Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Pine martens return to Dartmoor after 150-year absence

admin — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 06:00:24 +0000

Fifteen of the nimble, tree-climbing mammals were released last month at secret locations in Devon

Fifteen pine martens are darting through the woods of Dartmoor for the first time in 150 years after the rare but recovering species was reintroduced into south-west England.

The nimble, tree-climbing mustelids were released last month at secret locations in the steep, tree-lined valleys of Devon in what conservationists are hailing as a historic step in the restoration of the region’s woodlands.

‘We look to the past to move forward’: the ancient method boosting cuttlefish numbers in the Mediterranean

admin — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 05:00:24 +0000

A project on Spain’s Costa Brava is reviving dwindling populations of the prized seafood – and keeping small-scale fishers in business

Clinging to almost vertical cliffs on the Costa Brava in north-east Spain, the resort of l’Estartit has a dramatic location but the real drama is unfolding under the waves, where an innovative approach to ancient techniques is helping to revive declining populations of prized cuttlefish

Botanists identify 33 global ‘dark spots’ with thousands of unknown plants

admin — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 05:00:22 +0000

Kew study reveals areas with at least 100,000 undiscovered plant species – most likely to be under threat of extinction

Botanists have identified 33 “dark spots” around the world where thousands of plant species are probably waiting to be discovered, according to new research.

Australia news live: Julian Assange says he is free because he ‘pled guilty to journalism’ in first public statement since release

admin — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 01:27:41 +0000

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National weather forecasts

Sticking with the weather, here’s a look at the forecasts across Australia’s capital cities today:

Amid Australia’s chaotic climate politics, the rooftop solar boom is an unlikely triumph | Adam Morton

admin — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 22:39:06 +0000

It’s difficult to overstate how rapidly Australians have embraced solar power – there’s now more rooftop solar than coal-fired power. The key question is what policymakers can learn from its success

Firefly species may blink out as US seeks to list it as endangered for first time

admin — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 21:14:24 +0000

Bethany Beach firefly, found in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, faces dangers to habitat because of climate change

The US government is seeking to consider a firefly species as endangered for the first time, according to a proposal from the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Parrots overwhelm Argentinian town with screeching, poo and power outages

admin — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 17:53:43 +0000

Birds outnumber residents in Hilario Ascasubi, after deforestation leads them to seek food, shelter and water

The town of Hilario Ascasubi near Argentina’s eastern Atlantic coast has a parrot problem.

Thousands of the green, yellow and red birds have invaded, driven by deforestation in the surrounding hills, according to biologists. They bite on the town’s electric cables, causing outages, and are driving residents around the bend with their incessant screeching and deposits everywhere of parrot poo.

Megadiverse flowering plant family on isolated islands

admin — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 16:29:41 +0000

Asteraceae, a family of flowering plants which includes daisies, sunflowers and asters, are the most diverse group of flowering plants in the world. This plant family comprises around 34,000 species, some of which are well-known, such as artichokes, chamomile, dahlias and lettuce. An international research team has now compiled and analyzed a new global database on the distribution and evolutionary history of all Asteraceae species.

A butterfly: ‘elbowing each other with the joints on their legs, pushing and shoving to get at the liquid’

admin — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 15:00:09 +0000

We learn about butterflies when we are small because it is foreshadowing: you too will change. But they are an imperfect metaphor for what it feels like to live

The very funny naturalist and writer Redmond O’Hanlon was on a sandbank on the edge of a river in Borneo when hundreds of butterflies started to fly towards him and his travel companion and landed on their boots, trousers, and shirts, and “sucked the sweat from our arms.”

Australia’s ‘immoral’ coalmine decision akin to drowning Pacific neighbours, Tuvalu climate minister declares

admin — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 15:00:08 +0000

Labor government has undermined case to co-host 2026 UN climate summit with island nations, Dr Maina Talia declares