Nations Ratify the World's First Treaty to Protect International Waters
A major agreement to protect marine diversity in the high seas struck in September 2025, when Morocco became the 60th nation to sign on, paving the way for the treaty to take effect next year.
The High Seas Treaty is the first legal framework aimed at protecting biodiversity in international waters, those that lie beyond the jurisdiction of any single country.
International waters account for nearly two-thirds of the ocean and nearly half of Earth's surface and are vulnerable to threats including over-fishing, climate change and deep-sea mining.
The high seas are home to an array of marine life and are crucial in regulating Earth's climate — they absorb heat and carbon dioxide and generate half the oxygen we breathe.
The treaty is also essential to achieving what's known as the "30x30" target — an international pledge to protect 30% of the planet's land and sea by 2030.
Sep 19, 2025
Ancient Dome-Headed Dinosaur Fossil Found in Mongolia
A nearly complete fossil found in Mongolia revealed the oldest known dome-headed dinosaur, offering new understanding into how this rare group of plant-eating creatures evolved.
The fossil, believed to be around 108 million years old, includes a well-preserved skeleton with key features that help explain how these dinosaurs developed their unique body shapes over time.
The species, named Zavacephale rinpoche, shows signs of traits that would later became more prominent in its descendants. Until now, most discoveries from this group consisted of only skull fragments.
However, this fossil contains an unusually full set of bones—including limbs, hip structures, a sturdy tail, and, for the first time in this type of dinosaur, finger bones.
These features are helping scientists understand how dome-headed dinosaurs first appeared and how they changed as they grew.
Sep 11, 2025
Scientists Develop Designer Clownfish
The ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) developed designer clownfish through cross-breeding of two clownfish species, for the first time in the country through hybridisation process.
The researchers created the designer clownfish by cross-breeding orange clownfish amphiprion percula (male) and common clownfish amphiprion ocellaris (female) in their hatchery.
Sep 10, 2025
Vaccine to Curb Chlamydia Epidemic Decimating Koalas Approved
A vaccine which could save Australia's endangered koala population from a rampant chlamydia epidemic has been approved for rollout for the first time.
University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) scientists have spent more than a decade developing a jab to curb the spread of the disease, which has decimated wild koala populations across most of eastern Australia.
Some individual wild colonies, where infection rate can be as high as 70%, are edging closer to extinction every day.
Sep 09, 2025
First Photographic Record of Elusive Pallas Cat Captured at Wildlife Survey in Arunachal Pradesh
A wildlife survey conducted in Arunachal Pradesh revealed a series of rare and significant discoveries, including the first photographic evidence of the elusive Pallas's cat in the state.
The survey also recorded the presence of five other wild cat species: snow leopard, common leopard, clouded leopard, leopard cat, and marbled cat above 4,200 metres, indicating the landscape's unique wild cat diversity.
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