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An extremely rare purple-red diamond came from the Argyle volcano and mine in Western Australia, source of almost all of the world's pink diamonds.
science

Wonder Is Everywhere: Lincoln’s Crooked Bowtie, the Mystery of Pink Diamonds, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.
April White September 29, 2023
Researchers in an inflatable boat prepare to tag a bull shark they have flipped on its back, inducing tonic immobility. Science cannot yet explain why many species seem to go into a trance in this position.
science

To Track Bull Sharks, First Hit Their Snooze Button

For these researchers in Southern Africa, tagging the apex predators starts with putting them in trancelike tonic immobility.
Ryan Truscott September 20, 2023
The pekapeka-tou-poto, found only in New Zealand, is also known as the lesser short-tailed bat.
science

The Race to Save the Pekapeka-Tou-Poto, New Zealand's Unique Bat

For scientists, monitoring the feisty, endangered burrowing bat includes moments of "actual madness."
Monica Evans September 14, 2023
Georgetown, South Carolina

Hobcaw Barony

This former hunting grounds that once attracted U.S. presidents and other luminaries. Now it’s a privately owned research reserve dedicated to environmental sciences.
Pawleys Island, South Carolina

Sandy Island Preserve

Not only is this nature preserve the largest protected freshwater island on the East Coast, but it’s also a stronghold of Gullah living.
Rio Celeste
List

10 Places to Unearth Costa Rica’s Hidden Wonders

Beyond the beaches and volcanos exists a wild and quirky wonderland.
Meeteetse, Wyoming

Meeteetse Museum

This museum details the history of a local miracle: The return of the critically endangered black-footed ferret, which was once believed to be extinct.
Wild bluebells, native to the area, are thriving once more on Eoghan Daltun's land on Ireland's Beara Peninsula.
forests

Rewilding His Corner of Ireland's Beara Peninsula Is One Man's Labor of Love

Eoghan Daltun has spent 14 years creating a showcase of native biodiversity.
Rory Carroll August 21, 2023
An asiatic subspecies of cheetah once roamed India. Efforts to reintroduce the animal there threaten the traditional sustainable harvest of salai trees.
forests

India's Cheetah Reintroduction Threatens an Indigenous Tradition

Behind the headlines of the animals' rocky return, a displaced community struggles to access trees they have tended for generations.
Tanvi Dutta Gupta August 3, 2023
Fifty years ago, only four Mauritius kestrels remained alive, making the bird the world’s rarest raptor. After a labor-intensive recovery, the species’ numbers are falling again.
islands

The World's Rarest Raptor Hangs On Thanks to an Invasive Species

The Mauritius kestrel benefits from a plant that's harming the island's ecosystem, complicating conservation efforts.
Ryan Truscott July 24, 2023
Gerlach, Nevada

Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge

One of the largest wildlife refuges in the contiguous 48 states, it was instrumental in preserving the pronghorn antelope from extinction.
a wood-carved, painted thunderbird sits on a pole in front of a blue sky
Chicago, Illinois

Kwa-Ma-Rolas Totem Pole

Kwanu'sila the Thunderbird has been silently watching over Chicago for more than 100 years (kind of).
Kiama is one of about a dozen white rhinos at Disney Animal Kingdom, where caretakers work to keep the animals happy and healthy.
science

Disney's Animal Kingdom Rhinos Are the 'Real Housewives' of Orlando

Keeping the gossipy big animals healthy and happy means spa days and spritzes of cologne.
Karuna Eberl June 15, 2023
A California condor, the largest North American bird with a wingspan of up to 10 feet.
animals

How the California Condor Comeback Was Hatched

Once on the brink of extinction, the massive birds now number in the hundreds.
Danna Staaf June 7, 2023
On the nesting colony platform, a common tern watches over its chicks beside tufts of artificial grass that mimic the birds' traditional nesting habitat.
science

Maryland's Rare Seabirds Get a Life Raft and Babysitters

Scientists don bike helmets and dodge bird poop to care for a colony of endangered common terns.
Ashley Stimpson June 6, 2023
To reduce the risk of conflict between humans and elephants, scientists are looking at the situation from the animals' perspective.
animals

To Reduce Conflicts With Humans, Get Inside an Elephant's Head

Understanding how the giant mammals weigh risk and reward could help prevent clashes with people.
Mridula Chari June 5, 2023
Kelps provide food and habitat for myriad coastal creatures.
seed banks

Kelp Seed Banks Save Biodiversity and Indigenous Traditions

In Washington State, a new preservation facility offers a back-up plan for an uncertain future.
Natalia Mesa May 29, 2023
The crossing offers a safer way for animals to move across the highway.
List

9 Real-World Animal Crossings

These bridges, tunnels, and viaducts help wildlife safely navigate the road.
Michelle Cassidy May 26, 2023