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: 25-Apr-2026 14:15 ET (25-Apr-2026 18:15 GMT/UTC)

23-Apr-2026

Beavers leave a trail as they head into the Arctic

Anglia Ruskin University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Beavers are spreading northwards into the Arctic and a new study provides detailed evidence of their expansion by dating the changes they have been making to the tundra landscape. The research, which combines tree ring analysis (looking at beaver browsing scars) with satellite imagery of surface water (highlighting dams), has allowed scientists to track and date beaver movements in remote areas of the Canadian Arctic.

Journal: Ecosphere
Funder: UK Research and Innovation, Polar Knowledge Canada

22-Apr-2026

Arctic oil and gas exploitation significantly overlaps with Indigenous Peoples’ Lands, ecologically sensitive areas and key Arctic species’ ranges

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Arctic fossil fuel development shows significant overlaps with Indigenous communities and ecologically sensitive areas, which might support calls from some scientists to keep Arctic fossil fuels in the ground, according to a study published April 22, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Daniele Codato of the University of Padova, Italy and colleagues.

Journal: PLOS One

22-Apr-2026

Unraveling the genomic roots of Indigenous peoples

Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Published in Nature, the study includes 128 complete genomes and reveals over one million new genetic variants, uncovering a unique genetic diversity with implications for evolution and health.

For the first time, the team has characterized the final migratory wave to South America, 1,300 years ago, and revealed the origin of these populations, with Y-chromosomal ancestry (“Ypykuéra”).

Journal: Nature

22-Apr-2026

Frontiers in Science Deep Dive webinar series: Halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 critical to avoid disastrous effects on human well-being

Frontiers
Meeting Announcement

Discover how a “Nature Positive” approach can halt and reverse the global decline in biodiversity and help to prevent the destabilization of Earth’s systems that support human well-being.

19-Apr-2026

Schools must do more than box-ticking to support Indigenous kids: report

Curtin University
Reports and Proceedings

An Indigenous-led study of Perth primary schools has found that educators often rely on symbolic gestures rather than meaningful action to support Aboriginal children at school, prompting calls for Noongar storytelling, ceremony and language to be embedded in the curriculum and mandatory training for non-Aboriginal teachers.

16-Apr-2026

The human sense of smell evolved with diets and lifestyle

Cell Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

From the ability to detect the smell of wet soil to the scent of ripe fruit, the human olfactory system has evolved over thousands of years in response to how people live and what they eat, according to a new genetic study of Indigenous populations in Malaysia.

Journal: Cell Reports
Funder: National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Malaysia