Biodiversity Stories

In this new epoch, human influence is ubiquitous in the natural world. Coverage of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems in Anthropocene magazine takes a critical look at humans’ changing relationship with the natural world—and ways to promote biodiversity in the novel ecosystems we’ve created.

How to Die in The Anthropocene

Death is inevitable, but its
environmental toll may not have to be.

Researchers find a missing piece in coral reef restoration: crabs

They transplanted native crabs to degraded coral reefs patches to help clear out the seaweed. It worked better than they imagined.

Could the fate of an ecosystem hinge on a single keystone gene?

In the 1960s, a scientist revolutionized ecology with the idea of keystone species that have an outsized effect on entire ecosystems. Now scientists say they have found a keystone gene.

AI can help build kinder, gentler dams

As dam construction takes off, scientists use powerful computers to help find the optimal balance between power generation and environmental damage in the Amazon.

A memo from the year 2050

Here's how we avoided the worst of zoonotic diseases

The underappreciated importance of wildlife in restoring tropical forests

A new study on the topic uncovered some surprises, such as the leading role of flightless mammals in spreading rainforest seeds.

An Internet of Wings

Researchers will track migratory animals from the International Space Station to predict the next pandemic

Tracking animals using DNA they leave in the air.

Scientists wielding DNA "vacuums" could sniff out animals living nearby - even hundreds of meters away. The development raises the possibility of tracking biodiversity through DNA floating in the air.

Seed dispersal is plummeting just when plants need to move most

When researchers trained a machine-learning model on global seed dispersal, they made a jarring discovery: there are too few animals to move plant seeds far enough to keep pace with climate change.