A specimen of the Birmingham darter documented by Yale biologist Thomas Near and his research team. A biologist says a proposed data center for Bessemer could put the fish at risk of extinction. (Courtesy Konstantinos Andriotis)
BESSEMER — When Yale biologist Thomas Near and members of his research team visited the Yellowhammer State in October, the state’s famous Dreamland BBQ wasn’t the only thing on the agenda, though it was high on the list.
During their trip, the researchers documented the existence of the Birmingham darter, a newly identified fish species, just downstream of the site of a proposed 4.5 million square foot hyperscale data center, the construction of which Near said would put the already imperiled species at risk of extinction…