As the world is adapting to global-scale environmental crises, the scientific community must collaborate like never before. Current, unparalleled rates of biological diversity loss demand prompt implementation of science-informed policy. In response, scientists belonging to the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON), co-chaired by Andrew Gonzalez, professor[Read More…]
Tag: biodiversity
McGill at COP15: A future for biodiversity?
2020 was a year that marked the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public health crisis that spurred unprecedented timelines for vaccine development. However, 2020 should be infamous for another reason—it was one of the hottest years in history. Adding insult to injury, this was not some statistical outlier: The[Read More…]
Fishing for diversity: Understanding the lake trout’s genome
Faced with the sharp shifts of climate change and continuous human expansion, animals must adapt to survive—an ability that depends largely on a species’ genetic diversity. Professor Ioannis Ragoussis, head of genome sciences at the McGill Genome Centre, is studying this diversity by sequencing the genome of species native to[Read More…]
Nature-based solutions are the future of climate change mitigation
Global biodiversity has been increasingly imperilled since the beginning of the Holocene, or the human age, but many scientists agree that biodiversity decline in the 21st century is akin to a sixth mass extinction. Without the transformation of many facets of society, species abundance will continue to decline, causing a[Read More…]
UN member nations fail to meet decade-old biodiversity conservation targets
In October 2010, 190 UN member countries committed to reaching the Aichi Targets, a set of 20 goals developed to protect earth’s biodiversity. The targets encompassed multiple areas of biodiversity conservation, including sustainable fishing, land use rights, reforestation, public awareness, and more. On Sept. 14, the United Nations (UN) announced[Read More…]
Rapid urbanization is driving biodiversity decline
Humanity is currently experiencing an unprecedented era of urban growth. By 2030, more than 1.2 billion additional people are expected to live in cities, equivalent to building a city the size of New York every six weeks. A group of international scientists, including Andrew Gonzalez, a professor in the McGill[Read More…]
The underlying unity of life
Comparing animals of various sizes has historically been a challenge for biologists. From simple observation, an elephant could not be more different than a mouse. Yet, a universal underlying principle concurrently governs them both. Scaling laws—derived mathematical models that compare an organism’s key life traits to its body mass—present an[Read More…]
Zoos: Prisons or protection?
Animal lovers everywhere can relate to the excitement and wonder associated with going to the zoo. However, many are also dismayed by the small enclosures and the often oppressed and miserable-looking animals trapped inside. Not surprisingly, animal welfare organizations, such as PETA, have spoken out against zoos, condemning their push for[Read More…]
