AUSTRALIA
Officially the last known Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, died in 1936, but the species' potential survival has become an urban legend. By analyzing 271 reported sightings deemed relatively credible, researchers found the marsupial might have lasted decades longer than previously thought—but is probably indeed extinct today.
BRAZIL
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The endangered frog Xenohyla truncata may be the first known amphibian pollinator. Most frogs are carnivores, but after finding plant matter in X. truncata's guts, researchers observed the frogs slurping nectar from milk fruit trees before hopping off covered in pollen.
CANADA
A Manhattan-size mass of driftwood floating in the Mackenzie River stores 3.1 million metric tons of carbon, new research shows. Arctic conditions can preserve such buildups of dead trees for centuries, but this process may be disrupted as permafrost thaws.
CHAD
A trail camera revealed the first lion seen in 20 years in Chad's Sena Oura National Park. Poaching has wiped out lion populations, but this lioness was healthy and in her prime, raising hope for the species' survival in the region.
FRENCH POLYNESIA
Conservationists released 5,000 Partula tree snails on the islands of Tahiti and Moorea, the largest release to date of an “extinct in the wild” species. The snails, which keep the forest healthy by eating decaying plants and fungi, were originally displaced by human introduction of predator species.
PACIFIC OCEAN
Coastal animals such as jellyfish and sponges are surviving and reproducing on plastic trash in the northern Pacific Ocean's Great Pacific Garbage Patch, thousands of miles from shore, researchers found. They worry the floating debris could carry these organisms to new shores as invasive species.
UGANDA
As climate change threatens two of the world's most popular coffee varieties, a native Ugandan type known as excelsa may offer an alternative. The trees take longer to mature but are more heat-resistant, and farmers are now exporting the aromatic beans to the world.
For more details, visit www.ScientificAmerican.com/jul2023/advances