An artist’s impression of Mukupirna nambensis living in central Australia that was much greener 25 million years ago. Credit: Peter Schouten / UNSW
A giant marsupial that roamed prehistoric Australia 25 million years ago is so different from its wombat cousins that scientists have had to create a new family to accommodate it.
The unique remains of a prehistoric, giant wombat-like marsupial – Mukupirna nambensis – that was unearthed in central Australia are so different from all other previously known extinct animals that it has been placed in a whole new family of marsupials.
Mukupirna – meaning “big bones” in the Dieri and Malyangapa Aboriginal languages – is described in a paper published on June 25, 2020, in Scientific Reports by an international team of paleontologists including researchers from…
The number of fires in the vast north Asian region of Siberia increased fivefold this week, according to the Russian forest fire aerial protection service, as temperatures in the Arctic continued higher than normal in the latest sign of the ongoing climate crisis.
The news of the increase comes a week after the small Siberian town of Verkhoyansk reported a high temperature of 100.4° F on June 20, a reading that, if confirmed, would mark the hottest day ever recorded in the region.
“While fires are common at this time of year, record temperatures and strong winds are making the situation particularly worrying,” the European Union’s Earth Observation Programme, which is monitoring the situation, said in a statement.
The Stones said in a statement Sunday that their legal team is working with music rights organization BMI to stop use of their material in Trump’s reelection campaign.https://www.dianomi.com/smartads.epl?id=3533
“The BMI have notified the Trump campaign on behalf of the Stones that the unauthorized use of their songs will constitute a breach of its licensing agreement,” the Stones said. “If Donald Trump disregards the exclusion and persists, then he would face a lawsuit for breaking the embargo and playing music that has not been licensed.’’
The Stones had complained during Trump’s 2016 campaign about the use of their music to fire up his conservative base at rallies.
The Rolling Stones’ 1969 classic “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” was a popular song for his events. It was played again at the close of Trump’s recent rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma — an indoor event criticized for its potential to spread coronavirus.
Other artists have also complained about having their music associated with Trump’s events.
The family of the late rock musician Tom Petty said that it had issued a cease-and-desist order after Trump used the song “I Won’t Back Down″ in Tulsa.
“Trump was in no way authorized to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind,″ the statement said. “Both the late Tom Petty and his family firmly stand against racism and discrimination of any kind. Tom Petty would never want a song of his to be used in a campaign of hate. He liked to bring people together.″
Rock musician Neil Young lashed out at Trump in 2018 after hearing one of his songs played against his wishes during Trump’s pre-midterm campaign rallies. The Canadian-born musician admonished Trump for using his 1990 single, “Rockin’ in the Free World,” in spite of earlier warnings.
@Ian_HollidayContactPublished Saturday, June 27, 2020 6:17PM PDTLast Updated Saturday, June 27, 2020 6:59PM PDThttps://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.392.0_en.html#goog_233142281Volume 90% Disturbing discoveries on Vancouver IslandNOW PLAYINGHeadless sea lions are washing up on the shore of Vancouver Island, and marine experts say it’s a deliberate, disgusting act.
VANCOUVER — Headless sea lions have been washing up on Vancouver Island since spring, and a marine mammal expert says it’s likely the animals were deliberately beheaded by humans.
Anna Hall is a marine mammal zoologist at Sea View Marine Sciences. She says photos of the dead pinnipeds suggest a pattern in their injuries.
“To me, this looks intentional, whether it’s by a single person or a group of people,” Hall said. “I sincerely hope that fisheries and oceans canada pursues this case to determine who is doing this and to bring them to justice because this is a violation of federal law.”
Most of the photos CTV News showed to Hall were taken by Nanaimo resident Deborah Short, who says she’s personally encountered several dead sea lions without heads on the shore between Campbell River and Nanaimo.
Short discovered the first one while walking along the beach at Neck Point Park in Nanaimo.
“I was devastated, completely devastated by it,” she said. “I couldn’t believe that somebody could sever the head of a sea lion … It was shocking to me.”
Soon, though, she learned of another headless sea lion that had been found near Campbell River. And then she started encountering more herself.
In total, she says, she’s aware of five headless sea lions that have washed up on Vancouver Island since March.
“When you see something like that, it moves you,” Short said. “It moves you in a way where you want to find more, and you want to do something about it.”
While there’s no indication that the headless sea lions Short discovered are in any way related to the proposal to cull the local population, she said she’s determined to stop the killing of additional marine mammals.
CTV News Vancouver Island reached out to Fisheries and Oceans Canada and was told the federal agency is looking into the headless sea lion phenomenon.
Hall, the marine mammal zoologist, said at least one of the sea lions Short photographed appears to be a Steller sea lion, which is a species that has a special conservation status under the Species at Risk Act.
She said all marine mammals are also protected from disturbance, injury or harm by clauses in the Fisheries Act.
Hall hopes Fisheries and Oceans Canada will do a necropsy on one of the deceased sea lions to determine its cause of death.
“It’s absolutely horrific and appalling that there’s anybody on this coastline that would feel that this is an appropriate course of action with regard to a marine mammal or any animal at all,” Hall said.RELATED IMAGES
Headless sea lions have been washing up on Vancouver Island since spring, and a marine mammal expert says it’s likely the animals were deliberately beheaded by humans. (Photo: Deborah Short)
A sea lion soaks up the sun on a jetty near the mouth of the Fraser River in this photo from David Price, submitted through Weather Watch by CTV Vancouver.
Wildlife Gray wolf
#DefendCarnivores, #EndTheWarOnWildlife, #PressStatement
SEATTLE— The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission rejected a petition today that called for new rules to limit when the state can kill endangered wolves for conflicts with livestock.The petition, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, Cascadia Wildlands, Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardians, sought mandatory measures to prevent conflicts that have led to the killing of dozens of wolves in the state.
“Yet again, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has failed the public in favor of private business,” said Samantha Bruegger, a wildlife coexistence campaigner at WildEarth Guardians. “It’s time for rules that reflect sound, scientifically proven, nonlethal wildlife coexistence policy, rather…
Joaquin Phoenix honored Regan Russell, an animal rights activist who was killed outside of a slaughterhouse in Toronto, CanadaBy Alexia Fernandez June 26, 2020 10:02 PMhttps://7df0782deefdfbba75c64735113f71eb.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.htmlhttps://7df0782deefdfbba75c64735113f71eb.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.htmlADVERTISEMENTFBTweetMore
Joaquin Phoenix and Michelle Cho; (inset) Regan Russell BOBBY SUD
Joaquin Phoenix paid tribute to an animal rights activist after she died giving pigs water outside of a Canadian slaughterhouse.
The Oscar-winning actor, 45, joined more than 100 animal rights activists for a vigil to commemorate Regan Russell outside of the Farmer John slaughterhouse in Vernon, California, on Thursday night.
Phoenix, who has been an outspoken proponent for animal rights and veganism, stood outside of the slaughterhouse in a black hoodie reading “LA Animal Save,” a mask, and a sign that read, “#SavePigs4Regan.”
Standing beside him was his friend, Michelle Cho, with a sign that read, “Rest in power Regan.”
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, Phoenix said, “Regan Russell spent the final moments of her life providing comfort to pigs who had never experienced the touch of a kind hand.”
“While her tragic death has brought upon deep sorrow in the Animal Save community, we will honor her memory by vigorously confronting the cruelties she fought so hard to prevent by marching with Black Lives, protecting Indigenous rights, fighting for LGBTQ equality, and living a compassionate vegan life,” he said.
Regan Russell died on June 19 GOFUNDME
“The Ontario government can attempt to silence us with the passage of its Ag-Gag bill -Bill 156 – but we will never go away and we will never back down,” he said. “My heart goes out to the Toronto Animal Save community and to Regan’s lifelong partner, Mark Powell.”
Part of Russell’s fight was to repeal a new bill passed in Ontario, Bill 156, that will soon make it illegal for anyone to be on private property such as farms where animals intended for slaughter are usually held.
Russell died on the morning of June 19 outside of the Fearman’s Pork Inc. when she was hit by a transport truck as she was attempting to give water to pigs headed to slaughter.
A spokesperson for the Halton Regional Police Service did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, although an investigation into her death is being conducted, a spokesperson told CBC.
Russell’s partner, Powell, told The Hamilton Spectator shortly after her death he didn’t know how she ended up underneath the transport truck, but that he was willing to continue her legacy of fighting for animal welfare.
Audubon’s scientists have used 140 million bird observations and sophisticated climate models to project how climate change will affect this bird’s range in the future.
Zoom in to see how this species’s current range will shift, expand, and contract under increased global temperatures.Warming scenario:Current+1.5 ℃+2.0 ℃+3.0 ℃Why these temperatures?Season:SummerWinterWhat is a season?Overall species vulnerability status:Stable31% range gained96% range maintained4% range lostMap LegendWhat’s a range?Range gainedImprovingSlightly improvingStableSlightly worseningWorseningRange lostRange maintainedBack to origin Climate Threats Near You
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Climate Threats Facing The Bullock’s Oriole
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.Warming scenario:+1.5 ℃+3.0 ℃Why these temperatures?Season:SummerWinterWhat is a season?
Fire Weather
Wildfires incinerate habitat, and if they burn repeatedly, prevent it from recovering.
Spring Heat Waves
Spring heat waves endanger young birds in the nest.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published the investment case for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-Accelerator), which was launched in April.
Divided in four pillars – vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and health systems connector – the ACT-Accelerator brings together some national and regional governments, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations, as well as UN agencies, civil society groups and public health organisations, such as CEPI and Gavi.
The ACT-Accelerator’s work aims to drive “a path to the accelerated development, equitable allocation, and scaled up delivery of 500 million diagnostic tests to low and middle income countries (LMICs) by mid-2021, 245 million courses of treatments to LMICs by mid-2021, and 2 billion vaccine doses of which 50% will go to LMICs by the end of 2021.”
After Gov. Jay Inslee’s announcement of a statewide order to wear face-coverings in public, several Washington sheriffs have weighed in on enforcement.
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CHEHALIS, Wash. — Several Washington sheriffs have issued statements addressing Gov. Jay Inslee’s mandatory face-covering order which takes effect Friday.
“In case you guys didn’t hear, Gov. Inslee in his infinite wisdom has decided after over a hundred and some odd days that we should all wear face masks, inside and out,” he said, in the video. “Here’s what I say – don’t be a sheep.”
© Greg Allen/Invision/AP From left, Rolling Stones Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Keith Richards perform in East Rutherford, N.J., in August 2019.
Exposing the Big Game 
