Australia's Marine Animals Will Be Bushfires' Unseen Victims

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February 03, 2020

Dear Reader, Wildfires ravaging Australia have killed an estimated one billion terrestrial animals, but researchers worry marine and freshwater species will become uncounted victims. In Bangladesh, experts are alarmed by the loss of 32 orchid species native to the country. They say the flowers face similar problems around the world. And in Borneo, a team argues that instead of undertaking "rescue" operations in which orangutans found on agricultural land are relocated, conservationists should try to bolster the animals' survival where they currently are.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Environment Australia's Marine Animals Will Be Bushfires' Unseen Victims Ash and silt washed into rivers and coastal areas will choke underwater ecosystems By Doug Johnson,Hakai Magazine

Conservation 32 Orchid Species Feared Extinct in Bangladesh And they're not the only ones in trouble—orchid species around the world face increasing threats from illegal trade and habitat destruction By John R. Platt

Orangutans Are Hanging On in the Same Palm Oil Plantations That Displace Them Conservationists still need to work to minimize conflict between the endangered apes and humans By Chris Baraniuk

U.S. Army Corps Looks to Avoid Repeat of 2019 Midwest Floods The Corps will study how to improve the vast flood control systems along the lower reaches of the Missouri River By Thomas Frank,E&E News

Space Surfing a Supernova In principle, an advanced civilization could use blasts of light from exploding stars to accelerate spacecraft to extraordinary speeds

FROM THE STORE The Influenza Threat: Pandemic in the Making The onset of cold weather brings out the boots, coats, gloves – and the stoplight-red "Flu Shots Available Here" signs in drugstore windows. For many scientists and public health specialists alike, flu season has become a little like Russian Roulette. The likelihood of a deadly pandemic outbreak of influenza is not far from reality considering the nature of some of the different viral strains. In this eBook, we delve into the science of the flu, starting with past pandemics and what we can learn from them.

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FROM THE ARCHIVE Humans Are Driving One Million Species to Extinction Landmark UN-backed report finds that agriculture is one of the biggest threats to Earth's ecosystems By Jeff Tollefson,Nature magazine | May 2019

QUOTE OF THE DAY "Here we are, the most clever species ever to have lived. So how is it we can destroy the only planet we have?" Dr. Jane Goodall, Primatologist

WHAT WE'RE READING Neanderthal Genes Hint at Much Earlier Human Migration From Africa By The New York Times Sea level rise accelerating along US coastline, scientists warn By The Guardian Scientists Are Rapidly Finding Weird Materials Older Than the Solar System on Earth By Vice

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