A spotted gray wolf has left his California pack and trotted across Silver State lines, wildlife biologists say.

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The Turtle Survival Center, run by the Turtle Survival Alliance, exists to buy time for species that no longer have much of it. Founded in 2013 in South Carolina, the center functions as a high-security refuge and breeding facility for some of the world’s rarest freshwater turtles and tortoises. It houses hundreds of animals representing species pushed to the edge by habitat loss, wildlife trafficking, and slow reproductive biology that leaves little margin for error. In a recent story, Liz Kimbrough describes not a museum of extinction, but a working institution focused on continuity. That focus reflects the broader predicament turtles face. More than half of all turtle and tortoise species are now threatened with extinction, according to recent global assessments. The crisis is most acute in Asia, where demand for turtles as food, pets, and ingredients in traditional medicine has collided with deforestation and infrastructure expansion. Many species are harvested faster than they can reproduce. A female turtle removed from the wild represents not just a single loss, but decades of future offspring that will never exist. A series of photos shows a rote island snake necked turtle being born at TSC. Image courtesy of Cris Hagen. The Turtle Survival Center operates as a response to that arithmetic. It maintains genetically valuable “founder” animals, breeds species that have disappeared from their native landscapes, and trains specialists who may be called on when authorities seize trafficked turtles in large numbers. In those moments, survival depends on practical knowledge: water chemistry,…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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Nighttime light is a well-known hazard for migrating birds and sea turtles. New research suggests it may also pose risks for human health. The study finds that plants exposed to artificial light at night (ALAN) produce pollen for an extended period of time, which is “a major public health issue,” Andrew Richardson, an ecologist with Northern Arizona University, not involved with the study, told Mongabay in an email.  “Seasonal allergies cost billions of dollars in healthcare costs as well as making life miserable for those who are highly sensitive. If you’re one of those people, then this research is clearly nothing to sneeze at!” Two primary factors affect when plants begin flowering and producing pollen: temperature and light. Artificial light can’t replace sunlight for plants, but it does “kind of disturb their circadian rhythm and confuses plants,” Lin Meng, with Vanderbilt University and corresponding author of the study, told Mongabay in a video call. To isolate the effects of nighttime lighting, researchers used modeling to control for variables including temperature and precipitation. They analyzed pollen count data along with satellite observations of nighttime and daily temperature and precipitation records. The study, from 2012 to 2023, focused on the northeastern United States, which includes urban areas like New York, Boston and Philadelphia. The researchers found that higher ALAN exposure was associated with higher overall pollen levels in the air and a longer pollen season, roughly a week or two longer. Climate change, and warming temperatures are already known to extend pollen season.…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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Marlene Johnson, remembered as one of the champions of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. After the passage of ANCSA, Johnson went on to become one of the state’s most influential Native leaders. She died Sunday, Jan. 25 at the age of 90.

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Humans' exposure to high temperature burn injuries may have played an important role in our evolutionary development, shaping how our bodies heal, fight infection, and sometimes fail under extreme injury, according to new research.

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This article was originally published by KOSU, an independent news service based in Oklahoma.

Thomas Pablo
KOSU

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt reaffirmed calls to limit tribal sovereignty during his final State of the State address on Monday, dismaying tribal leaders in attendance.

Stitt said Oklahoma’s criminal and taxation laws should apply to every Oklahoman without exception, giving the state government sole sovereignty.

“Many of us in this room have decried the DEI programs of the Biden administration yet stand quietly by when some say an Indian should be subject to a different set of laws,” Stitt said. “We either believe in equal rights for all or we don’t, and it’s time to choose.”

Tribal leaders respond

Following the address, Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton released a statement saying Stitt misrepresents the relationship between tribes and the state government.

“Tribes and tribal members have sovereign rights, which are based not on race, but on treaties and other agreements between our nations and the United States,” Batton said. “Gov. Stitt must recognize this history and respect what it means today.”

Leaders from the Cherokee, Muscogee and Chickasaw Nations attended the address, along with other tribal representatives.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr., called Stitt’s view antiquated, saying the state recognizes the importance of tribal nations.

“Everything he said in there was really to erode some of the most meaningful attributes that are left of tribal sovereignty, that we’re trying to regain and exercise,” Hoskin said. “He would wipe all of those out in service, not to some great day for Oklahoma, but to some diminishment of tribes that really amounts to termination.”

Hoskin also referred to Stitt as the most “anti-Indian tribe governor in the history of the state.”

David Hill, Muscogee Nation principal chief, said the tribes expected negative rhetoric from Stitt. Hill also took issue with Stitt’s reference to the Land Run of 1889, in which he said the land claimed during the Land Run was “unassigned.”

“Our forefathers chased opportunity in the Land Run of 1889, staking claims on unassigned lands and building communities from the ground up,” Stitt said.

Hill said the Land Run should not be aspirational.

“The one comment that I did like, that: ‘When you’re young, you learn to read. As you get older, you read to learn,’” Hill said. “Maybe he should start reading and especially on the Land Run. If you read the history, that’s when more land was taken away from the Native people.”

Oklahoma House Tribal and External Affairs Leader Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee, also released a statement criticizing Stitt’s comments. He said the end of Stitt’s tenure will give the state opportunities to build relationships with tribal governments.

“When the governor, in his last State of the State speech, had the opportunity to correct the wrongs he has inflicted on our state’s tribes, he instead chose to exacerbate the divide and ignore the partnerships that have benefited Oklahomans for years in health care, public safety, education, infrastructure and many other areas of potential collaboration,” Fetgatter said.

Addressing reporters after Stitt’s address, House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, called the governor’s comments “extremely disturbing.”

“We are all aware of the governor’s refusal to work with tribes, but today’s speech highlighted something much darker,” Munson said. “It’s more than apparent that he does not understand the history of our country and our state, and does not respect tribal sovereignty. Tribes do more than enough, not only for their citizens and members, but also the state of Oklahoma.”

Stitt continues vocal opposition toward McGirt

Stitt’s statements continue to challenge the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma. That case determined around half of Oklahoma is reservation land and reaffirmed the Muscogee Nation’s reservation was never disestablished, providing a win to the state’s Five Tribes and their ability to govern their citizenry. In the years since, courts have affirmed that other tribal reservations in Oklahoma were also never disestablished.

Stitt, a Cherokee Nation citizen, has battled tribal sovereignty in the courts since McGirt, calling for a single set of laws that spans the state’s area and supersedes tribal jurisdiction. During his 2021 State of the State address, Stitt asked tribes to work with the state to find clarity over the McGirt ruling.

Now, Stitt said he wants to protect the vision established upon statehood in 1907, adding every resident should be subject to the Oklahoma Constitution.

“This issue will continue to split our state, both literally and figuratively, unless we address it head on,” Stitt said. “It will be uncomfortable, and you’re going to have to face down the state’s largest political donors, but we must continue to fight for one Oklahoma.”

The tribal representatives in attendance did not join the applause following that statement.

Hoskin said he hoped Stitt would engage and learn about the tribes throughout his governorship due to his Cherokee citizenship.

“You don’t often see a leader who actually seems to have a lower knowledge base and a lower understanding of the facts and the law and the policy on an issue than when he started,” Hoskin said in an interview after Stitt’s address. “I mean, I’ve got a lot of faults, but I think I’ve improved on some issues that I’ve really been curious about that have challenged me. I’ve seen the opposite out of Governor Stitt on tribal relations. So I can’t make sense of it.

“But I am his chief, and I’d love him to listen to me.”

Sarah Liese contributed to this report.

The post Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt calls for limits on tribal sovereignty, tribal leaders respond appeared first on ICT.

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Forest soils have an important role in protecting our climate: They remove large quantities of methane—a powerful greenhouse gas—from our atmosphere. Researchers from the University of Göttingen and the Baden-Württemberg Forest Research Institute (FVA) have evaluated the world's most comprehensive data set on methane uptake by forest soils. They discovered that under certain climate conditions, which may become more common in the future, forest soils' capacity to absorb methane actually increases.

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Last Updated on February 4, 2026 Santarém, Pará, Brazil – On the 13th day blockading Cargill’s grain terminal in Santarém, Indigenous protestors are demanding in-person dialogue with Brazil’s federal government, following its failure to send representatives to a meeting last week. The arrival of dozens of Munduruku representatives from upstream on the Tapajós River bolstered […]

Source

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One of the most enduring goals in regenerative medicine is deceptively simple: replace a person's damaged or dying cells with healthy new ones grown in the laboratory.

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Scientists have captured a rare view of one of the ocean's least understood whales—without ever seeing it. By listening to the sounds beaked whales naturally produce, researchers have reconstructed a three-dimensional picture of their deep-diving behavior in the Gulf of Mexico. The study provides the first detailed description of the deep-diving behavior of a Gervais's beaked whale (Mesoplodon europaeus) anywhere in the world.

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HAT YAI, Thailand — Largely forgotten by the public, politicians and the media, the flood crisis that Hat Yai, the largest city in the south of Thailand, experienced in November 2025 is far from over. The waters have receded, but the recovery has only just begun. That the flood occurred should not have come as a surprise. Hat Yai has experienced devastating floods before, particularly in 2000 and 2010. The south of Thailand experiences seasonal heavy rainfall events, but with this being a La Niña year, additionally heavy rainfall was widely predicted. This time the flood came in two waves, with three-day accumulated rainfall reaching 630 millimeters (nearly 25 inches). On the morning of Nov. 21, it appeared the worst was over. According to Khun Nit, a 70-year-old resident of the low-lying Khet 8 area of Hat Yai, the streets were flooded just below knee level, but this appeared to be the full extent of the flooding. He was out in the street in front of his house posing and taking photos with his wife standing in the water, all smiles. This level of flooding is not uncommon, and while certainly a major inconvenience, nothing out of the ordinary. By the early hours of Nov. 22, heavy rain had begun to fall again, and through to the next day the floodwaters rapidly rose. At the same time, the news coming from the local government was that everything would be fine. The nearby warning system of color-coded flags on a bridge…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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California wildlife officials have approved a plan to eradicate Catalina Island's entire deer population as part of a broader effort to restore the island ecosystem, sparking fierce opposition from an unusual coalition of hunters and animal welfare advocates.

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Should we protect an emblematic species if it may come at the cost of another one—particularly in ecosystems that are still recovering from human impacts? This is the conservation dilemma facing Monte Leon National Park, on the Patagonian coast in Argentina.

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Oysters famously filter their surrounding water, but it turns out they are removing more than algae and excess nutrients. New research from William & Mary's Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS shows they can also reduce the spread of disease in nearby marine species, including Chesapeake Bay's prized blue crabs.

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A 2017 lease sale drew lackluster bidding, and a 2021 lease sale drew no bids at all.

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The remnants of Typhoon Halong destroyed homes, contaminated water and left Kipnuk residents with a critical choice: rebuild in the same spot or move to higher ground?

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Dogs who scored well on the Wesen test, which is used to analyze a dog's temperament, tended to have lower levels of cortisol, often called the "stress hormone," and higher levels of serotonin, often called the "happiness hormone," according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS One by Minjung Yoon from Kyungpook National University, Republic of Korea, and colleagues.

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Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego is celebrating another milestone in their little blue penguin breeding program. For the first time, a penguin chick has been raised and reared by its penguin parents in the habitat at Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins.

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IndigiNews reporting fellow and photojournalist Abby Francis out in the field. Submitted photo

This week, we are announcing the launch of an exciting new annual program — the IndigiNews Refocus Photojournalism Fellowship.

This fellowship will take place between May 17 to 23 at the University of King’s College in Mi’kma’ki (Halifax, NS), as a weeklong, bootcamp-style intensive for five to seven emerging Indigenous photojournalists.

The program was created as a way to support the training and education of new First Nations, Inuit and Métis photojournalists. The fellowship will be offered at no cost to the chosen participants, and entirely led and taught by Indigenous experts, including an all-star panel of instructors.

“Indigenous-led and taught programs are vital to amplifying our voices in the media landscape and advancing Indigenous journalism in Canada,” said Eden Fineday, the publisher of IndigiNews and CEO of tâpwêwin media.

“It is with immense excitement that we’re launching the IndigiNews Refocus Photojournalism Fellowship: Mi’kma’ki, bridging the gap in funded opportunities in education and providing community-led mentorship for the next generation of Indigenous photojournalists.”

Applications are now open to all Indigenous applicants from across “Canada,” with priority given to applicants from the Mi’kmaw and other Wabanaki Nations. Future iterations of the fellowship will be held in other Indigenous territories in the years ahead.

The application period will close on Feb. 28.

Ideal candidates

• Emerging Indigenous photojournalists seeking to deepen their skills and creative voice, with priority given to applicants based in and around Mi’kma’ki.

• Early-career Indigenous photographers who are self-taught, community-based, or working outside of traditional academic or commercial pathways.

• Applicants should be curious, committed to learning, and motivated to explore photography as a tool for journalistic storytelling and community connection.

• A basic working knowledge of a camera is required.

• Prior experience as a journalist or photojournalist is not required—only a genuine interest, curiosity, and motivation to explore that path.

More about the fellowship

• This is an in-person, week-long fellowship at University of King’s College in “Halifax,” followed by six months of online post-fellowship mentoring.

• Fellows will receive a $1,500 stipend, and the program will additionally cover travel, accommodation, and meals for the in-person portion of the fellowship.

• Each fellow will be gifted professional photography equipment tailored to their individual needs.

More information about the fellowship and application process can be found here. We’re excited to see you in May!

The post We’re launching an Indigenous photojournalism fellowship in Mi’kma’ki appeared first on Indiginews.

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High school students Josie Ungott and Janissa Noongwook set out to learn from their teacher how drumming and dance has changed over the years in their village, Gambell, on Saint Lawrence Island.

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Great things can come from failure when it comes to geology. The Midcontinent rift formed about 1.1 billion years ago and runs smack in the middle of the United States at the Great Lakes. The rift failed to completely rupture, and had it succeeded it would have torn North America apart. Under immense pressure from receding tectonic plates, the weakened lithosphere instead created a basin in the crust eventually filled by Lake Superior, and it also exposed a 3000-km-long band of deeply buried igneous and sedimentary rocks.

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MULKHARKA, Nepal — Ashok Tamang’s first glimpse of his community’s future flickered on a projector screen inside a local monastery. It was July 2023, and a few dozen people had gathered at the Sonam Choeling Monastery in Mulkharka, a small settlement tucked within Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park on the northern edge of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. As the slides shifted, so did the mood among a few attendees as they saw plans of a dam that would soon be constructed near their settlement. For many in that room, including Tamang, it was the first time they had heard of the Nagmati Dam, as officials spoke of its height and capacity. They promised progress would come along. “They only told us about the benefits of the dam — we would have better roads, better business and better income,” says Tamang, sitting outside his house overlooking the hazy Kathmandu Valley. “They never told us about the risks. Now that we know, we wholeheartedly oppose this project.” The idea for the dam took shape in the early 2010s, with plans to construct the 95-meter (311-foot) barrier — as tall as the Statue of Liberty in New York — on the Nagmati stream to collect monsoon runoff and release it during the dry season. Officials say the dam, spread over 50.7 hectares (125 acres) of land — the size of as many as 72 soccer fields — would help revive the holy Bagmati River that runs past the Hindu temples of Pashupatinath, Guheshwori and Gokarneshwor Mahadev…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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University of Toronto researchers have expanded our understanding of bacterial immunity with the discovery of a new protein that can both sense and counteract viral infections. In the study, published in Nature, researchers from U of T's Temerty Faculty of Medicine describe how a single protein named Rip1 recognizes bacteriophages, the viruses that infect bacteria, and cause infected bacteria to die prematurely, thereby ending the chain of transmission.

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For decades, scientists have tried to answer a simple question: why be honest when deception is possible? Whether it is a peacock's tail, a stag's roar, or a human's résumé, signals are means to influence others by transmitting information and advantages can be gained by cheating, for example by exaggeration. But if lying pays, why does communication not collapse?

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The Asian-Australian monsoon system (A-AuMS) is the world's most typical cross-equatorial coupled monsoon system. On a seasonal timescale, the summer monsoon in one hemisphere is usually linked to the winter monsoon in the other via outflows. However, robust evidence is lacking as to whether such cross-equatorial monsoon coupling persists during orbital-scale paleoclimate evolution. A scarcity of high-resolution paleoclimatic records from the Northern Australian monsoon region in the Southern Hemisphere has limited a full understanding of the A-AuMS's dynamic mechanisms.

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