Science

An executive order from the Trump administration has frozen the process that, for the first time, would have given a bee species federal protection. Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) declared that it was placing the rusty patched bumblebee on the U.S. endangered species list. The listing would have taken effect today, making this nearly extinct bumblebee …

Over 650 pilot whales have beached themselves on a New Zealand shore in what is considered the largest mass stranding in decades.. According to the island nation’s Department of Conservation, 650 pilot whales swam aground on Friday, Feb. 10 on Farewell Spit at the tip of South Island. About 250 to 300 of the whales were already dead when the …

It seems that worldwide carbon dioxide emissions which contribute to global warming and fisheries which deplete the seas of fish have almost killed off the African Penguin. Juvenile African penguins search large areas of ocean for certain signs which usually mean there is plenty of prey. But rapid shifts caused by climate change and fishing mean these signs can now …

It does not feel like winter in the Eastern U.S. this week. Spring has already arrived in the Southeast and forecast highs are in the 70s as far north as Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, breaking records at dozens of climate-monitoring stations. In Washington, D.C., Tuesday’s morning temperature was 48 degrees, which sets a new record for warmest overnight low for …

An orange-colored alligator, which admirers on social media have nicknamed “Trumpagator,” surfaced this week from the retention ponds at Tanner Plantation in Hanahan, South Carolina. Neighbors spotted the alligator and posted its picture on Facebook. There are many animals that come in surprising, bright colors—the pink grasshoppers and blue lobsters of the world. But orange alligators are likely not born …

Astronomers may have discovered the first example of an intermediate-mass black hole, possibly validating a long-standing theory that such “mid-sized” black holes exist. University of Queensland School of Mathematics and Physics researcher Associate Professor Holger Baumgardt said all known black holes fell into two categories: small, stellar-mass black holes weighing a few times the mass of our sun, and supermassive …

US President Donald Trump mocked environmental issues throughout his campaign. Despite denying it during the debates when trying to appeal to a wider audience, Trump made it clear to his hardcore followers that they could count on him to roll back environmental protections. “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. …

Crocodile skins seized by coast guards are on show in Fangchenggang City, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Feb. 7, 2017. 1,609 pieces of crocodile skins, each around 1.4 meters long, and 500 kilograms of what appears to be crocodile meat were seized. A suspect caught said he was hired by a buyer in the city to receive the goods …

The lost continent of Mauritia likely spanned a great swathe of the Indian Ocean before it was torn apart by indomitable geologic forces and plunged into the sea. Now, a good chunk of it may have been found. The team found rocks on Mauritius with embedded zircon crystals that were almost 2 billion years old, or far older than the …

James Cook University Scientists discover what they beleive to be the largest underwaterlandslide in the world. JCU’s Dr Robin Beaman said the remains of the slip, known as the Gloria Knolls Slide, were discovered 75 kilometres off the north Queensland coast near the town of Innisfail while the scientists were working from the Marine National Facility’s blue-water research ship Southern …

Illegal recreational fishing and fishing during closures among fall 2016 convictions in Newfoundland and Labrador. Between October to December 2016, 31 individuals were convicted under the Fisheries Act following investigations by Fisheries and Oceans Canada fishery officers. Fines totaling more than $23,000 were issued. In the inland recreational salmon fishery, individual fines up to $1000.00 were issued for offences such …