Life Processes in the Biosphere

News

Biosurveillance of markets and legal wildlife trade needed to curb pandemic risk: ExpertsMedical, public health, and conservation experts are calling for greater pathogen surveillance and regulation of the legal wildlife trade in order to quickly identify pathogens and prevent the next pandemic.

Drones are a knife in the gunfight against poaching. But they’re leveling upIn 2016, during the height of the rhino poaching war, field rangers in Kruger National Park in South Africa saw sobering scenes day after day. The field reports showed just how bleak the situation was. One log entry described discovery of “an adult female white rhino carcass … suspected to have been shot by the […]

Websites

www.blueplanetbiomes.org/

earthobservatory.nasa.gov/biome

Journal Articles

Podcasts

Videos

A drone's-eye view of conservationEcologist Lian Pin Koh makes a persuasive case for using drones to protect the world's forests and wildlife. These lightweight autonomous flying vehicles can track animals in their natural habitat, monitor the health of rainforests, even combat crime by detecting poachers via thermal imaging. Added bonus? They're also entirely affordable.

Ecology from the airWhat are our forests really made of? From the air, ecologist Greg Asner uses a spectrometer and high-powered lasers to map nature in meticulous kaleidoscopic 3D detail -- what he calls "a very high-tech accounting system" of carbon. In this fascinating talk, Asner gives a clear message: To save our ecosystems, we need more data, gathered in new ways.

Long Reads

The Origin of SpeciesDarwin's theory of natural selection issued a profound challenge to orthodox thought and belief: no being or species has been specificall...

Hacking DarwinPassionate, provocative, and highly illuminating, Hacking Darwin is the must read book about the future of our species for fans of Homo D...

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