Gabon’s network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) provides a blueprint that could be used in many other countries, experts say. Since announcing a new MPA network in 2014, Gabon has created 20 protected areas — increasing protection of Gabonese waters from less than 1% to 26%. Since announcing a new MPA network in 2014, Gabon…

Many North American migratory birds are shrinking in size as temperatures have warmed over the past 40 years. But those with very big brains, relative to their body size, did not shrink as much as smaller-brained birds, according to new research. The study is the first to identify a direct link between cognition and animal…

Scientists have now used permanently installed underwater microphones, which have been recording for the past nine years, to successfully gather and analyze whale observation data from the Weddell Sea. The AWI’s underwater recordings confirm: Minke whales prefer the shelter of sea ice, while humpback whales avoid it. Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) are still a…