Natural History Wanderings

The Independent reported

A strange, multi-colored Pacific Ocean species once thought lost to devastating disease has been found again in the waters off Northern California.

Scientists located 18 spiny “sunflower sea stars” – one of the largest sea star species on Earth, spanning over three feet in length – in the waters of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary last summer, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced this month.

Read more Once thought extinct ocean species is found off the coast of California

NPR  reported

By altering the interpretation of a single word in the Endangered Species Act, the Trump administration has made what could be a sweeping change to how wildlife is protected in the United States.

That word is “harm.” For more than 50 years, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service defined harm to refer to anything that injures or kills a protected organism, including “significant habitat modification or degradation” that might impact a species’ ability to feed, reproduce or seek shelter.

But now, the federal government has officially rescinded that definition — a move that is already being challenged in court.

Read more at Environmental groups sue government to stop a big change to the Endangered Species Act

The Pulse reported

On a steep volcanic cliff on Robinson Crusoe Island — 420 miles off the coast of Chile — a single tree clings to the rock face, held in place by ropes. It is the last known wild individual of Dendroseris neriifolia, a species that was still relatively common in the late 19th century.

Until recently, no seeds from this entire genus had ever been stored in a seed bank. That gap in conservation history left one of the world’s rarest trees with almost no safety net.

Read more at Only one wild tree of its kind still survives, growing on a remote volcanic cliff, and the way scientists are saving it had never been done before in history

SF Gate reported

As climate change drives up the chance of extreme wildfires, smoke pollution presents a real health risk for people in the West.

But now scientists have documented how using prescribed burns — one of California’s leading strategies for mitigating wildfires — could actually reduce air pollution over time.

Read more Stanford study finds surprising upside of prescribed burns

Space Daily reported

One electric eel delivered an 860-volt shock, the highest ever measured from a living animal — and a 2019 study revealed it belongs to one of three separate species

For 250 years, the electric eel was a settled question. Ever since Linnaeus catalogued it in the eighteenth century, science recognized exactly one species, Electrophorus electricus, famous for delivering a jolt strong enough to knock down a horse.

Read more One electric eel delivered an 860-volt shock, the highest ever measured from a living animal — and a 2019 study revealed it belongs to one of three separate species