As temperatures continue to rise as a result of global warming, we are not the only ones feeling the heat.

Our oceans are also getting warmer, causing corals to die from a phenomenon known as “bleaching.” As bleaching spreads, biologists fear that 70 to 90 percent of our beautiful coral reefs could perish.

Fortunately, scientists in Australia are coming to the rescue. By injecting heat-resistant algae, they have shown how corals could be made more heat-tolerant.

You may have heard of natural selection through Darwin’s study of finches on the Galapagos Islands.

But did you know that hurricanes may have led to a new generation of lizards that evolved to have enlarged toe pads?  

Scientists were studying the anole lizards in the Caribbean which had been hard-hit by two large hurricanes in 2017. They noticed that the reptiles had developed larger and grippier toe pads, which they then passed onto their offspring.

These relatively recent hurricanes had managed to alter the long term traits of an entire species! 

Amid the current fight against coronavirus, another threat is buzzing into the borders of the United States.

Enormous hornets, nicknamed “murder hornets”, have been sighted in the state of Washington. These hornets are actually called Asian giant hornets and are an invasive species that are native to East Asia.

These were the first sightings in North America of the hornets, which are known for their incredibly painful sting. Although their stings can be deadly to humans, their presence is more of a concern for honey bees - their main prey.

April 20, 2020, marked the 10th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill explosion, considered one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S history.

Deepwater Horizon was an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico owned by British Petroleum (BP). Oil rigs are offshore platforms from which companies drill into the ocean bed to extract oil (more here).

The deeper you go below the surface, the darker it gets. So, how do animals communicate with each other if it's too dark for them to barely see each other?

Past research has shown that some animals, such as whales and dolphins, communicate by emitting sound.

Recently, scientists from Stanford University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) made a fascinating discovery. Ben Burford (from Stanford) and Bruce Robison found that Humboldt squids -- which belong to the cephalopod family, communicate using bioluminescent organs.

Our world runs on oil.

Unrefined oil, called crude oil, is turned into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel so that we can go to work and school or fly across the world. Factories need oil to operate.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has abruptly halted mass transportation and manufacturing, meaning that oil-consuming countries do not want as much oil.

For huge oil-producing countries, this means figuring out where to store the oil that has nowhere to go. 

The Oil Price War

Roughly 40 million years ago, you wouldn’t have found many penguins waddling around Antarctica.

Instead, you would’ve encountered creatures that you probably wouldn’t expect to see on the frigid continent: frogs! 

In 2015, Dr. Thomas Mörs, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Swedish Museum of Natural History led a team of researchers to Seymour Island on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Here, the team uncovered fragments of a hip bone and skull from the fossil of a prehistoric frog, proving that frogs had inhabited all seven continents once.

It is but a tiny speck of blue in the vast ocean of space. Yet it is very essential and important to us. We call it our home and it is our planet Earth.

Our Earth is very vulnerable and so are its inhabitants. We, humans, are doing more than our fair share to deplete our planet of all its rich vitality.

Every year on April 22, people from over 195 countries come together to give our Earth the attention that is due. The theme for Earth Day 2020 is Climate Action as it is one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century.

Last month, a picture of a microorganism with neon lights showing the different internal organs made it to the final list of a photography competition.

The Olympus Image of the Year award is presented every year to “the best in life science imaging worldwide.” In other words, the award recognizes the most stunning photographs of microscopic nature.

Trees are an important part of our environment. They come in various shapes and sizes, providing shade, oxygen, flowers, and fruits. But, did you know that trees can also absorb noise!?

Scientists have recently conducted studies to find the best tree for absorbing noise -- and the winner is larch, a type of conifer.