Environment
420 articles-
A Warming Arctic May Be Changing Polar Bears’ DNA
Polar bears in a warmer region of Greenland have shown some surprising genetic changes that may help them adapt -
How Many Insects Fill the Air on a Typical Summer Day in the US?
NOAA weather radar stations help track the ups and downs of insect abundance -
How to Really Convince People to Prepare for Climate Disasters
The most effective messaging hits home -
Potential Deep-Sea Mining Site Harbors Scores of New Species
Troves of invertebrates inhabit the sediments of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone -
A Rare “Fairy Lantern” Finally Comes to Light
Researchers discovered this tiny, mysterious plant species in Malaysia—now, they want to make sure it survives -
Is the Drought in the Southwest Permanent?
New models foretell more dry years ahead -
The Last Word with Wendy Schmidt
The co-founder of Schmidt Sciences on curiosity, discovery, and wonder -
What’s Your City’s Hoofprint?
A new study measures the impact meat eating has on the planet, one city at a time -
Moss Might Survive Nearly Two Decades in Space
These plants showed “extraordinary durability” and may pave the way for extraterrestrial agriculture -
The Rise of the Ancient Bogs
It was driven by the wind, and could tell us about the future of the climate
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Some Bacteria Have Evolved the Ability to Degrade Plastic
But can this make a dent in Earth’s plastic crisis?
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The Secret Lives of Tree Roots
A glimpse into the arboreal underworld tells us how trees will cope in a changing climate
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Are We Trashing Earth’s Loneliest Spot?
Point Nemo, the most remote location on the planet, is serving as humanity’s cosmic junkyard
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Here’s What Nuclear Testing Does to the Earth—and Us
With trials of atomic weapons set to resume, we recall the environmental and health damage wrought by such testing
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Hurricane Melissa Could Threaten Some Species with Extinction
As the super strong storm lashes the Caribbean, vulnerable species and habitats lie in its path
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How This Haunting Hurricane Illusion Forms
Powerful storms like Hurricane Melissa foment an odd phenomenon called the “stadium effect” at their centers -
How “Plant Math” Can Help Predict the Climate’s Future
Researchers are building equations for vegetation processes that might improve climate models -
New Life for Rotting Seaweed
Problematic piles of Sargassum could serve as useful raw material for a variety of products -
Modeling the Deep
An ambitious mission seeks to map the flow of crucial chemicals through marine food webs in far-flung oceanic gyres -
The Deep Ocean Is a Global Public Good
This visionary new initiative would do more than save the ocean. It would regenerate it.