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Biodiversity

Leucoraja ocellata species photographed at the cold end of its range, Labrador Sea, Newfoundland, Canada. (Photo: Shahar Chaikin)

living on the edge

Fish that change their distribution towards the poles due to climate change are declining in abundance
Damage to migratory species. The illustration was inspired by the article by the artificial intelligence software DALEE.

Endangered migratory species

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According to a UN survey, almost half of the migratory species suffer damage, and about a quarter are in danger of extinction. The most serious situation is that of the migratory fish species, with almost 97% of them in danger due to overfishing and harmful and unnecessary bycatch
The earth will somehow recover but humanity will be extinct. Illustration: depositphotos.com

A lament for the human race

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Dr. Assaf Rosenthal quotes one of the participants following the climate conference in Dubai: "Humanity must stop using nature as a toilet", "Humanity has become a weapon of mass destruction".
Prof. Bla Galil. Photo credit - M. Mendelssohn

Invasive species: a growing threat to biodiversity in the world and in Israel

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Says Prof. Bela Galil, a senior marine biologist who works as a researcher and curator at the Steinhardt Museum of Nature at Tel Aviv University. In addition, she was one of the three main authors of the chapter on "Effects of biological invasions on nature, nature's contribution to humanity and a good quality of life" in the report Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and System Services (IPBES) International
Rhopilema Akhziv is a migratory threadworm. Dr. Shavi Rothman, Tel Aviv University

Invasive species sponsored by humans are involved in 60% of plant and animal extinctions; The damage is estimated at about 423 billion dollars per year

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This is according to a report by the UN's IPBES committee, the equivalent of the IPCC that reports on the climate crisis
The government of Ukraine is working on a restoration plan that will focus on an environmental and ecological approach. Photo: Mvs.gov.ua, CC BY 4.0

The green restoration of Ukraine

These days, Ukraine is working on a surprising reconstruction plan for the moment after the end of the fighting: the country is not content only with the reconstruction of the ruins, but also seeks to rebuild itself in a more ecological and sustainable way
Even in Israel there are various endangered species and some of them are not defined as such in other parts of the world. Southern gerbil. Photo: MimoZig, CC BY-SA 4.0

An act in 29 species that are out of danger of extinction

At a time when animal species are disappearing at an alarming rate, new Australian research gives reason for hope, revealing that 29 native species have fully recovered - thanks to human actions
Lystrosaurus, an amphibian that went extinct in the Permian-Triassic mass extinction, also known as the Great Dying, was the largest mass extinction in Earth's history. It occurred about 252 million years ago and wiped out about 90% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial species. (Figure) Illustration: depositphotos.com

New research helps detail past mass extinction events to draw lessons for the sixth extinction

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The Permian Mass Extinction (LPME) that occurred approximately 250 million years ago was the largest extinction event in Earth's history to date, resulting in the loss of 80-90% of life on Earth. Despite extensive research, the exact cause of the dramatic changes in climate during this period is still unknown, but researchers now believe that volcanic eruptions caused the slow death of the animals and plants
The mass of mammals in the world. Only 6% are animals in Remy weighs more? The biomass of humans, of farm and pet animals, and of wild mammals (Illustration: Itay Reva)

Life at stake: the weight of wild mammals dwarfs that of farm animals

The biomass of cows, pigs, sheep and other farm animals is currently 30 times greater than that of all elephants, elk and other wild land mammals combined
Biodiversity. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The Ministry of Environmental Protection took an active part in the drafting of the Montreal Convention on Biological Diversity

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At the international level, Israel joined about a year ago the HAC and GOA coalitions, which unite about 120 countries that undertake to promote the "30 by 30" goal - in favor of protecting 30% of the global terrestrial and marine ecosystems by 2030.
Honey bees in the hive. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The life expectancy of the honey bee may be half of what it was 50 years ago

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The researchers estimate that this figure is the cause or at least strongly related to the beehive collapse syndrome
Dr. Or Spiegel and Dr. Neely Englister during the release of eagles in Carmel. As part of the monitoring, blood and urine samples are taken to monitor diseases in the population. Photo: Tubel'a Solomon

Is there an eagle in the sky?

The researchers who are trying to save the biblical eagle from extinction in Israel
Aphids on bread wheat / Photo: Professor Vared Tzin.

The researcher from Sde Boker continues in the footsteps of Aharon Aharonson

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Professor Vared Tzin from Ben-Gurion University's desert research institutes isolated the genes that help wheat defend itself against pests. The discovery has enormous significance for wheat crops in the world
Invasive species survival experiment. Photo by Doron Barza, Tel Aviv University

Invasive species are able to survive in the sea in very surprising and extreme environmental conditions

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The increase in global trade allows the marine animals to migrate to distant countries to establish themselves and spread as invasive species - when they cause damage to many marine infrastructures and other animals in their new environment.
alligator. Photo: depositphotos.com

survive by crawling

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About a fifth of the world's reptile species are in danger of extinction
The results of the study show that the gene found in the Sharon wheatgrass gives the plant immunity against a wide variety of variants of the cane weevil. Photo: Dave Hansen

Will one Israeli plant save the world from starvation?

A new study found that genes from an Israeli wild plant may help protect wheat from one of the biggest threats to its existence
A model of a mammoth cub, photographed at the Natural History Museum of Kyiv, Photo by Medusa Gorgona Illustration: depositphotos.com

The brain size of the animals determined the survival chances of the larger species

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This is according to an article published by researchers who examined the mass extinction of apes over the past tens of thousands of years. The researchers found that the brains of large extinct species were on average smaller than those of large species that survived * Their relatively high intelligence helps them deal with the main cause of extinction - human activity
Plants dying from excess nitrogen in the fertilizers. Illustration: depositphotos.com

New research: an increase in the level of nitrogen in the soil led to the extinction of about 20% of plant species

Researchers from the Hebrew University found that nitrogen pollution caused by human activities has a direct effect on the decline in the variety of species in about a hundred sites in the world, including Beit Govrin: "Not enough efforts have been made in Israel to gauge the severity of the problem"
The variety of damage that man causes to nature. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The UN Environment Organization (UNEA) conference will fight the "triple disaster"

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The combination of climate change, loss of biodiversity and pollution and the accumulation of garbage in the environment are issues that need to be addressed together according to the United Nations
Galapagos Islands. Photo: Prof. Noa Shankar, Tel Aviv University

The gatekeepers of biodiversity in the Galapagos Islands

A delegation of researchers from the Faculty of Life Sciences, in collaboration with the Steinhardt Natural History Museum, flew to the other end of the world and participated in a conference on the conservation of biological diversity in the Galapagos Islands
Climate change is only part of the picture, an answer to the climate crisis deniers. Infographic: Carmel Horowitz

How do you maintain living systems?

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The climate crisis is followed by the collapse of many living systems in large areas of the earth. It is fitting that humanity acknowledges the damage done to humanity and the vital need to remedy its consequences
sea ​​parrot Photo: depositphotos.com

Warming puts species at risk of extinction and causes an outbreak of pests in agriculture

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The road to recovery. . Image: depositphotos.com

The road to green restoration

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Heat sink. Photo: Bruno Miranda

The TiME organization will purchase 2 areas in Kenya and Brazil and turn them into nature reserves

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Aardvark - African anteater. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The African anteater forced to change hours of operation due to environmental stress

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Although it is a common animal, it was difficult to see it active during daily trips, since during the day it hides in burrows and only goes out to look for food at night, at least it was until recent years when there are more and more sightings of hardwork activity during the day, mainly in hot and dry areas
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