Key points: 

1:07 - Digging through the data to track survival of animals and plants over time.

2:34 - Nearly half of species in temperate zones have disappeared from parts of their range.

3:40 - The world has gotten hotter.

4:45 - Most temperate species are not moving north in response to climate change.

5:47 - What it means for conservation.

Useful resources:

Murali, G., Karger, D.N. & Wiens, J.J. Temperate local extinctions from climate change are outpacing tropical extinctions. Nat. Clim. Chang. (2026).

Kristen E. Saban, John J. Wiens; Unpacking the extinction crisis: rates, patterns and causes of recent extinctions in plants and animals. Proc Biol Sci. (2025)

World Meteorological Organization: 2025 State of Climate Report.

Berkeley Earth: Global Temperature Report for 2025.

New York Times, 5/26/2026, by Brad Plumer and Eric Niiler: Why scientists retired the dire climate scenario used for over a decade.

NOAA's Science on a Sphere program: Climate Model: Temperature Change (RCP 8.5) - 2006 - 2100.

European Commission: Five things you should know about climate scenarios.

The findings also fuel ongoing debate over whether wolves should remain protected under the Endangered Species Act, raising broader questions about conservation, coexistence and how much space society is willing to share with one of North America's most iconic predators.

This episode features Jerrold Belant from Michigan State University, Merijn van den Bosch with Colorado State University and John Vucetich with Michigan Technological University.

Key points:

1:01 – Elephant poop’s essential role in African ecosystems, thanks to dunk beetles.

4:04 - The last known caterpillar of a rare butterfly has died, all but eliminating all hope of reviving the species.

5:43 - Daddy longlegs don’t just eat insects - they also hunt down frogs.

7:15 - Scientists tagged a rare sea turtle while she was laying eggs, hoping to discover her migration and feeding patterns to help with conservation decisions.

8:18 - Incorporating nature into farming practices to make crops resilient to climate change.

10:47 - Biodiversity conservation as a solution for climate change.

Articles & Resources:

Anthropocene Magazine, 5/28/2026, by Warren Cornwall: What happens to the small things when the big things disappear?

Gijsman, Nutter, and Pringle, 2026: Importance of elephants for dung beetle diversity and ecosystem functions. Science: 392(6801).

The New York Times, 5/21/2026, by Catrin Einhorn: A very lonely caterpillar, possibly the last of its kind, has died

The New York Times, 3/6/2025, by Catrin Einhorn and Harry Stevens: See how butterflies are surviving, or not, near you.

Scientific American, 5/21/2026, by Jake Buehler: Daddy longlegs are actually bloodthirsty killers - of frogs.

Calvache et al., 2026: Harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones) as overlooked predators of anurans in the neotropics. Ecology and Evolution: 16 (4).

Mongabay, 5/26/2026, by Bobby Bascomb: Tracking Lucero: Scientists follow a rare Eastern Pacific leatherback sea turtle.

IUCN: Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea).

Atmos, 5/25/2026, by Becca Warner: For more successful farming, follow the forest.

Biomimicry Center, Arizona State University.

The Guardian, 5/24/2026, editorial: Could nature itself hold the solution to climate change?

Key points:

1:29 – A 2025 study finds dozens of previously unknown PFAS chemicals in the fish, mussels, and waters of Lake Huron.

3:55 – “Captain Steve” Hubert with Chum Bucket Charters explains his concerns about PFAS in fish and their potential impact on his business.

4:42 – Gillian Miller with Ecology Center outlines the state and federal regulatory structure.

6:06 – A 2024 Michigan bill attempts to limit PFAS in consumer products but is not passed.

 Resources:

To read this article, check out my Substack newsletter Nature Signals.

Resources:

Study: Ren et al., 2025. Suspect screening and nontargeted analysis of polyfluoroalkyl substances in Lake Huron water and biota. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 51(2):102507.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

European Food Safety Authority: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: PFAS explained. 

Study: Yu et al., 2025. A global overview of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance regulatory strategies and their environmental impact. Toxics, 13(4): 251.

Michigan Eat Safe Fish Guides.

Key points:

Biodiversity:

0:54 - Some birds steal nesting materials from other nests, adding to their threats

2:37 - City birds appear to be more afraid of women than of men, for unknown reasons

3:42 - More wolves are thriving on Isle Royale than in nearly 50 years

5:00 - The botched rescue attempt of Timmy, the humpback whale stranded in Germany

Pollution & Plastics

8:02 - Toxic chemicals and climate change work together to harm fertility across species

8:54 - Seven days without plastic contact slashes chemicals in the body

Resources:

To read this article, check out my Substack newsletter Nature Signals.

Articles & Resources:

The New York Times, 5/12/2026, by Sara Novak: Building nests is hard. That’s why some birds steal.

Wilson Ranking et al., 2026, Upcycling in the Hawaiian islands: Native forest birds commonly engage in nest material kleptoparasitism. American Naturalist.

Scientific American, 4/28/2026, by Blaire Cameron: City birds appear to be more afraid of women than men, and scientists have no idea why.

Morelli et al., 2025, Sex matters: European urban birds flee approaching women sooner than approaching men. People and Nature: 8(2): 316-326.

MLive, 4/27/2026, by Tanda Gmiter: Isle Royale’s wolf population surges to highest numbers in nearly 50 years.

Michigan Technological University, 4/27/2026, by Cyndi Perkins: Isle Royale wolf population nears historic high as moose numbers plummet.

Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Project annual reports.

Science, 5/4/2026, by Martin Enserink: Chaotic whale rescue shocks marine scientists.

The Guardian, 5/5/2026, by Kate Connolly: Rescue of Timmy the whale ‘an all-round catastrophe’ after tracker failure.

IFAW News, 5/11/2026: Timmy the whale and the limits of good intentions.

The Guardian, 5/15/2026, by Patrick Greenfield: What the fate of Timmy the whale says about conservation.

EHN, 5/1/2026, by Staff: Toxic chemicals and climate change work together to harm fertility across species.

Brander et al., 2026, Impacts of environmental stressors on fertility and fecundity across taxa, with implications for planetary health.NPJ Emerging Contaminants: 2, 12.

Medical Xpress, 4/22/2026, by Sadie Harley: Seven days without plastic contact slashes phthalates and bisphenols in body.

Harray et al., 2026, Low-plastic diet and urinary levels of plastic-associated phthalates and bisphenols: the randomized controlled PERTH trial. Nature Medicine.

Key points:

1:59 - The hidden world behind butterfly houses and the global butterfly trade

4:20 - How butterfly farms in Africa, Asia, and South America supply millions of butterflies each year

5:33 - Concerns about captive breeding, genetic mixing, disease transmission, and escaped butterflies

6:10 - What monarch butterfly studies reveal about the risks of captive rearing

7:40 – The conservation argument: Examples of butterfly farming projects supporting local communities in Kenya and Costa Rica

10:00 - How butterfly houses could become stronger tools for conservation education

10:26 - Practical ways listeners can help butterflies at home through native plants, reduced pesticide use, and habitat protectionResources:

Resources:

To read this article, check out my Substack newsletter Nature Signals.

Selected news articles and websites:

* Earth Island Journal, by Bob Koigi, 7/18/2016: How butterfly farmers are safeguarding the forest in Kenya.

* Mongabay, by Janet Njung’e, 2/8/2019: Butterfly business: Insect farmers help conserve East African forests.

* United Nations Environment Programme, 1/2/2020: Paying the school fees, one butterfly at a time.

* Kipepeo Butterfly Project, Kenya.

* Butterfly farm: El Bosque Nuevo, Costa Rica.

Conservation organizations:

* Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

* Report: State of butterflies in the United States: A Roadmap for Butterfly Conservation in the 21st Century. 2025.

* North American Butterfly Association (NABA)

* Butterfly Conservation Europe (BCE)

* MonarchWatch - researches monarch butterflies, their habitat and fall migration.

Trade organizations:

* International Butterfly Breeders Association (IBBA)

* Association for Butterflies (AFB)

Selected scientific articles:

* Parsons, 1992. The butterfly farming and trading industry in the Indo-Australian region and its role in tropical forest conservation. Tropical Lepidoptera, 3(Suppl. 1): 1-31.

* Boppré and Vane-Wright, 2012. The butterfly house industry: Conservation risks and education opportunities. Conservation & Society, 10(3): 285-303.

* Tenger-Trolander et al., 2019. Contemporary loss of migration in monarch butterflies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(29): 14671-14676.

* Davis, Smith and Ballew. 2020. A poor substitute for the real thing: captive-reared monarch butterflies are weaker, paler and have less elongated wings than wild migrants. Biology Letters, the Royal Society Publishing. 16(4): 20190922.

* Wilcox et al., 2021. Captive-reared migratory monarch butterflies show natural orientation when released in the wild. Conservation physiology, 9(1): coab32.

* Saul-Gershenz, 2022. Insect zoos and butterfly houses for public education: issues related to shipping and international trade of non-native insects. Scientific and Technical Review, 41(1): 142-157.

* Tenger-Trolander, 2023. Environmental and genetic effects of captivity - are there lessons for monarch butterfly conservation? Current Opinion in Insect Science, 59: 101088.

Nature Signals is a reader-supported publication. It takes many hours to research and record each post. To receive new posts in your inbox and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here: Nature Signals website.

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This week I’m covering stories about:

Biodiversity:

* Ukrainians find joy in releasing bats rescued from war.

* Chimpanzees are waging a civil war. No one knows why.

* More than half of Britain’s butterflies are declining, study finds.

* Hot, dry winters could be helping Wyoming’s big game - or hurting it.

* Ants provide a ‘carwash service’ to other ants.

* Marine mammals play to train for life - and perhaps to just have fun.

Pollution & Pesticides:

* PFAS levels in some seabird eggs are declining.

Conservation:

* World reaches milestone of protecting 10% of oceans.

Have an extra two minutes? If you haven’t already, I’d greatly appreciate if you could answer a few questions to help me make Nature Signals better!

Thank you so much!

The written version is available here:

Articles covered:

* Associated Press, 4/6/2026, by Derek Gatopoulos and Vasilisa Stepanenko: After harsh winter, Ukrainians find joy in releasing bats rescued from war.

* The New York Times, 4/9/2026, by Carl Zimmer: These chimps began the bloodiest ‘war’ on record. No one knows why.

* The Guardian, 4/15/2026, by Patrick Barkham: More than half of Britain’s butterfly species in decline, monitoring scheme shows.

* WyoFile, 4/14/2026, by Christine Peterson: Hot, dry winter could be blessing - or curse - for Wyoming’s big game.

* The New York Times, 4/13/2026, by Alexa Robles-Gil: For ants, a ‘cleaning station’ in the desert.

* bioGraphic, 4/15/2026, by Sarah Gilman: Pass the pufferball.

* Environmental Health News, 4/16/2026: Declining PFAS levels in seabird eggs reflect impact of regulatory action.

* UNEP WCMC (Environment Programme), April 2026 news: World reaches milestone for nature: 10% of ocean now officially protected.

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Have an extra two minutes? If you haven’t already done so, I’d greatly appreciate if you could answer a few questions to help me make Nature Signals better!

For links to the study and other resources, check out the written version here:

Know someone who might enjoy this post? I’d love for you to share it:

Nature Signals is a reader-supported publication. It takes many hours to write and research each post. To receive new posts in your inbox and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Not ready to subscribe? Consider buying me a coffee (or a beer…). Any support is greatly appreciated!

Have an extra two minutes? If you haven’t already done so, I’d greatly appreciate if you could answer a few questions to help me make Nature Signals better!

For links to the study and other resources, check out the written version here:

Know someone who might enjoy this post? I’d love for you to share it:

Nature Signals is a reader-supported publication. It takes many hours to write and research each post. To receive new posts in your inbox and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Not ready to subscribe? Consider buying me a coffee (or a beer…). Any support is greatly appreciated!

This week I’m covering the stories:

Biodiversity:

* ‘God Squad’ votes unanimously to exempt offshore drilling from Endangered Species Act restrictions.

* Project to restore Atlantic salmon to Maine streams shows promise, but challenges remain.

* Some snakes get their venom from poisonous toads, but how do they know if they have enough of it?

* New species are discovered at record rates - but is it enough to save them before they’re gone?

* Fake fur during cultural ceremonies benefits leopards in Africa.

* Native seed farm grows native plants to restore California’s ecosystems.

Pollution & Pesticides:

* Rising cancer rates in Iowa are linked to environmental pollutants, study says.

* Recycled plastics are repurposed into Hawaii’s roads - with no apparent increase in microplastics.

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Thanks so much!

To learn more about the stories I covered and other resources I linked to, check out the written version of the newsletter here:

Nature Signals is a reader-supported publication. It takes many hours to write and research each post. To receive new posts in your inbox and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Not ready to subscribe? Consider buying me a coffee (or a beer…). Any support is greatly appreciated!

Check out the written post here, including links to the resources I mention:

Nature Signals is a reader-supported publication. It takes many hours to write and research each post. To receive new posts in your inbox and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Not ready to subscribe? Consider buying me a coffee (or a beer…). Any support is greatly appreciated!

Biodiversity:

* Elephants’ special whiskers help them sense the world.

* Parasitic beetles trick bees by mimicking the smell of flowers.

* Michigan’s moose population is lower than expected.

* Female tortoises are driven to walk off cliffs by constant sexual aggression on this remote island.

* An Ecuadorian family’s solitary fight to save the seeds of endangered plants.

Climate Change:

* EPA revokes scientific finding that underpins climate regulations.

Pollution:

* Proposed US House bill could gut toxic chemicals law.

Science education:

* What does the public think about science?

If you’re interested in learning more about any of the stories I covered, click on the links in the written version:

Nature Signals is a reader-supported publication. It takes many hours to write and research each post. To receive new posts in your inbox and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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Listen about how researchers are using DNA to drastically speed up efforts to breed a resistant strain, with the ultimate goal of restoring these trees to their former glory.

If you’re interested in learning more about the topic, check out the links in the written version of this post:

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* Australian bat hospital cares for rare ‘flying foxes’ - and don’t forget to check out the Vox article to see photos of baby flying foxes getting a bubble bath!

* Gray wolf reaches Los Angeles County for the first time in 100 years

* Decoding whale communication with AI

* Bonobos can play make-believe like children

* Wildlife with weaker social connections may face greater risk of extinction

* No animal alive today is ‘primitive’ - why are so many still called that?

If you’re interested in learning more about any of the stories I covered, click on the links in the written version of this post:

Nature Signals is a reader-supported publication. It takes many hours to write and research each post. To receive new posts in your inbox and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Not ready to subscribe? Consider buying me a coffee (or a beer…). Any support is greatly appreciated!

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, I included links to some resources and related articles in the written version of this post:

Nature Signals is a reader-supported publication. It takes many hours to write and research each post. To receive new posts in your inbox and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Not ready to subscribe? Consider buying me a coffee (or a beer…). Any support is greatly appreciated!

Biodiversity:

* European wildcats are making a comeback in Central Europe

* Coyote photobombs cougar capture on live TV

* Norway’s polar bears seem to be adapting to climate change - for now

* Fake AI images of wildlife complicate conservation efforts

Climate change & energy transition:

* Michigan sues oil giants for increasing the price of electricity

Pollution & pesticides:

* EPA is not reviewing pesticide paraquat’s influence on Parkinson’s disease

* Colorado bill would curb use of crop seeds pre-treated with toxic insecticide

* Wisconsin water treatment facility cleans up PFAS in drinking water

If you’re interested in learning more about any of the stories I covered, click on the links in the written version of the post:

Know someone who might enjoy this post? I’d love for you to share it:

Nature Signals is a reader-supported publication. It takes many hours to write and research each post. To receive new posts in your inbox and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Not ready to subscribe? Consider buying me a coffee (or a beer…). Any support is greatly appreciated!

If you’re interested in learning more about the topic, I included links to the study and other resources in the written version of this post.

Know someone who might enjoy this post? I’d love for you to share it:

Nature Signals is a reader-supported publication. It takes many hours to write and research each post. To receive new posts in your inbox and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Not ready to subscribe? Consider buying me a coffee (or a beer…). Any support is greatly appreciated!

If you’re interested in learning more about any of the stories I covered, I included links in the written version of the post:

Know someone who might enjoy this post? I’d love for you to share it:

Nature Signals is a reader-supported publication. It takes many hours to write and research each post. To receive new posts in your inbox and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Not ready to subscribe? Consider buying me a coffee (or a beer…). Any support is greatly appreciated!