giant panda

Why can't pandas get it on? The answer may lie in their intestines

New study links panda reproductive issues to specific gut microbes.

How giant pandas stay chubby solely on a bamboo diet: fattening gut bacteria

Bamboo is far from the most filling food source out there, but healthy bacteria in the panda's gut help them fatten up and prepare for harsh times.

Increasingly fragmented habitats may spell doom for the giant panda

Apart from this, the species is continuing its recovery.

Giant Panda no longer 'endangered' thanks to conservation efforts in China

Good news: giant pandas rebound!

Panda poop might help biofuel production take a turn for the better

Biofuels are very ‘hot’ at the moment, as they’ve started to gain traction. Production as increased about 400% since 2000, and that’s a good thing. Right? After all, anything that can replace fossil fuels is a better option. Well, not necessarily. A while ago, I wrote a piece for ZME Science in which listed some […]

The oldest giant panda relative found in Spain

Paleontologists have come across the oldest fossils identified as a relative of the giant panda in Spain, dated from 12 million years ago. A highly peculiar find since this unique animals is native to central-western and south western China. The giant panda belongs to the order Carnivora, which is rather ironic since its highly specialized diet […]

Giant Panda breeding breakthrough leads to wildlife re-introduction program

What’s maybe China’s most prominent symbol, the Giant Panda has been for decades now on the endangered species list, with an estimate wildlife population of circa. 2000-3000 individuals. Conservation efforts and breeding projects have been in the works for a very long time, efforts which even proved to render diplomatic benefits (In the late 70’s […]