EurekAlert! In the Spotlight

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

This August, we're exploring the science behind the animals that share our planet. From the behaviors and adaptations that help species thrive to the conservation efforts protecting wildlife around the world, animal awareness days like World Lion Day, World Elephant Day, International Cat Day, and International Wolf Day are an opportunity to celebrate biodiversity and discover the research helping us better understand and protect the species that call our planet home.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Oct-2026 08:17 ET (23-Oct-2026 12:17 GMT/UTC)

24-Aug-2026

Online marketplaces are putting biodiversity at risk

University of Helsinki
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In just six weeks, researchers found more than 1,600 primates for sale on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. A new international study led by the University of Helsinki shows that online platforms are fuellng a growing and hard-to-track wildlife tra

Journal: Nature Reviews Biodiversity

23-Aug-2026

New Cochrane gap map highlights big gaps in dengue prevention research

Cochrane
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new Cochrane evidence and gap map (EGM) has mapped the global research landscape on dengue prevention, finding plenty of research but not enough of it synthesized in ways policymakers can use.

Journal: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

21-Aug-2026

A secret to survival for California’s most endangered salmon

NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Traditional field research combined with new technology has revealed a secret to the survival of juvenile salmon as they form in their eggs, especially in low-water years when many do not survive, new research from NOAA Fisheries and the University of California, Davis shows.

Journal: Science Advances
Funder: Bureau of Reclamation, California Water Resources Control Board

21-Aug-2026

Study suggests new antibody therapy for tick-borne disease

University of California - Riverside
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists led by Scott Pegan, a biomedical scientist at the University of California, Riverside, have identified multiple targets for antibodies that could one day help treat Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Military Infectious Disease Research Program

21-Aug-2026

Breaking up of swan families in winter disrupts spring migration

Universiteit van Amsterdam
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Young Bewick's swans only survive their first spring migration if they stay with their parents long enough. If they lose their parents in winter, they leave later and are unable to keep up with the rest of the population. As a result, there is a greater chance that they will die in their first year of life. This is shown in new research by biologists from the UvA and NIOO-KNAW, together with American and German colleagues, which was published on Aug. 20 in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.