biologic diversity

Paul Ehrlich in 2010. From Wikimedia Commons

Paul Ehrlich, author of “The Population Bomb,” dies at 93

The Stanford University biologist and environmentalist was one of the most influential and controversial voices in environmental science: a leading ecologist who warned of population pressure on natural systems many years before the climate crisis became a reality.
Wild animals fear hunters, but not necessarily all humans. A large meta-analysis shows that animals adapt their behavior according to the level of danger and expectations of human activity. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Man is not always the scariest creature in the forest.

New research shows that wild animals distinguish between hunters and fishermen and tourists and researchers, and adjust their level of fear to the type of threat and its perceived magnitude.
Unusual DNA sequences that have undergone direction reversals have been discovered within the genomes of tilapia fish from Lake Malawi. These genetic structures may accelerate evolution by keeping together genes key to survival and reproduction, perhaps explaining how hundreds of species arose so quickly in a single lake. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Scientists discover DNA "reversals" that accelerate evolution

Research in Lake Malawi pangolins shows that chromosomal inversions keep beneficial gene pools together, aid rapid adaptation and may accelerate the formation of new species
Macaw parrots, living in the Amazon forests. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Tropical rainforest birds are disappearing even in undisturbed forests – researchers fear a new “silent spring”

Long-term monitoring data in Brazil, Panama and Ecuador indicate a sharp decline in birds, especially insectivorous species, and it is possible that the climate crisis and the decline in insect numbers are destabilizing tropical forest ecosystems.
Capable of flying at speeds over 100 km/h. Kerkir. Photo: Dr. Yoav Perlman

Kerkir: The migratory duck "in full bloom" that first arrives in Israel – but it is still allowed to be hunted despite being endangered

The kraker, a small, swift duck that passes through Israel on its way from Europe and Asia to Africa and India, depends on humid habitats that are disappearing at an alarming rate and is in global decline – yet it is still on the species list.
The true value of nature. Illustration: depositphotos.com

International study: New economic thinking needed to halt biodiversity loss

Aberystwyth University researchers call for a paradigm shift – from a technocratic economy to a way of thinking that sees nature as a living system with cultural, social and spiritual values
Dubai, before the mass planting of trees. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Dubai: A blooming desert or a green illusion?

Behind urban afforestation and sparkling green corners lie high water and energy consumption, pressures on desert systems, and difficult questions about sustainability. Is this ecological restoration – or urban greenwashing?
Common grebe. Photo courtesy of Prof. Sarig Gafni.

Common Digger: The Hidden Amphibian Struggling to Survive in Israel

The rare amphibian, which is neither a frog nor a toad, lives underground most of the year and only emerges on a few rainy nights. The common groundhog, which is at the edge of its global distribution in Israel, is facing a serious threat of extinction due to
Insects are the most species-rich group of animals, and they also play a number of critical roles in ecosystems. Photo: Agricultural field with insect trap. Photo: Liraz Kabra-Leikin

Identify the insect: Artificial intelligence helps farmers maintain biodiversity

From academia to the field: How an Israeli professor founded an international organization to save biodiversity

The This is My Earth project allows anyone to contribute to the acquisition of sensitive natural areas and their transformation into reserves through a scientific and collaborative approach.
When Western countries have a demand for wood for construction, for example, they will obtain it from countries where trees are still cut down for these purposes. Illustration: depositphotos.com

False environmental policy

Globalization allows for the rapid movement of goods, allowing rich countries to preserve their nature but at the cost of harming the nature of poor countries.
The effects of the climate may be even more significant than the direct effects of man. Photo: pixabay

Not only man directly: the climate as a key factor in the distribution of mammals

From squirrels to wolves, mammals have a problem. A new study examined which threatens them more - direct human actions, or climate change
Honey bees balance their diet. Photo: The Hebrew University

"The four species" that are essential to both nature and man angle

Etrog, Lulev, Myrtle and Willow? In honor of Sukkot, receive four species of a different kind. Insects, birds, plants and bacteria: how do they preserve nature, and why is it important to preserve them back?
The displaced people of the north. Photo: Yossi Zamir, Shatil Stock

Neither in the city nor in the forest: on the meaning of the fires in the urban areas of the north

The effects of fires in the middle regions of Israel: threats to biological diversity and dangers to humans
Prof. Bla Galil. Photo credit - M. Mendelssohn

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

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 Invasions
Eagle, among the critically endangered birds. Photo: Midad Goren, Society for the Protection of Nature.

New report: An alarming deterioration in the condition of birds in Israel

A giant otter swims in a lake in the Amazon rainforest in Peru. Photo: shutterstock

biological explosion

Penguin couples in Antarctica. Photo: Tak, Flickr

Search Antarctica

species facing extinction. Illustration: Assaf Rosenthal

Biodiversity is dwindling

The spreading slick in the Gulf of Mexico as photographed by NASA's Aqua satellite on April 29, 2010

The Black Bay

Forest fire. Photo: shutterstock

There is no contradiction between protecting the environment and economic well-being

This is according to a report that dealt with the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity prepared for the United Nations ahead of the Copenhagen conference. For the attention of decision makers
Cosmic scene with DNA, stars, solvents and atomic circles in oral flow.

Researchers went underground to discover 850 new species

Cosmic scene with DNA, stars, solvents and atomic circles in oral flow.

What is between wars and nature conservation?

Cosmic scene with DNA, stars, solvents and atomic circles in oral flow.

Biodiversity - the grass wars

Cosmic scene with DNA, stars, solvents and atomic circles in oral flow.

The apple that caused the development of two new species of animals

Cosmic scene with DNA, stars, solvents and atomic circles in oral flow.

African extinction

Cosmic scene with DNA, stars, solvents and atomic circles in oral flow.

How do you protect the Amazon jungle in Ecuador?

To prevent damage to the reserve, the president of Ecuador asks external bodies - states and private bodies - to cover the future profits from oil production, that is, the bodies are asked to donate money in exchange for a promise that "the reserve will not be damaged"
Cosmic scene with DNA, stars, solvents and atomic circles in oral flow.

Research reveals the link between hunting and evolution

Cosmic scene with DNA, stars, solvents and atomic circles in oral flow.

The desert threatens Israel

Cosmic scene with DNA, stars, solvents and atomic circles in oral flow.

The birth of the Amazon

Cosmic scene with DNA, stars, solvents and atomic circles in oral flow.

Biological robbery/Dr. Assaf Rosenthal