Environment

A video screenshot from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board showing the site of the derailed train.

Dead Fish and Chemical Smells Plague Ohio Community Two Weeks After Train Derailment

Health department officials will establish a clinic for residents experiencing symptoms

Dead aspen trees, shrunken by drought, wither near Grant Lake in California last October.

California Lost 36 Million Trees to Drought Last Year

The die-off is expected to continue despite this winter’s rain storms

Climate change, pollution and biodiversity are all contributing to the rise of drug-resistant super bugs.

'Superbugs' Could Kill Up to Ten Million Additional People Each Year by 2050

A new U.N. report warns that climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss are helping create pathogens that can evade our medications

Anglers in Iliamna, Alaska, catch sockeye salmon. The Environmental Protection Agency said the proposed Pebble Mine project would damage salmon fisheries in the Bristol Bay watershed.

Alaska

A Mine That Threatened Alaskan Salmon May Be No More

A rare “veto” from the EPA effectively halted the proposed Pebble Mine after two decades of disputes

A female (left) and male (right) golden-shouldered parrot

The Wonderful World of Birds

Australia’s Most Endangered Parrot Faces an Unusual Threat: Trees

Native vegetation blocks the birds’ ability to see approaching predators

Concept art for the final form of NASA's experimental X-57 Maxwell electric plane. The plane is not expected to ever reach this phase, as the program's time and funds are running out.

NASA’s Electric Plane Will Take Flight This Year—but Its Future Is Uncertain

The X-57 Maxwell has removed some barriers to electric flight, but its funding expires soon

Derek Burgoyne captured the moment a moose sheds its antlers using a drone in New Brunswick, Canada.

Watch Rare Drone Video of a Moose Shedding Its Antlers

A wildlife enthusiast in eastern Canada stumbled across the magnificent event this month

A snowshoe hare in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado

See 25 Stunning Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

Vote for your favorite among these photos shortlisted in the People's Choice category until February 2

Pollinators, including bees, are suffering because of human activities.

Shrinking Pollinator Populations Could Be Killing 427,000 People Per Year

New research explores the relationship between human health and crop loss due to pollination deficits around the world

A rupture in the Keystone pipeline system led to an oil spill into Mill Creek near Washington, Kansas.

Keystone Pipeline Leaks 14,000 Barrels of Oil in Kansas

This is the largest onshore crude pipeline spill in nine years and the biggest in the system’s history

Twelve-year-old Madison Checketts was named one of the 30 finalists in the 2022 Broadcom Masters Competition, the country’s premier science, technology, engineering and math competition for middle school students.

This 12-Year-Old Designed a Water Bottle You Can Eat

After seeing plastic polluting her favorite beaches year after year, Madison Checketts decided it was time to do something about it

This year’s picks include Fresh Banana Leaves, Origin and Starry Messenger.

The Best Books of 2022

The Ten Best Science Books of 2022

From a detective story on the origins of Covid-19 to a narrative that imagines a fateful day for dinosaurs, these works affected us the most this year

An illustration of human sperm.

Human Sperm Counts Declining Worldwide, Study Finds

Researchers disagree on whether the trend has implications for human fertility

President Biden speaks at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on November 11. 

New Rules Could Slash 36 Million Tons of Methane by 2030

Biden announced plans for tackling the powerful greenhouse gas, which could go into effect by the end of next year

Salmon are believed to have a relationship, direct or indirect, with more than 100 different species. In Alaska, brown bears famously fish for adult salmon as they swim upstream to spawn.

How Will Mining Affect Alaskan Salmon?

Active mines, proposed mines and exploratory projects in Alaska and British Columbia may affect key salmon watersheds

On the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the bare, whitened trunks of a “ghost forest” are one of the effects of surging waters that turn woodland into marsh.

Why Marshlands Are the Perfect Lab for Studying Climate Change

At the border between land and sea, an extraordinary set of experiments is helping us prepare for an uncertain future

Only about five to six percent of plastic waste produced in the U.S. is recycled, per a new report from Greenpeace.

That Plastic You Put in a Blue Bin Might Now Be in a Landfill

A new Greenpeace report found that most plastics produced in the U.S. are never recycled

Emmett Lewis' ancestor Cudjo Lewis was one of the last survivors of the Clotilda.

These Descendants Never Forgot the Story of the Last American Slave Ship

A new Netflix documentary follows the families of the "Clotilda" captives as they grapple with how their past informs their future

A mountain lion, P-22, known to live in the Los Angeles area

L.A.'s Cougars Were Driven to Extremes by Wildfire

With less suitable habitat, the big cats traveled further and crossed dangerous roads more often

An underwater view of the V-1302 John Mahn, which has rested at the bottom of the North Sea since February 1942

A World War II Shipwreck Is Leaking Toxic Chemicals Into the North Sea

Researchers discovered nickel, copper, arsenic, explosives and chemicals found in fossil fuels at the site

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