How an unlikely partnership of nuns and scientists saved a species

Science · Published 12 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Discover how a group of nuns and scientific researchers collaborated to prevent the extinction of the achoque, an exotic salamander native to a lake in northern Mexico.

Science journalist Victoria Gill explores the unexpected alliance between scientists and the Sisters of the Immaculate Health. This partnership was instrumental in protecting the achoque, an adorable and threatened salamander species. The collaboration serves as a powerful example of how local and indigenous communities may hold the essential keys to preserving the planet's most vulnerable and unique wildlife.

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