A species of shrub long believed extinct has been found alive in remote northern Australia. The rediscovery resulted from a photograph taken by a bird bander and shared on the citizen science site iNaturalist.
Aaron Bean noticed the unusual plant while working on a large property in Queensland. He took photos and uploaded them once he regained phone service, prompting botanist Anthony Bean to identify it as Ptilotus senarius, a species unseen since 1967.
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Collectors are racing to acquire rare plant cultivars and variegated leaves amid growing demand. Specialty nurseries offer limited preorders, while online auctions fuel bidding wars as spring nears. Younger buyers, particularly Gen Z and millennials, view these plants as symbols of individuality and lasting investment.
Endangered fire-dependent flowers are emerging in South Africa's Western Cape Overberg region following recent intense wildfires. Botanists and citizen scientists are documenting these rare blooms amid the scorched landscapes. The discoveries include highly endangered species unique to the area.
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Scientists have confirmed the survival of two marsupial species long believed extinct, thanks to assistance from Indigenous communities in Indonesia. The ring-tailed glider and pygmy long-fingered possum were discovered in Papua's Vogelkop peninsula. Their habitats, however, face serious threats from logging.
Researchers have described a previously unknown sauropod dinosaur from fossils found in Argentina's Chubut province. The creature, called Bicharracosaurus dionidei, reached about 20 meters in length and lived around 155 million years ago.
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Researchers have identified a new venomous pitviper species in the misty mountains of western Sichuan, China, previously mistaken for a common snake. Named Trimeresurus lii after the philosopher Laozi, the Huaxi Green Pitviper features distinct markings and eye colors between males and females. DNA analysis confirmed its unique evolutionary lineage in a global biodiversity hotspot.
The Chicago Botanic Garden has spearheaded the creation of the Midwest Native Seed Network to tackle the growing scarcity of native seeds amid climate-driven demands. Launched in 2024, the coalition unites over 300 experts across 11 states to enhance seed availability for ecosystem restoration. This initiative responds to intensified wildfires and other disasters that heighten the need for resilient native plants.
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Researchers have discovered 24 previously unknown species of deep-sea amphipods in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone of the central Pacific Ocean, including an entirely new superfamily. The findings, detailed in a ZooKeys special issue published on March 24, highlight previously unknown branches of life in one of Earth's least explored ecosystems. The work advances efforts to catalog biodiversity amid growing interest in deep-sea mining.