf off the endangered species list. The wolf had been extirpated from the West and had dwindled most other places in the U.S. The great canine has rebounded since it was reintroduced to the northern Rockies in the 1990s and is continuing to spread into the Pacific Northwest. But biologists warn that if these wolves loses federal protection, they will not be able to return to some places, such as Colorado, where the ecosystem sorely needs them.

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(Clockwise, from left)Yuanzai; Mei Huan; Happy Leopard; Mei Lun; Xing Bao; Bao Bao.

Science

Beyond Cuteness: Scientists Deliver A Panda Baby Boom

8:02pm December 24, 2013

by Andrea Hsu

Forty-two of the 49 panda cubs born in captivity in 2013 have survived — a record number that says a lot about how far captive breeding programs have come. But while captive pandas are faring well, panda researchers warn that much more needs to be done to protect the wild population.

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The Texas Camel Corps guides camel treks through the Big Bend region of Texas, where such animals once served American settlers in the late 1800s.

National

Camels Trek In The Texas Desert, Just Like Old Times

10:28pm December 21, 2013

by Wade Goodwyn

The Texas Camel Corps leads trips through the rugged Big Bend region of West Texas. Indigenous people lived in the area some 9,000 years ago, and for a while, camels called it home, too. In the 1800s, U.S. soldiers brought the animals in to traverse the distance between water supplies for the first American settlers.

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