A new research paper published in Science reports the functional extinction of Acropora corals from Florida’s Coral Reef. Scientists documented catastrophic mortality of these critically endangered corals following a record-setting marine heatwave in 2023 that marked the ninth mass bleaching event for the region. Both Acropora coral species — staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn (Acropora palmata) — are important reef-builders in Florida and the Caribbean and have been a major focus of recent coral restoration efforts.

The ocean’s smallest engineers, calcifying plankton, quietly regulate the Earth’s thermostat by capturing and cycling carbon. However, a new review published this week in Science by an international team led by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Spain, finds that these organisms, coccolithophores, foraminifers, and pteropods, are oversimplified in the climate models used to predict our planet’s future. 

A new international analysis now published in Global Change Biology warns that penguin survival hinges on a shift in how science and conservation policy approach climate change: rather than examining extreme events in isolation, it is their cumulative effects that must be assessed. Applied for the first time in a quantitative way across habitats of all 18 penguin species in the Southern Hemisphere, this perspective provides a crucial tool to anticipate risks and design more effective conservation policies.

A unique long-term study, in which biological samples were collected from the same population of blue tits over a 30-year period, shows that rising spring temperatures have doubled the incidence of avian malaria in southern Sweden.

A research paper just published in Science China Life Sciences reveals that narrow-ranging species and wide-ranging species adopt distinct adaptive strategies to cope with aridity in drylands, with narrow-ranging species exhibiting higher leaf water content, a steeper increase in leaf volume relative to dry weight, and greater species abundance under high aridity, thereby enhancing water storage and conferring an adaptive advantage in extreme environments.

Backyard birders in South Africa may continue to enjoy biodiversity in visiting birds under climate change scenarios, while climate change and declining biodiversity may decrease birding in protected public parks.

Population genetic analysis conducted by researchers at University of Tsukuba have revealed that natural Japanese hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) and, its variety, Taiwanese hinoki cypress (C. obtuse var. formosana) diverged approximately 1 million years ago due to the geological separation of the Ryukyu Archipelago. The study also found that the Japanese variety has expanded over time, whereas the Taiwanese population has become fragmented and declined. Furthermore, the unique genetic characteristics of populations at the northern and southern distributional limits of Japan warrant high conservation priority.

The cloudy, sediment-laden meltwater from glaciers is a key source of nutrients for ocean life, but a new study suggests that as climate change causes many glaciers to shrink and retreat their meltwater may become less nutritious. 

As Australia braces for another scorching summer, new research reveals that rising temperatures are silently chipping away at our sleep and with it, our health. The findings show that warmer nights are causing widespread reductions in sleep duration across the globe. The study is part of a large scale research project led by Flinders University exploring the impact of rising temperatures and changing environmental conditions and how they affect sleep health to help project the long-term consequences of a progressively warming climate.