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Long spined sea urchins underwater on seabed of the Caribbean sea

Life

Surprising culprit found that killed 95% of a sea urchin population

A parasitic microorganism with tiny hair-like structures over its body called a ciliate appears to be behind the mass die-off of long-spined sea urchins across the Caribbean

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Searching for the stars near my hometown, Pollachi, led me to the forests of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve. As I moved away from towns and their lights, the darker it got, the more I could see - fireflies, stars. I was fascinated when I saw hundreds of fireflies flashing at the edge of the forest and heard stories of trees laden with fireflies deep in the forest. Predicting the time of their peak activity, I set out to a remote area of the reserve along with forest officials. I waited for nightfall in anxiety. Flashes of green started appearing at twilight. As the place grew dark, millions of fireflies started synchronizing their flashes across several trees. Flashes started in one tree and continued across several trees in a mexican-wave like fashion. It lasted all night. I felt transported to another planet. Being under a sky full of stars, with fireflies flashing in the foreground, owls and other nocturnal creatures calling at a distance, Elephants and Leopards lurking around the corner, this was Nature as our ancestors experienced. The image, created by stacking several photographs, shows a 16 minute activity of the fireflies. ? Sriram Murali, India, 3rd Place, Professional competition, Wildlife & Nature, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

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See our pick of the entries for the Sony World Photography Awards

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Why we need to be honest with children about the brutality of nature

Life

Why we need to be honest with children about the brutality of nature

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Seahorses use a spring motion to quickly capture their food

Life

Seahorses have a super strong gulp thanks to two spring-like tendons

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Namaqua sandgrouse (Pterocles namaqua) in flight, Namib desert, Namibia, South Africa

Life

Sandgrouse have a special trick for carrying water to their fledglings

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Life

Snakes have been seen doing somersaults when they’re scared

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An African bush elephant in Amboseli National Park, Kenya

Life

Wild African elephants may have domesticated themselves

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thermal night vision grab of starlings roosting A group of common starlings come in to roost after dark ? shown using thermal imaging cameras, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall Page 235, Wild Isles book

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Stunning photographs accompany Attenborough's Wild Isles show

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Life

How hagfish slime gets its incredible clogging ability

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Environment

Restoring just nine groups of animals could help combat global warming

Protecting or expanding the populations of nine key groups of animals, including wolves and whales, would remove huge amounts of carbon from the atmosphere

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Life

Parasite from cat faeces killed four sea otters in California

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Life

Bird flu cases are expected to surge as birds migrate in coming weeks

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Life

China reclaims pandas from US zoos – is the panda politics era over?

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Environment

US approves controversial Willow oil drilling project in Alaska

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