Reason
보수 성향
기타
Is the Endangered Species Act Being Used to Commandeer State Governments?
A webinar discussion of whether we are seeing conservation commandeering.
"SPECIES" · 총 117건
필터 보기현재 지수
50.3
0 = 부정 우세
50 = 중립
100 = 긍정 우세
최근 7일 기준 83,056건을 분석한 결과, 뉴스 심리지수는 50.3(균형)입니다. 긍정 4,128건(5.0%)·중립 76,962건(92.7%)·부정 1,966건(2.4%)이며, 중립 비중이 뚜렷하게 높습니다. 성향 지수는 종합 14.7(중도 균형)입니다.
A webinar discussion of whether we are seeing conservation commandeering.
A wolf that bit a woman at a shopping mall in Hamburg, northern Germany, in late March -- in the first such incident since the species returned to Germany some 30 years ago -- is likely dead, local authorities said Saturday.
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- At least 112 non-native species have entered Japanese waters since the late 1800s, with some spreading northward apparently due to gl
The rapid survey of these specific birds was conducted in February-March earlier this year; the enumerators recorded 217 individual raptors — buzzards, eagles, falcons, owls, and vultures — across 30 species and 266 individual storks across six species
Under the programme, 40 trees are planted for every tree removed for mining activities. Native species including Sal, Mahua, Tendu, Amaltas and Sidha have been replanted
In Australië zijn er zorgen over het aantal konijnen dat exponentieel toeneemt, terwijl de belangrijkste manier om de opmars van de invasieve diersoort te beperken niet meer werkt. Deskundigen luiden de noodklok. "Als we niets doen, verliezen we voorgoed unieke Australische dieren en planten", waarschuwt Heidi Kleinert. Ze is de nationale coördinator konijnenbestrijding bij het Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, een Australische non-profitorganisatie. Ook de gevolgen voor de economie zijn groot. Konijnen kosten de agrarische industrie ruim 150 miljoen euro per jaar. Maar dat bedrag kan volgens deskundigen oplopen tot 1,2 miljard euro per jaar als de plaag niet wordt aangepakt. Van 2 naar 184 konijnen in anderhalf jaar tijd Konijnen hebben zich in de afgelopen decennia verspreid over driekwart van het Australische continent. In totaal zijn het er naar schatting zo'n 250 miljoen. Dat aantal loopt snel op, want ze planten zich razendsnel voort. Ze zijn al vruchtbaar als ze drie of vier maanden oud zijn. De draagtijd is zo'n 28 dagen en direct na de bevalling kan een vrouwtje weer zwanger raken. "Als je slechts twee konijnen hebt, vermenigvuldigen die zich zo snel dat je er na achttien maanden 184 hebt", zegt Kleinert. "We moeten er alles aan doen om ze tot het laatste konijn uit te roeien." De konijnenplaag in Australië begon meer dan 150 jaar geleden, toen de wilde konijnen uit Europa down under werden gebracht door Britse kolonisten. De dieren werden afgeschoten als hobby. Uit genetisch onderzoek blijkt dat bijna alle wilde konijnen afstammen van de eerste 24 voorouders die door een Britse landeigenaar werden vrijgelaten voor de konijnenjacht. Het konijn is niet de enige invasieve diersoort die tot problemen leidt in Australië. Zo veroorzaken ook muizen, herten, vossen, zwijnen en katten enorme schade. Maar konijnen spannen de kroon, stelt Kleinert. "Het konijn bedreigt 322 inheemse planten en dieren. Het is het meest schadelijke invasieve dier in Australië." Prooi voor katten en vossen Het konijn vreet weelderige Australische graslandschappen kaal en zorgt met alle holen voor bodemerosie. Bovendien ontstaat een soort domino-effect. Konijnen zijn een prooi voor andere invasieve dieren, zoals wilde katten en vossen. Meer konijnen betekent meer van deze dieren, die op hun beurt weer inheemse soorten bedreigen. Het hoogtepunt van de konijnenplaag was in de jaren 20 van de vorige eeuw. Toen waren er naar schatting 10 miljard konijnen in Australië. Jarenlang ging men het probleem te lijf door konijnen op grote schaal af te schieten en te vergiftigen. Geen gras meer Toch haalde dat vanwege de snelle voortplanting van de dieren maar weinig uit. "In het nationale archief zijn foto's te zien uit die tijd waarop de schade te zien is. Er is totaal geen gras meer op de weilanden, alleen stof", zegt Kleinert. "Boeren liepen weg van hun land omdat ze niet meer konden concurreren met konijnen die alles opvraten. Mensen werden verdreven en vegetatie werd verwoest." Daarom begonnen wetenschappers in 1950 met een experiment: er werd een zeer besmettelijk en dodelijk virus voor konijnen losgelaten. Het myxomatosevirus verspreidde zich razendsnel onder de wilde konijnen en bracht het aantal terug naar zo'n 100 miljoen. Het was lange tijd enorm effectief, maar op een gegeven moment raakten de dieren resistent tegen het virus. In de jaren 90 werd daarom een nieuw virus geïntroduceerd, en in 2017 nog een variant daarvan. Maar inmiddels zijn de meeste konijnen ook tegen dit virus resistent geworden. Een nieuw virus is nog niet gevonden. Daarom kijken wetenschappers ook naar andere, meer experimentele technieken. Zo wordt onderzoek gedaan naar genetische modificatie van konijnen, waardoor de vrouwtjes alleen nog maar mannelijke nakomelingen krijgen of onvruchtbaar worden. Weerstand tegen aanpak Maar financiering van onderzoek en andere methoden om de konijnenpopulatie in te dammen is een groot probleem, zegt Kleinert. De regering geeft systematisch minder geld uit. Sommige fondsen zijn zelfs volledig stopgezet. "Maar zelfs als we een grote zak geld hadden, hebben we nog zeker tien jaar nodig om onderzoek te doen naar een nieuw virus, het te ontwikkelen en toestemming te krijgen het te verspreiden onder de wilde konijnen", zegt Kleinert. Ook zorgt het aaibare imago van het konijn voor weerstand tegen de aanpak. "Maar als je echt van de natuur en van dieren houdt, zorg je er juist voor dat de konijnenpopulatie kleiner wordt", zegt Kleinert. Ze hoopt dat de regering lessen trekt uit het verleden en gauw meer geld geeft, voordat het te laat is. "We moeten leren van de geschiedenis en beseffen dat konijnen dieven zijn van ons landschap. Als we niets doen, gaan ze door. Ze zullen niet zomaar verdwijnen."
• Targets entire family of viruses, animal-borne strains; aims to thwart future pandemics; initial-phase trials of 39 participants succeeded; larger efficacy studies loom • Experts hail move as ‘pivotal leap’ for humanity • Approach could end need for regular flu vaccine updates A “FUNDAMENTALLY new” vaccine designed entirely by artificial intelligence has been tested in people for the first time, in what researchers at the University of Cambridge describe as a potential breakthrough in the effort to prevent future pandemics, BBC reported. This experimental approach seeks to establish immunity against a broad range of viruses, including all known coronaviruses, rather than targeting a single circulating strain. Traditional vaccine development typically relies on a currently circulating viral strain. However, certain viruses are adept at mutating, causing conventional vaccines to lose efficacy quickly. This is why seasonal flu and Covid shots require regular updates. “We’re always behind,” Professor Jonathan Heeney of Cambridge told the BBC, noting his team’s goal is to reverse this dynamic. “What we’re trying to do is get ahead of the curve.” The researchers claim it is the first time a vaccine’s key component has been designed entirely by AI and then trialled in people. To achieve this, researchers compiled genetic codes — the biological instruction manuals — from coronaviruses documented by global surveillance programs. An AI system analysed these sequences to design a “super-antigen.” Antigens are essential components of vaccines that train the immune system to attack foreign invaders. This super-antigen trains the immune system to defend against the entire family of viruses, providing immunity even if viruses mutate or a new infection jumps from animals to humans. The technology is “surprising all of us”, Heeney said, adding it is “amazing what we can do with it for the good of humanity”. “This is about making vaccines that protect us, not just from today’s viruses, but protect us from what can cause the next outbreak or disease,” Heeney said. “This is a fundamental shift in how we prepare for pandemics.” Initial trials involving 39 participants assessed safety. A subsequent study of approximately 200 individuals will test how effectively the vaccine stimulates the immune system. Findings published in the Journal of Infection indicated that the impact on the immune system was “modest,” yet the results continue to generate excitement. Prof Saul Faust of the University of Southampton, who led some of the trial work, said the AI-driven approach “definitely has potential” and described it as “really exciting”. “What’s really interesting is the technology is an awful lot better at designing vaccines for potential pandemics when viruses are changing,” he said. While coronavirus research remains in early stages, the team is leveraging the technology to develop vaccines for other ailments. According to the report, they are conducting animal research into a universal seasonal flu vaccine to eliminate the need for annual updates. They are also developing a vaccine for the H5N1 bird flu. Researchers are also exploring inoculations for viral hemorrhagic fevers, including Ebola species. The BBC highlighted that the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is caused by an Ebola species currently lacking a targeted vaccine. Professor Andy Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, who was not involved in the Cambridge study, told the outlet that the methodology is producing compelling evidence. “It’s fascinating data, and people wouldn’t have predicted they’d be able to generate these immune responses,” Pollard said. Pollard cautioned that human trials will determine success, as human immune systems differ from those of laboratory mice. Broadly, Pollard characterised AI as a “game changer” for vaccine research, predicting it will accelerate development and “save lives”. Professor Marian Knight, scientific director for the National Institute for Health and Care Research, described the trial as a “pivotal leap forward in our ability to deliver broad, lasting viral protection”. “Another British science success story, this is a great example of how we can bring our research expertise together with AI to deliver new treatments,” UK’s Science Minister Lord Vallance said. “With the first human trials showing positive results, this work could help speed up the rollout of vaccines to benefit people all over the world for the long term.” Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2026
AI as we know it has been used for everything from making full-length feature films to solving nearly impossible math problems. But today AI is also, relatively speaking, just a child. That said, AI is a child that has learned languages, how to play games, how to blackmail people, how to power robots and, in […]
He also warns of activities that could harm birds’ habitats
Thousands have protested in the capital, Tirana, this week against a planned luxury resort backed by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Groundwork has begun on the $1.6bn complex in an area long seen as one of the Mediterranean’s most environmentally sensitive, containing 200 species of birds including flamingos and Dalmatian pelicans. After builders began erecting a concrete-based, barbed wire-topped fence around the site, alarm turned to public outrage at the environmental damage and lack of political transparency around the deal. Lucy Hough speaks to US live news editor Chris Michael – watch on YouTube Continue reading...
Xizang boasts 97 nature reserves, covering a total area of 434,000 square kilometers, and is home to 246 wildlife species under key national protection. Notably, over 80 percent of the global Tibetan antelope, wild yak and black-necked crane populations spend winter in the region.
FUKUOKA (Kyodo) -- A 20-year-old male Amur tiger, the oldest of his species in Japan, has died at a zoo in Fukuoka, according to the city.The tiger, K
The Central Asian country of Turkmenistan is immensely proud of its horses. The ancient and endangered Akhal-Teke species has become a symbol of great national pride in a deeply isolated state where power is firmly concentrated, and are considered so beautiful that beauty pageants are held for them annually. The species and the culture surrounding them has even been listed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
[Daily Maverick] A major survey of Angola's remote Lisima plateau has uncovered species unknown to science, including new dragonflies, grasshoppers, moths and butterflies, confirming the highlands as one of Africa's most exciting biodiversity frontiers.
"Preliminary estimates suggest up to 6 percent of all recorded moth species could be new to science," The Wilderness Project said.
Within the last few days, a camera trap caught images of three mule deer using structure for the first time A trio of mule deer have already scuttled across a not-quite-finished $20m wildlife bridge in Siskiyou county, marking a triumph for the California department of transportation (Caltrans). The bridge and accompanying fencing over Route 97 in Siskiyou county is the first wildlife crossing constructed over a major highway in California. The project promises to both improve driver safety and reduce mortality for migrating mule deer, elk and other animal species. Continue reading...
NEW YORK, June 4 — Wildlife experts found eight new species of dragonfly, three unknown grasshoppers and som...
Declared extinct in India in 1952, the species returned seven decades later through Project Cheetah, with the first batch from Namibia released at Kuno National Park in 2022.
Lok Bhavan, the Kerala Governor’s official residence that stands on 12 hectares, is home to over 180 species of trees and plants
Thailand’s shrimp industry is reeling from the latest blow to its once market-dominant business after Malaysia this week suspended imports from its northern neighbour, triggering fresh despair from a sector whose revenue has nosedived in the 15 years since it claimed the crown as the world’s largest exporter. Malaysia’s temporary ban on five shrimp species – as well as tightened import requirements for Thai sea bass – came into force on Monday. The trade row comes as Thailand’s fisheries sector...