Liz Kimbrough, Mongabay Journalist Profile

Articles

US pioneers restoration of deep water corals damaged by country’s worst oil spill

4 weeks ago | news.mongabay.com | Liz Kimbrough

Scientists are conducting a pioneering large-scale deep-sea coral restoration in the Gulf of Mexico following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which damaged 1,994 square kilometers (770 square miles) of seafloor habitat. Underwater robots and Navy divers using specialized gear to work at depths up to 100 meters (328 feet) plant coral fragments on the ocean floor, while labs in Texas, South Carolina and Florida grow corals in tanks for future transplantation.
Without vultures, carcasses are slow to rot and disease-carrying flies abound

1 month ago | news.mongabay.com | Liz Kimbrough

Researchers in Costa Rica found that pig carcasses decomposed twice as fast when vultures had access to them compared to carcasses where vultures were excluded. The absence of vultures led to a doubling of fly populations at carcass sites, which could affect human health, since these flies can carry diseases like botulism and anthrax, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Study unveils mystery of monkey yodeling — and why humans can’t compete

1 month ago | news.mongabay.com | Liz Kimbrough

Researchers found that New World monkeys can produce extreme yodeling-like sounds by rapidly switching between their vocal folds (for low tones) and specialized vocal membranes (for high tones), achieving frequency jumps up to 12 times greater than humans can manage. Scientists conducted their research at Bolivia’s La Senda Verde animal refuge, using recordings and electroglottographs on live monkeys.
Warming climate is already too hot to handle for 2% of amphibians, study shows

1 month ago | news.mongabay.com | Liz Kimbrough

Researchers found 2% of amphibian species are already experiencing temperatures beyond their physiological limits, potentially increasing to 7.5% with continued climate warming. The study revealed an unexpected pattern where tropical species in the Southern Hemisphere face greater heat risk, while in the Northern Hemisphere, species at higher latitudes are more vulnerable.
Corporate giants fall short on forest protection commitments, report

2 months ago | news.mongabay.com | Liz Kimbrough

The “Forest 500 Report 2025” by Global Canopy reveals that only 3% of major companies with influence over forest-risk commodities are taking adequate action on deforestation, with beef identified as the biggest driverThe assessment identified 24 “persistent laggards” that have never made any deforestation commitments despite a decade of evaluation, while some companies like meatpacking giant JBS are backtracking on previous pledges.
15 years after the BP oil spill disaster, how is the Gulf of Mexico faring?

2 months ago | news.mongabay.com | Liz Kimbrough

The Deepwater Horizon disaster on April 20, 2010, was the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, releasing an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over nearly three months. Fifteen years later, the gulf ecosystem shows a complicated picture of both resilience and lingering damage, with some species, like brown pelicans, recovering, while others, like humans, dolphins and deep-sea corals, continue to struggle with long-term health impacts.
Exploring India, finding new species: Interview with biologist Zeeshan Mirza

Mar 27, 2025 | news.mongabay.com | Liz Kimbrough

Indian wildlife biologist Zeeshan Mirza has identified more than 60 new-to-science species, including snakes, tarantulas and geckos across India’s biodiversity hotspots. The Western Ghats and Himalayan regions are particularly rich areas for biological discoveries, though many species remain undocumented and threatened.
Microplastic within humans now a health crisis: Interview with ‘Plastic People’ filmmakers

Mar 19, 2025 | news.mongabay.com | Liz Kimbrough

The documentary ‘Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics’ reveals microplastics have been found in human brains, placentas, and virtually every organ, highlighting a global environmental and health crisis. Executive producers Rick Smith and Peter Raymont explore how humans are becoming “plastic people” with microplastic contamination beginning before birth and persisting after death.
500,000 barrels of DDT in the sea: Interview with documentary directors on California coast crisis

Mar 17, 2025 | news.mongabay.com | Liz Kimbrough

Out of Plain Sight,” directed by journalist Rosanna Xia and filmmaker Daniel Straub, documents the legacy of mass amounts of DDT waste dumped off the California coast decades ago, with environmental consequences continuing today. The documentary features journalism as a main character, following Xia’s real-time investigation and highlighting both the process of science and storytelling through immersive cinematography and sound design.
Iranian scientist names new praying mantis species for freedom

Mar 10, 2025 | news.mongabay.com | Liz Kimbrough

Iranian researcher Mahmood Kolnegari has described a new praying mantis species in central Iran, naming it Sinaiella azadi (“freedom” in Persian) to symbolize the importance of scientific freedom and collaboration across borders. The discovery represents the first record of the genus Sinaiella in Iran and Armenia, expanding the known range of this mantis group previously thought to exist only in the Arabian Peninsula and Egypt.