The global climate is changing and many species are responding by shifting their distributions to track climate changes. Thus species are expanding northwards as new areas become suitable, but disappearing from other locations that become too hot and dry. The fascination of the general public for recording animals and plants in Britain has provided a […]
From revealing how inheritance works and developing evolutionary biology to manipulating viruses and bacteria to create products humans need, 20th century biology has been a revolution. In telling the stories of some of the greatest discoveries of 20th century biology, Sean B. Carroll reveals how a few simple rules govern all life on earth, from […]
Growing concern for the environment has encouraged us to see that we can make a contribution to biodiversity by changing how we design and use our gardens. This talk will look at the emergence of wildlife gardening in a number of locations ranging from homes to schools to businesses. Professor Justin Dillon will give a […]
The rich biodiversity of Nepal is a tribute to its diverse climate, altitudinal variation and geography. In total 118 ecosystems have been identified, and the country is home to some of the world’s most remarkable plant and animal species. Over the past 40 years the government of Nepal has been at the forefront of conservation […]
Kruit Shrotri looks at why biodiversity has been falling in British woodlands
Emma Brown finds that mountains may not be the shapes we thought they were – when considering wildlife habitat – and this may be good news
Big Nature Day is the Museum’s annual celebration of the variety of nature, in recognition of the UN International Day of Biological Diversity.
Good communication between policy makers and scientists is a crucial requirement for developing policies that cost-effectively achieve measurable outcomes in conservation. Yet science and other forms of knowledge are not used effectively in policymaking; and policymakers do not always effectively inform scientists about their needs for scientific knowledge. Why is this so?
This event will bring together ecologists, conservation practitioners and policy-makers to discuss case-studies showing how science – policy interactions work in practice.
Freshwater ecosystems are essential to life on earth yet they receive little conservation attention and these efforts are poorly resourced. The meeting will highlight the importance of the integrity of the freshwater environment and the associated biodiversity by using three species-focussed case studies.
Economic growth has undoubtedly improved human livelihoods yet has equally convincingly had negative effects on the environment. Scientists are considering introducing a new geologic epoch, the Anthropocene, to capture humanity’s impact on Earth’s ecosystems. . This debate will bridge developmental and ecological economics with political and environmental science to explore how humanity can manage economic growth and biodiversity conservation.
Anthropogenic environmental changes, such as global land use and land cover change, driven by rapid human population growth and increasing demand for agricultural and forest products, are impacting the balance of the Earth system. This meeting will highlight the causes of land use and land cover change, investigate the impacts on biodiversity loss, ecosystem functioning and ecosystem services, and explore how non-market and public benefits, including wildlife conservation, can be incorporated into land-use planning.
It’s IVF, Jim, but…. Mary Hagedorn is preserving coral biodiversity with giant condoms
Benno Simmons discusses extinction debt and why biodiversity might be in an even worse state than we realise
From the last two weeks we’ve got the good, the bad and the fungi, the commerce of biodiversity and life as a commonplace …
The challenge of studying long-dead species could have the surprisingly simple solution of museomics …
The Natural History Museum hosts Nature Live events most afternoons in the Darwin Centre and at a recent Nature Live, rainforest researcher Dan Carpenter talked about his work in the rainforests of Borneo. I, Science’s Graihagh Jackson caught up with him and asked about the biodiversity hotspot that’s home to the orangutan.
Natural History Museum event proves that, when it comes to bugs, Elvis ain’t dead. It will come as no big surprise that the Natural History Museum has all manner of exhibitions, events and activities to keep you entertained for hours. But despite frequent visits – I’m a sucker for the animatronic T-Rex – this week […]
Adonis Blue This article is taken from the Winter 2011 issue of I, Science. Are we in a post-butterfly era? Kevin Edge explores the role amateur contributions could play in saving the British butterfly population. Mid-winter, many like to recall warm summer days when meadow, wood and cliff walks are alive with countless flowers, bees […]
Huw Griffiths: Marine Biogeographer: British Antarctic Survey Dr Huw Griffiths divides his time between his office and a research vessel in Antarctica, where he works on a project to map biodiversity on the Antarctic seafloor. Huw’s focus has been on molluscs, moss animals and sea spiders as model groups to investigate trends at high southern […]
Variation is the driving force behind evolution and the reason why any species persists on this planet. Yet the science of human diversity is curtailed by controversial politics and outcries against racism. Some resistance comes from indigenous groups who feel they would be lab rats, but most comes from cautious government groups like the European […]
The Insurance Hypothesis Farming monoculture, such as in this corn field, can lead to decreased net ecosystem CO2 intake, meaning land becomes less useful in the fight against climate change. According to the insurance hypothesis: “Biodiversity insures ecosystems against declines in their functioning because many species provide greater guarantees that some will maintain functioning even […]
Nitrogen is one of those elements that never really gets much attention. It’s colourless, odourless and mostly inert. For the most part, it’s a bit of a loner as well, only bonding with itself in the form of N2. Unfortunately, it’s the quiet ones that can prove to me the most dangerous, as an international […]
What the hell is ‘guerrilla gardening’? Although the term was first coined in New York in the seventies, ‘guerrilla gardeners’ have actually been active in the UK since the 17th century. Put simply, ‘guerrilla gardeners’ are people who garden other people’s land without permission. The motivations for doing this can be diverse: the ‘guerrillas’ may […]