Theo Evans, The University of Western Australia and Qian Tang, Harvard University
Using DNA sequencing, the origins of one of the world’s most common insects, the German cockroach, have been traced back to Asia. Learning more about this urban pest can help us fight it effectively.
European colonizers brought mice to the Americas, where they squeaked out a comfortable life.
Dejan Kolar/iStock Collection via Getty Images Plus
An ecologist, a mathematician and a taxonomist were locked down together in a suburban house. So they counted all the species of plants and animals they could find.
A global study of urban clover reveals that it is adapting quickly to city life.
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David Drake, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Bret Shaw, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Mary Magnuson, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Urban coyotes prey on rodents and spread plant seeds. It’s OK to observe them from a distance, but then you should chase them off.
Litter after recent looting in Durban, South Africa. The city recently introduced a scheme that looks to protect biodiversity and associated ecosystems.
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Plague-wary Londoners tolerated mischievous red kites and ravens for their services to the city’s sanitation.
Several large cities have set ambitious targets for increasing their tree canopy. The city of Montréal has adopted an action plan that aims to plant 185,000 trees by 2025.
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With wild boar in Barcelona and coyotes in San Francisco, the lockdown has transformed concrete jungles worldwide.
Cities around the world appear to be harboring increasing numbers of rats, including this one: the inflatable ‘Scabby the Rat.’
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Cities often embark upon drastic and expensive eradication campaigns designed to rapidly rid the city of pests like rats. But are the surviving rats stronger or weaker than before?
A film about Cape Town’s environmental resources features a cast as diverse as breakdancers and wetland activists - and is being used as a study aid globally.
A drain carries water but does little else, but imagine how different the neighbourhood would be if the drain could be transformed into a living stream.
Zoe Myers
Drains take up precious but inaccessible open space in our cities. Converting these to living streams running through the suburbs could make for healthier places in multiple ways.