Environment

Chemistry

Scientists look to hack photosynthesis for a ‘greener’ planet

Photosynthesis turns sunlight into energy for plants. Scientists want to know more about it, imitate it — even improve it.

Ecosystems

Groundwater pumping is draining rivers and streams worldwide

Excessive groundwater use could push more than half of the regions that depend on water pumped up from underground aquifers past an environmental tipping point by 2050. That could threaten aquatic ecosystems around the world.

Climate

Record heat is burning the Arctic and melting Greenland’s ice

High temperatures are melting Greenland’s ice. They’re also fueling Arctic wildfires that are pumping record amounts of carbon dioxide into the air.

Climate

Explainer: Why some clouds glow in the dark

A surprise space rock lit up the night sky over California — and left behind a rare type of cloud. Such glowing beauties may become more common with climate change.

Environment

City living makes trees grow fast but die young

Many cities plant trees to absorb carbon dioxide. But city trees grow fast and die young, which means they absorb less carbon dioxide than forest trees do.

Science & Society

Could climate change worsen global conflict?

Famine, natural disasters and sea-level rise can all disrupt societies. These can add pressure to unstable regions — sometimes to the point of prompting wars.

Environment

Studies show how homes can pollute indoor air

Cooking, cleaning, applying makeup or deodorant and other activities may sometimes leave indoor air as polluted — or worse — than outdoor air, new research suggests.

Earth

Microplastics are blowing in the wind

Tiny pieces of plastic are traveling through the air, a new study shows. A remote mountaintop saw just as much plastic deposited per day as falls on downtown Paris.

Oceans

Oceans’ fever means fewer fish

Warming oceans have caused fish populations to plummet since 1930. In some regions, the number of fish that can be caught without depleting populations has dropped by more than one-third.

Environment

Life on Earth is mostly green

A new survey of life on Earth finds that plants and microbes dominate. But even though humans are in the minority, they still play a major role.

Earth

Earth’s permafrost is heating up

Climate change is warming Earth’s permafrost — and in some places thawing it. This could lead to massive releases of planet-warming greenhouse gases.

Plants

Rare-plant hunters race against time to save at-risk species

One in five plants is at risk of extinction. Meet the rare plant hunters who rappel down cliffs and trek through forests to save them.