Researchers mapped 5,600km of Canada’s coast using 170 years of records; kelp persistence reached 88% in cold waters but fell to 52% in warmer sheltered areas

Centennial persistence of kelp forests on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, Canada Researchers have reconstructed nearly 170 years of the history of kelp forests along Canada’s Pacific coast, finding that colder, wave-exposed waters off Vancouver Island protected most kelp forests while warmer, sheltered areas lost nearly half of them.The study mapped about 5,600 kilometres…

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California researchers surveyed Point Reyes lagoon 19 times and found 73 pelicans killed by river otters; some birds have now begun flying away when otters approach

These otters are not part of the study. (Image Credit: Harry Collins Photography/Shutterstock) Wildlife researchers checking the shores of Abbotts Lagoon on California’s Point Reyes peninsula found 73 dead brown pelicans killed by river otters over 19 visits. Recent observations show that the large seabirds may finally be learning to fly away when otters come…

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Half of England declared in drought as July records near-zero rainfall | World News

7 regions officially declared in drought across England/Image: Getty Images Drought has been declared in half of England after months of unusually dry conditions, as officials warn that sustained low rainfall is straining water supplies, rivers and the wider environment.The Environment Agency announced that seven areas are now officially in drought: East Anglia, Hertfordshire and…

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China has built a 582-ton giant magnet to help its ‘Artificial Sun’ confine plasma hotter than 100 million°C | World News

China has achieved a major milestone in its pursuit of commercial nuclear fusion by completing the construction and testing of a colossal 582-ton superconducting magnet designed for its next-generation “Artificial Sun” programme, according to Xinhua News Agency. Measuring 21 metres in length, the toroidal-field magnet is the largest of its kind ever built for a…

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For more than 300 years, the Bermuda petrel was believed extinct. A remarkable discovery in 1951 gave the ‘lost bird’ a second chance | World News

For centuries, the Bermuda petrel survived only as a memory. Sailors and islanders knew the bird had once filled the skies around Bermuda, but by the modern era it was considered gone forever. Then, in the middle of the 20th century, a handful of unexpected discoveries changed its story. A small colony was found hiding…

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A Virginia cockatoo spent about 10 years blind before surgery restored his sight; he became a therapy bird and raised a record $33,674 to win Pet of the Year

The story of survival of Virginia cockatoo Sometimes life throws us into the most difficult times, only to make us stronger and shine through in the future endeavors. While you might think that this rule of universe applies only to humans, the reality is beyond that. Today we will tell you the story of the…

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Ancient footprints found in Kenya reveal how early human relatives may have travelled and lived together 1.43 million years ago | World News

PC: Kay Behrensmeyer, Smithsonian Long before stone tools or bones tell their part of the story, footprints can preserve something far more immediate. They capture movement rather than anatomy, recording where an individual walked, how they placed their feet, and sometimes who was travelling beside them. A newly described set of fossil footprints from northern…

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China lost more than 50% of its mangrove forests by the 2000s, now it has restored 22,500 hectares of the trees becoming one of the few countries on the globe where mangrove coverage is increasing |

Mangroves naturally occur along the southeast Chinese coast and traverse the provinces of Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and Taiwan. Thirty-seven mangrove tree species, representing 20 families and 25 genera have been documented in the country. Yet a remarkable decrease of species richness has taken place over the past 40 years in China, with the nation…

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