As delegates from around the world gather in Kingston, Jamaica, for high-stakes International Seabed Authority (ISA) negotiations to debate the future of deep-sea mining, a stark scientific warning has emerged from the ocean’s depths. An update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ reveals that 62% of endemic hydrothermal vent molluscs worldwide are now […]
continue reading
A new study, published today in the journal “Nature Communications,” suggests that two of the best-known trends in human evolution – brain growth and the reduction in the size of the face and jaw – may be far less attributable to directed natural selection than scientists have long assumed. Instead, the findings by researchers at […]
continue reading
Genetic diversity is crucial for the survival of species. It strengthens the adaptability, resilience, and long-term stability of populations. An international research team led by Senckenberg researcher Prof. Dr. Deborah Leigh and comprising other members of the Conservation Genetics Section of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has developed a new approach to […]
continue reading
An international research team has studied the genetic diversity of bottom-dwelling amphipods in the newly established “North Atlantic Current and Evlanov Sea Basin” marine protected area. A single sample collected from a depth of nearly 3,700 meters revealed 47 genetically distinct species. Extrapolations suggest there are over 120 species in this area, many of which […]
continue reading
Large parts of the oceans – particularly the deep sea as well as tropical and polar regions – have only been poorly explored to date. In a study published today in the journal “Nature Communications,” Senckenberg researcher PD Dr Hanieh Saeedi analyzed approximately 48 million occurrence data records covering more than 184,000 marine species – […]
continue reading
The Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung has joined the international consortium of the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL). As a result, the historical works and publications on biodiversity preserved in the Senckenberg libraries will be systematically digitized and integrated into the globally used open-access infrastructure for biodiversity-related literature. Until now, much of this knowledge – including elaborately […]
continue reading
The Mediterranean vampire snail Cumia intertexta has been named the “International Mollusc of the Year 2026.” In a public online vote, the marine snail—which feeds on fish blood—received the most clicks, beating out two bivalves and two other snails that had also reached the final round. The joint initiative by the Senckenberg Society for Nature […]
continue reading
A new genetic study shows that cultural diversity in the so-called Southern Cone – the roughly triangular southernmost part of South America – was strongly influenced by extensive human migration. An international research team led by the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen and involving several institutions in South […]
continue reading
Three snails, two bivalves, one title. Starting today, all mollusc fans are invited to visit https://sgn.one/imoy2026 to help decide which of the five finalist species will receive the title of “International Mollusc of the Year 2026.” This is the sixth time that the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung and Unitas Malacologica – the international society for mollusc research […]
continue reading
A team of South African and German researchers led by Senckenberg scientist Dr. Melita Vamberger and Dr. Adrian J. Armstrong (Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife) has used a genetic reference database to trace the origins of leopard tortoises that were confiscated and kept in rescue stations. Despite their IUCN status of “least concern (LC),” the tortoises face […]
continue reading