Earth and Human Activity

Animals

Birds versus windows

Buildings in the United States can be deadly obstacles to flying birds. A new study estimates that as many as 1 billion birds die every year after colliding with windows. And low buildings — not skyscrapers — account for most of those deaths.

Earth

Mining metals amidst seafloor animals

Miners may need to get their feet — and everything else — wet as they carefully seek out loads of copper and other valuable natural resources.

Microbes

Arctic thaw is spreading wildlife diseases

Polar animals are encountering new, killer parasites as melting ice unlocks their access to new hosts.

Animals

First living fish leaves ‘endangered’ list

Twenty-one years ago, a minnow facing a high risk of extinction was placed on the U.S. Endangered Species List. With help from scientists, the fish appears to have largely recovered. It’s the first ‘listed’ fish to do so.

Life

Caught in the act

Scientists observe some evolutionary speed demons as they adapt over the course of just a few years to new environmental conditions.

Animals

Explainer: People can sicken animals

Wildlife can sometimes become infected with germs shed by people.

Chemistry

Explainer: Ocean acidification

Here’s why shellfish and other animals in the sea suffer when the ocean is forced to absorb too much carbon dioxide.

Climate

Watching our seas rise

Satellites, coral reefs, ancient Roman fishponds and sinking cities help us understand how humans are changing sea level.

Climate

Dirty clouds change rainfall

Scientists find a link between air pollution and extremes in rainfall.

Animals

Tiny earthworms’ big impact

Invasive earthworms change North American landscapes, for better or worse.

Climate

Did Columbus contribute to a Little Ice Age?

Scientist shows a surprising link between the explorer and a dip in temperatures.

Chemistry

DEET confuses mosquitoes

Scientists suspect the repellant messes with a mosquito’s sense of smell.