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Steinhardt Museum of Natural History

The Queen of Spain fritillary. (Hectonichus, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)
February 1, 2026, 11:17 pm
A third of Israel’s 156 butterfly species threatened, with three already extinct
‘Preserving butterflies is not just about preserving beauty and color, but about the stability and health of ecosystems on which we all depend,’ says ecologist Dotan Rotem
By Sue Surkes
160 million-year-old Anchiornis fossils. (Tel Aviv University)
December 16, 2025, 11:48 am
New Israeli fossil research shows some winged dinosaurs lost ability to fly
Study of molting patterns in fossilized colored feathers suggests evolution of dinosaurs and birds was ‘more complex than previously believed,’ says ornithologist
By Sue Surkes
The red-eared slider, native to the southern US and far northern Mexico, has become invasive in Israel, according to the latest Red List on reptiles. (slowmotiongli/iStock)
September 9, 2025, 12:50 pm
Four in ten reptile species in Israel at risk of extinction, rare audit finds
Threats range from construction, agriculture, destruction of open space to invasive and feral species, solar fields, sand mining, off-road vehicles, and military activity
By Sue Surkes
Oriental hornets feeding on a fig fruit. (Prof. Eran Levin)
October 28, 2024, 1:25 pm
Buzzed but never drunk: Research shows Oriental hornets defy alcohol’s effects
Tel Aviv University team believes surprise findings could be used to develop new models for studying alcoholism
By Sue Surkes
A swallowtail butterfly on a Salvia viridis plant. (Avner Rinot, Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel)
May 22, 2024, 4:56 pm
World Biodiversity Day report: Israel’s butterflies, birds, reptiles in serious decline
Israel’s habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, invasive species, overexploitation of natural resources and rising temperatures blamed in 2023 State of Nature review
By Sue Surkes
An infected black sea urchin dying in the Mediterranean Sea, exhibiting typical symptoms of an exposed skeleton and lost tissue and spines. (Konstantinos Kalaentzis)
May 24, 2023, 9:51 am
Epidemic wipes out all Eilat Bay urchins; coral reefs face suffocation by algae
Experts rush to understand cause of mass die-offs in Red Sea of keystone species that feeds on algae, as pathogenic parasite spreads quickly, killing the creatures within 48 hours
By Sue Surkes
The common blue butterfly. (Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)
April 24, 2023, 12:36 am
Blue and white butterfly voted national icon in run up to Independence Day
The common blue butterfly beats out 139 winged contestants; southern white admiral comes in second, followed by African monarch in third
By Sue Surkes
Glowing corals. (Tel Aviv University)
July 18, 2022, 2:25 pm
Deep sea corals glow in the dark to lure prey, Israeli researchers find
Study shows that corals in dark zones of sea that must supplement food obtained by photosynthesis use fluorescence to lure small creatures such as plankton into their mouths
By Sue Surkes
Great white pelicans at a water reservoir in the Hefer valley, in central Israel, on October 22, 2021. Pelicans stop off in Israel during their annual migration from the Balkans to Africa, where they enjoy a mild winter before returning to Europe. (Moshe Shai/Flash90)
July 9, 2022, 2:02 pm
Israeli nature loses equivalent of a medium-sized city to development every year
Annual State of Nature report highlights negative consequences of galloping urbanization amid population growth, but notes increase in protected open space
By Sue Surkes
Extinct species of cave bear excavated in Devil's Cave, near Pottenstein, Germany. (Ra'ike, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)
May 10, 2022, 12:34 pm
Big brains helped large mammals survive extinction, study shows
Behavioral flexibility, thanks to large brain-to-body ratio, gave species evolutionary advantage in face of climate change and human hunters
By Sue Surkes
Eurasian golden oriole specimens from the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University. (TAU)
April 5, 2022, 8:26 pm
Study: Birds in Israel may be changing shape in response to global warming
TAU researchers suggest morphological changes enable birds to shed more heat; but they worry that as planet continues to warm, birds may run out of coping mechanisms
By Sue Surkes
Part of a new exhibition on climate change at Tel Aviv University's Steinhardt Natural History Museum. (Dor Kedmi)
July 25, 2021, 2:16 pm
New exhibit seeks to explain climate change, how to arrest it
Tel Aviv University’s Steinhardt Museum of Natural History sets out to explain global warming, why it’s bad, and what we can do to save the planet
By Sue Surkes
Illustrative: A desalination plant in Hadera, May 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
March 19, 2021, 2:12 am
2017 oil spill closed three desalination plants for three days, official reveals
Environment Ministry’s marine director says ‘worst nightmare’ disaster threatened national water supply; expert says UAE oil deal spells ‘bleak’ future for Eilat corals
By Sue Surkes
Prof. Noa Shenkar of Tel Aviv University's Zoology School sampling ascidians. (Tom Shlesinger)
August 23, 2020, 3:11 pm
Don’t dump drugs in trash, toilet; it may come back in your food — study
After finding traces of pharmaceuticals in sea squirts in Mediterranean and Red seas, Tel Aviv University researchers urge public to take unused medicines to clinics, pharmacies
By Sue Surkes
An army zodiac secures the entrance of the new section of the Suez Canal in Ismailia, Egypt, August 6, 2015. (Amr Nabil/AP)
January 16, 2020, 10:42 am
Experts say Mediterranean Sea altered by Suez Canal’s invasive species
Red Sea invaders have driven native marine life toward extinction and changed the delicate ecosystem with potentially devastating consequences, marine biologists warn
By Aron Heller and Isabel Debre
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