Biodiversity
The diversity of life, from the history of evolution and extinction to the species, habitats, and ecosystems of today.
Biology Ecology Endangered species Environment Evolution Habitats Mass extinctions Paleobiology Marine biology
Site news
-
Documenting the seasonal fate of these tiny marine organisms is a step toward understanding how ecosystems in the world's fastest-warming region may change as ice recedes.
-
Stanford researchers are analyzing a rare fossil donated to the university, using carbon dating and 3D imaging to deepen understanding of Pleistocene species and Bay Area ecosystems.
-
Ecologist Sebastian Heilpern studies biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems and works with local communities to help align conservation with human well-being and energy security.
-
Recent graduate Emily Paris, PhD ’26, studies Earth’s most extreme deep-sea environments to learn about the habitability of ancient Mars and inform carbon storage efforts.
-
The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and Stanford University Libraries are collaborating to reorganize, rehouse, and revitalize the Geoscience Specimen Collection, which contains an estimated half a million specimens, including rocks, minerals, fossils, cores, soil, water, and other physical materials.
-
"As an engineer, my job is to bridge the gap between the theoretical and practical – taking equations of math and science and applying them to real-world solutions."
-
The 2026 winners of the Natural Capital Young Leaders Prize have advocated for a view of nature and economies as deeply intertwined, encouraging people to see themselves as part of nature rather than separate from it.
-
A new federal rule redefines "harm" to exclude habitat destruction under the Endangered Species Act. Stanford experts in law and biology explain why the change matters, and which species have the most to lose.
-
Leaders from 32 countries convened at Stanford to unlock ways of meeting surging demand for valuing nature in decisions – and growing that demand exponentially.
-
Through experiments comparing living representatives of animal groups that dominated Paleozoic oceans with those that thrive today, Stanford scientists have directly linked the disappearance of once-dominant marine groups to intolerable heat and diminished oxygen in ancient oceans.
-
Environmental microbiologist Yaochun Yu studies how microbes break down pesticides, plastic additives, and other chemicals in the environment. His goal is to enable new ways to clean up pollution and design safer chemicals for the future.
-
Experts in physics, chemistry, and bioengineering discuss scientific revolutions, the importance of basic science, and new frontiers in biology and sustainability.
-
A Stanford study found that mountain lion visits to Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma) triggered cascading effects on deer, smaller predators, and vegetation.
-
Altering livestock grazing could allow soils to store billions more tons of carbon each year, depending on the region. But net climate benefits depend heavily on where supplemental feed comes from.
-
A new modeling approach applied to 146 countries shows how strategic land use can provide significant gains for climate and nature without economic losses.
-
Led by Rodolfo Dirzo and students in his lab, a Stanford field course takes students into Bay Area forests for an up-close look at the lives of local birds.
-
Brief pulses of electrical current can dramatically extend the lives of sea squirts, whose rapid stem cell regeneration and simple immune systems make them a useful analog for understanding aging in humans. The findings point toward new strategies for protecting species from environmental shifts, and mitigating age-related decline.
-
Manu Prakash and French collaborator Marcel Babin are being honored for their research on microbial life trapped in sea ice, enhancing our understanding of modern polar ecosystems.
-
A study on species competing to consume insect larvae provides insights into “priority effects”, or how the order and timing of different species shape biological communities.
-
A Stanford-led effort combines bluefin tuna tag data and historical catch records to reconstruct the evolution of the fishery in the context of extensive movement and mixing.
-
The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability’s annual competition recognizes images capturing natural beauty, researchers in action, and important topics in sustainability research.
-
For their final project in a natural capital course, students Megan Chen and Zoe Rehnborg created a “zine” on the many values of public parks.
-
A new study finds old-growth forests in Sweden store far more carbon than the industrial tree plantations that are rapidly replacing them, with soil accounting for most of the difference. Protecting undisturbed areas could do more to mitigate climate change than previously thought.
-
As oceans warm and ecosystems shift, Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station is helping detect trouble early – and prevent collapse before it starts.
