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IUCN Green Status Assessment reveals uneven recovery for Eastern Gorillas
A landmark assessment of recovery The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has released the first Green Status Assessment for the eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei), offering the most comprehensive evaluation to date of the species’ recovery, ecological functionality, and long-term prospects. The assessment led by Senckenberg researcher Dr. Jessi Junker was conducted at both the species level and the subspecies level, with separate analyses for the two subspecies: Grauer’s gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) and the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei). At the subspecies level, the findings highlight a clear difference: the Grauer’s gorilla has experienced substantial population declines across much of its range over the past two decades, while…
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62% of Hydrothermal Vent Molluscs Now Threatened by Deep-Sea Mining
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 at risk of extinction, driven by the looming threat of deep-sea mineral exploration and potential exploitation. This update adds 17 new species to the over 180 vent-endemic molluscs already assessed, providing an unprecedented look at life in one of the planet’s most extreme and fragile environments. Found roughly 5,000 meters below sea level, these creatures…
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Larger Brain, Smaller Face: Human Evolution Took a Different Course Than Previously Thought
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 the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP) at the University of Tübingen point to a slower and presumably more limited evolutionary process than the traditional textbook portrayal suggests. The genus Homo, which is represented today solely by modern humans, emerged about 2.5 million years ago. “With few exceptions, the…
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Silent Extinction: Loss of Genetic Diversity
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 identify genetically differentiated groups more reliably within a species. The method is intended to improve both the evaluation of extinction risks and the assessment of reintroduction potential in the future. It aims to reduce the loss of genetic diversity by ensuring that genetically unique populations are effectively protected. The study was published in the journal…
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More Life at Sea: Unexpectedly High Biodiversity in the Deep-Sea Marine Protected Area
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 have not yet been described. The results indicate that the biodiversity of the deep sea has been significantly underestimated. In light of the global goal to protect at least 30 percent of the total marine area by 2030, the new study, published in the journal “Frontiers in Marine Science,” emphasizes the critical importance as well…
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Blue Planet with a White Spot: More Than Half of the World’s Oceans Remain Insufficiently Explored
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 – the world’s first assessment of depth-explicit assessments of marine biodiversity patterns and their drivers at this resolution. The study shows that more than half of the world’s oceans have barely been recorded scientifically. For example, less than 2.5 percent of all biodiversity data originates from the central tropics. The results underscore the need for internationally…
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Digital Network of Knowledge: Senckenberg Joins the Biodiversity Heritage Library
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 illustrated natural history studies and rare scholarly publications spanning several centuries – has only been accessible on-site in specialized libraries. From detailed illustrations of insects to early descriptions of plants, historical literature remains a cornerstone of biodiversity research to this day. Researchers often have to rely on publications from past centuries to correctly classify or…
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A Bite at the Title: The Vampire Snail is the “International Mollusc of the Year 2026”
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 Research and Unitas Malacologica, the global society for mollusc research, took place for the sixth time this year. The genome of the blood-sucking winner will now be fully sequenced for the first time. The vampire snail Cumia intertexta received a total of 5,506 votes in the online poll for “Mollusc of the Year 2026,” securing…
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From the Pampas to Patagonia: DNA Reveals South America’s Human History
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 America analyzed the genetic material of 52 Indigenous individuals who lived in the Pampas, northwestern Patagonia, the Paraná Delta, and the eastern lowlands of Uruguay over the past 6,000 years. Among other findings, the results show that at least three genetically distinct population groups coexisted in the Pampas in the mid-Holocene. The study, now published…
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Vote Now: Who will be Mollusc of the Year 2026?
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 – have organized this public online vote. The aim is to raise public awareness of the impressive diversity of this fascinating group of animals and to promote their protection. The winning species will also receive a special award: its genome will be fully sequenced for the first time. “By choosing the ‘Mollusc of the Year…
