#benjamin halpern

What About the Oceans?

Ben Halpern Photo Credit: ELENA ZHUKOVA FOR UCOP

The oceans are an integral part of life on Earth, to say the least. Half of our air comes from oceans. They absorb vast amounts of heat produced by climate change and provide enormous value in the form of natural goods and services essential to life, including carbon sequestration and food. They also cover two-thirds of the planet.

Yet a conceptual…

Can the woolly mammoth be brought back from the dead? Scientists say it’s only a matter of time.

In fact this year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature issued its first official set of guidelines on resurrecting extinct species. What’s more, university research labs and non-governmental agencies have projects in motion to bring back extinct species. But is all of this a good idea?

Heading Off Mass Extinction

Ben Halpern Photo Credit:  JAMES BADHAM

To prevent a new mass extinction of the world’s animal and plant life, scientists need to understand threats to biodiversity, where they occur and how quickly change is happening. To do that, they need reliable and accessible data.  A new study by a UC Santa Barbara conservation scientist and his international colleagues revealsthe paucity of such data.…