1011
The tree lobster returns.
225
Gene editing to restore an extinct bird.
563
Restoring a keystone species.
722
Methuselah plants out-living them all.
837
The list of extinct species is long.
478
Evolution on islands has produced myriads of wondrous plants and animals. Some of these creations can be rather odd in appearance, however. Think of the dodo, a flightless pigeon discovered in the 16th Century on the island of Mauritius. Without predators, the dodo evolved -- or devolved -- until it lost its wings, grew pudgy, and waddled about with no fear. It is now long gone and has become a poster-child for extinction. The dodo couldn't survive in the face of invasive predators like ...
444
When James Audubon made his classic illustrations of American birds in the late 19th Century, one stood out among them all -- the Ivory Billed Woodpecker -- or Lord God Bird. Audubon hunted multiple animals to obtain specimens for his famous painting.
[caption id="attachment_3816" align="aligncenter" width="220" caption="Ivory Billed Woodpecker. Source: James Aububon"][/caption]
Destruction of their original forest habitats and rampant hunting combined to eliminate this largest ...