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1/3 of Amphibians Dying Out

Posted by kdawson on from the world-without-frogs dept.

Death Metal sends in a Scientific American article reporting that 2,000 of 6,000 amphibian species are endangered worldwide. A combination of environmental assaults, including global warming, seems to be responsible. "... national parks and other areas protected from pollution and development are providing no refuge. The frogs and salamanders of Yellowstone National Park have been declining since the 1980s, according to a Stanford University study, as global warming dries out seasonal ponds, leaving dried salamander corpses in their wake. Since the 1970s, nearly 75 percent of the frogs and other amphibians of La Selva Biological Station in Braulio Carrillo National Park in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica have died, perhaps due to global warming. But the really bad news is that amphibians may be just the first sign of other species in trouble. Biologists at the University of California, San Diego, have shown that amphibians are the first to respond to environmental changes, thanks to their sensitivity to both air and water. What goes for amphibians may soon be true of other classes of animal, including mammals."

3 of 467 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Indeed by caitsith01 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    its not it's... grrrr

    --
    Read Pynchon.
  2. Re:*squish* Just like grape. by Valdrax · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Funny, why is Man exempt from that rule, when it's our inability to overcome basic human nature that's lead to this situation?

    Sooner or later, we have to adapt or die.

    --
    If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
  3. Kinda Like the Polar Bears? by bugeaterr · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Remember the media hysteria over polar bear populations?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear#Population_and_distribution

    Of the 19 recognized polar bear subpopulations, 5 are declining, 5 are stable, 2 are increasing, and 7 have insufficient data.

    Here's some insight into how the media works.
    Did they report on the the 5 subpopulations that were INCREASING or DECREASING?

    If they were fair, they'd've concluded the jury is still out and wait for more data to come in.
    But they didn't.
    They cherry-picked facts to fit the "man is evil" and "climate change is an URGENT" matter narratives.