Animals, Habitat | featured news

Polar bear cubs forced to swim long distances with their moms as their icy Arctic habitat melts appear to have a higher mortality rate than cubs that didn't swim as far, a new study reports.

Current extinction rate projections may be overestimating the role of habitat loss on species, a study suggest... Writing in the journal Nature, they said present figures overestimated rates by up to 160%, and called for updated, more accurate calculations.

Conservationists say rate of new species slower than diversity loss caused by the destruction of habitats and climate change.