EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Indigenous Peoples' Day

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

In honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day, we’re exploring how Indigenous communities contribute to science, conservation, health research, and much more.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 16-Mar-2026 15:14 ET (16-Mar-2026 19:14 GMT/UTC)

A new endemic tree species discovered in an Indigenous area in Panama is already threatened

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Botanists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) named the new species, Clusia nanophylla, because of the tiny size of the leaves, the smallest within the genus. This species has only been found in Panama.

Journal: Kew Bulletin

VAD law experts talk dementia and critical issues at QUT conference

Queensland University of Technology
Meeting Announcement

Australia: Dementia, global trends, community attitudes, conscientious objections by doctors and health facilities, Indigenous perspectives, and organ donation are among agenda topics for the International Conference on Assisted Dying and Other End of Life Care (ICEL5) at QUT next month.

Meeting: International Conference on Assisted Dying and Other End of Life Care

American Indian and Alaska native peoples experience higher rates of fatal police violence in and around reservations

Drexel University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Indigenous people in the United States are at higher risk of fatal police violence in and around American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) reservations, according to the first comprehensive national study on the subject from researchers at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health and the University of Washington. The study, using data on the 203 AIAN people killed by police from 2013 through 2024, was published today in the journal PNAS. The authors hope this work will inform policy action to better protect these communities.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: NIH/National Institutes of Health

Fatal police violence against Native Americans on reservations

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Fatal police violence against Indigenous peoples is disproportionately concentrated in and around reservations, according to a study.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Carbon markets risk penalizing First Nations stewardship

RMIT University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Experts say climate finance systems built on good intentions are backfiring because they fail to recognise the value of First Nations stewardship.

Journal: Nature Climate Change

New study identifies key factors supporting indigenous well-being

University of Toronto
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study of more than 6,000 American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NH/PI) adults shows that nearly one-third meet criteria for “healthy functioning,” a multidimensional measure capturing positive physical and mental health, life satisfaction, social support, and low stress.

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