Baiji back from the dead?

Tales of the baiji's demise may have been much exaggerated. Apparently, video has appeared of a rare Yangtze river dolphin--potentially
the last of its kind--though the video is bad enough for the
identification to be suspect. Scientists plan to search the spot of
sighting in September and interviews with local fishermen continue.

CPC Plant Profile - National Collection of Endangered Plants

Habitat

Goetzea elegans grows in the limestone forest of northern Puerto Rico at elevations below 200 meters (USFWS 1986). The original collected individual was found growing along a hedge consisting of mostly bromeliads (USFWS 1985).

Distribution

Goetzea elegans is endemic to the semi-evergreen forests of northern Puerto Rico.

Number Left

The three remaining sites support less than 50 individuals (USFWS 1986).

New Scientist Breaking News - Oldest DNA exposes ancient ecosystems

New Scientist Breaking News - Oldest DNA exposes ancient ecosystems:

"The permafrost contained DNA from eight species of mammals including woolly mammoth, steppe bison and musk ox, dating back 30,000 years, as well as 28 families of trees, shrubs, mosses and herbs, some of which lived 300,000 to 400,000 years ago.

By drilling at widely spaced locations, and at different depths, the team could recreate ancient landscapes and watch them evolve. 'From just two grams of soil, you can obtain a meaningful sample of the ecosystem,' says Willerslev."

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Extinct mammoth DNA decoded

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Extinct mammoth DNA decoded: "The 5,000 DNA letters spell out a large chunk of the genetic code of its mitochondria, the structures in the cell that generate energy.

The research, published in the online edition of Nature, gives an insight into the elephant family tree.

It shows that the mammoth was most closely related to the Asian rather than the African elephant."