Why conservation research findings are rarely surprising

Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. “We already knew that. ” I frequently receive complaints from readers about findings in scientific papers being commonsense or obvious. And yes, it’s true: science often confirms what we’ve long suspected or seen in practice.

In an ancient Javanese sultanate, coastal women battle climate fallout

DEMAK, Indonesia — The Java Sea has pursued Sunarti for years, first submerging her birthplace in Timbulsloko village, before forcing the mother of two to flee inland on the northern coast of Demak district in Indonesia’s Central Java province. “I became unemployed, ” the 53-year-old told Mongabay Indonesia. “The crops we planted wouldn’t grow.

Meet Brazil’s often-seen but little-known hoary fox

The hoary fox can often be spotted sprinting through Brazil’s Cerrado, the world’s most biodiverse savanna. Despite this, not much is known about the small canid, says researcher Frederico Lemos in a recent video produced by contributors Augusto Gomes, Julia Lemos Lima and the Mongabay video team.

Baby colossal squid recorded for the first time in its deep-sea home

Researchers exploring the deep sea near Antarctica have made the first confirmed recordings of a colossal squid, the world’s heaviest invertebrate, in its natural environment. But the squid captured on camera was just 30 centimeters (12 inches) long — a baby. The recording was made by the U. S.

The Other Multibillionaire Courting Trump

Europe’s wealthiest individual, Bernard Arnault, is head of luxury goods empire LVMH — and has a lot to lose from a spiraling global trade war. His reported direct line to the Trump administration shows how the superrich are working to defend their billions.

Trump Has Exposed the Fragility of the Global Dollar System

What caused Donald Trump to walk back on many of his tariffs last week was not domestic pressure but a run on the market for US Treasuries led by large institutional savers. If US debt is no longer a safe asset, then American hegemony is also at risk.

2 Mongabay podcasts shortlisted for 2025 Publisher Podcast Awards

Podcasts from Mongabay and Mongabay India have been shortlisted in two categories of the 2025 Publisher Podcast Awards. Media Voices, the weekly publication behind the award, announced the shortlist for the Publisher Podcast Awards last week.

Australia’s Right Tried to Copy Trump. It’s Been a Disaster.

Australia’s right-wing Liberal Party is in freefall, while Labor — now the party of capital — is set to retain its parliamentary majority. It’s a historic transformation, rooted in the demise of Australian 20th-century social liberalism.