Arizona Science AZPM

Scientists studying the world's oceans are finding proof that the Earth is responding to efforts by populations fighting climate change.

The pace of local extinctions is on the rise in the sky islands of the Sonoran Desert. University of Arizona evolutionary biologist John Wiens is tracking lizard populations in mountainous regions of southern Arizona and western Mexico and found some species are struggling with the changing climate.

REPEAT. Researchers studying prostate cancer have found introducing the disease in mice does not always produce accurate results.

Tree ring researchers are exploring the lives of sea creatures that document climate change just like trees do. The University of Arizona's Bryan Black reveals studies of underwater life like corals and rockfish which match a climate history also revealed in tree rings on land.

Elderly dogs can suffer from cognitive dysfunction, similar to dementia in humans. Evan MacLean with the Arizona Canine Cognition Center in Tucson explains how games and puzzles that provide mental stimulation for dogs helps researchers understand how human brains respond at an advanced age.

The saguaro cactus has been a source of study for southern Arizonans for decades. Saguaro National Park wildlife biologist Don Swann is among the scientists asking why saguaros are biologically fit to survive the ongoing drought, and looking deeper into its role in the desert ecosystem.