"Gone, but not forgotten" is a phrase we often attribute to those who have passed on.  The phrase once applied to Javan elephants, as they were thought extinct. We said "once" because new evidence suggests that these animals may not really have died out after all. Find out why this is the case after the jump.

Sixty minutes of lights out in recognition of the fact that humans need to take action on climate change. This is the premise of Earth Hour. Perhaps you might have heard of it. If you live in Sydney, Australia, you'd definitely have heard of it since it was the first major city to turn its lights out. Earth Hour may be coming to your own town soon. More details in the full article.

Scientists in China were able to uncover new fossils of ancient pandas dating back to 400,000 years ago. These fossils suggest that the ancient pandas competed against giant apes and humans for food and habitat. They were also able to find out that back then pandas outnumbered humans. But today, there are roughly around 1,600 in the panda population because of wide-spread human activities.

More information of their discovery after the jump.

A team of scientists from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Princeton University have made a new study by ecologically measuring how human settling activities have affected biodiversity according to the absence of large mammals.

Being the first study to utilize such a method, results showed mammals that were affected and how this affects ecosystems. If you want to know more about the results of their study, click on the "read more" link.

In an effort to raise awareness and to ramp up its environmental campaigns, World Wildlife Fund or WWF bought some virtual land in Second Life and named it "Conservation Island". The island will be populated by different animal avatars and the objective, according to WWF, is to teach human avatars how to live in harmony with nature.

"WWF set up the island as a way to help people learn about conservation issues and the need to live sustainably. We want to be able to show people that WWF has solutions to the real environmental issues affecting their 'first life', commented WWF International Online Outreach Manager David Cole.

One avatar SL residents will meet in the island is Mr. Tangee. He's a scruffy looking orangutan that can be found in an ice cream van. His purpose is to let people know that the total number of plantations producing soy and palm oil that are being used in ice creams, cosmetics, and chocolate bars now cover an area the size of France.

This, of course, threatens his kind because most of his natural habitat are being converted to industrial areas. Another notable character is a panda that guides visitors around the wind-powered local town and chats about environmental issues.

Also known as the Far-East leopard or Siberian leopard, the Amur leopard is currently the rarest of the big cats. Only an approximate number of 25 to 34 remain in the wild.

Experts say that the leopard's diminishing numbers is caused by habitat slashing and poaching. Their natural habitat once ranged from the Russian Far East, North Korea, and northeastern China. But what sets it apart from the other leopards? The Amur have long legs that let it hunt in the deep snow and a long fur coat to withstand the cold.

The joint forces of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Russian Academy of Science, and Wildlife Conservation Society carried out the census which was done by checking the Amur's tracks in the snow covering around 1,930 square miles. Darron Collins, managing director of WWF had this to say: "We've known for some time that Amur leopard numbers were low. But this collaborative census demonstrates precisely how dangerously low the numbers are and how dire the overall situation is."

They also found four litters and hope that that is a sign that the leopard population is regenerating. Around a hundred leopards are needed to ensure that the species survive. Experts are now asking for help from the three countries that share the Amurs' natural habitat: China, North Korea, and Russia. Deputy head Oleg Mitvol of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources is spearheading the campaign. Reportedly, the Russian government has agreed to change the route of a planned oil pipeline so it'll avoid the leopard shrinking territories.

Reports also show that the Russian Ministry of Justice wants to take steps to remove the power of arresting and fining poachers from nature reserve officials. China on the other hand is currently considering lifting the domestic trade ban on tiger parts that are used in traditional medicine. Leopards are "often used as substitutes for Chinese remedies". Little is known about what steps North Korea will take, if any.

Let's hope the Amur leopard survives.

While the bug population embraces the warm temperature for their reproduction needs, the sea turtles are holding on to dear life for the very same reason. The problem is, the sea turtles are not the ones having a hard time adjusting to the changing weather conditions. The birds are sending out a distress signal.

Though our tiny little crustacean friends help keep global warming in check, their efforts might not be enough to save 72% of the world's bird species from the deadly effects of unchecked climate change.

Birds' behavior has been significantly affected by global warming that even some migratory birds fail to migrate at all. It doesn't help that habitats for migratory birds have been destroyed, leaving the poor birds with no place to go. That's how bad the situation is at this point.

But there's hope yet, according to conservation group WWF. That is if climate protection targets are enforced and the level of greenhouse gas emissions are lessened. Easier said than done. Until all these are set into motion, our birds would live in constant fear of being wiped out by the evil that is global warming.