Diatoms are the most significant producers of plant biomass in the ocean, assisting in the transit of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere to the deep ocean and therefore regulating our climate.
The rare and secretive snow leopard is one of the few beasts that has captured the human imagination. According to the red list of threatened species, fewer than 7,000 Panthera uncia are expected to persist over Asia's high mountains. A fifth of them dwells in Tajikistan's Pamir mountains, the world's third-highest environment after the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges. The leopards appear to be prospering here, despite the odds.