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On the Front Line of Ocean Conservation off Portugal’s Madeira

Juan Mayorga smiled as a stingray glided across his computer screen, moving gracefully over the seabed near Portugal's Desertas Islands, part of the Madeira archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. "It's a good day when we see animals like this," said the Colombian environmental engineer, who is analyzing underwater footage to measure the effects of marine protection. "This is conservation in action," said Mayorga, 36, who works for Pristine Seas, a marine conservation initiative run by the National Geographic Society.

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The Painstaking Task of Cataloguing the World’s Species

A bumblebee-like insect that was last seen in France 150 years ago was spotted again in the Paris region in 2025. Had the creature, known by its scientific name Pocota personata, disappeared and returned after all those years? Or did it simply fly around unnoticed this whole time? The mystery illustrates the challenge facing scientists seeking to catalogue the world's biodiversity, as so much of nature remains poorly understood.

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Spending More Time Close to Cats Improves Mood, Study Finds

Owners who spent more time physically close to their cats tended to report more positive moods, according to a new study by a Kyoto University-led team. The study, published in the journal iScience, came amid a common claim that caring for a feline friend has positive effects on human health and well-being while other studies reporting possible negative effects of cat ownership.

Asharq Al-Awsat English