Emperor penguins have been dying as global temperatures have risen, according to a study by French scientists published yesterday in the journal Nature. From 1952 until 1975, the penguin population near a French Antarctic base held steady around 6,000, but in the late 1970s, the number dropped to 3,000, where it has since stabilized. The scientists think warmer temperatures have killed off Antarctic krill, a main source of food for the penguin. Meanwhile, a supplement this month in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives outlines the possible health-related consequences of global warming, including more heat strokes and the rise of diseases like malaria and yellow fever.
