scientists

A respected Polish scientific institute has classified domestic cats as an “invasive alien species,” citing the damage they cause to birds and other wildlife.

A globally rare and federally threatened orchid believed to have been extinct in Vermont since 1902 was recently discovered, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department announced Wednesday. The orchid, classified as a small whorled pogonia, was found on Winooski Valley Park District Conservation land in Chittenden County after over a century of unsuccessful searches. The exact local was not made…

The browntail moth caterpillar is an invasive pest that can cause a rash and respiratory distress in humans. They’re expected to be especially bad this year because of weather conditions. Destroying the caterpillars’ nests is one way to mitigate their spread. However, some residents are destroying the nests of Eastern tent caterpillars, which are a different species, the Bangor Daily...

A forest pest that bedevils Maine residents and tourists with hairs that cause an itchy rash appears to be spreading due to warming temperatures, a group of scientists has found. The browntail moth is a scourge in America’s most forested state, where it defoliates trees and causes a rash in humans that resembles poison ivy. The hairs of the...

A team of scientists has explored a rare, pristine coral reef off the coast of Tahiti.

Scientists and medical chiefs who have led Britain’s response to the pandemic have been awarded knighthoods in the country’s annual New Year Honors List.