Environment
-
EnvironmentSeeing red: North’s CO2 hits new peak
CO2 values are now 50 percent higher than before the Industrial Revolution.
By Beth Mole -
EnvironmentNative ‘snot’
The ‘rock snot’ choking rivers may be native algae. Experts blame its sudden and dramatic emergence on changes in Earth’s atmosphere, soils and climate.
-
ClimateArctic sends weird weather south
Arctic warming is affecting weather farther south, where most of the world lives. The impacts are especially worrisome for agriculture.
By Sid Perkins -
EnvironmentBurning to learn
Fires cause billions of dollars of destruction to homes and forests every year. But not all fires are bad, especially for forests. With a better understanding of fire, scientists can both help people prevent dangerous fires — and identify which ones it would be better to let burn.
-
EnvironmentExplainer: How and why fires burn
A fire’s colorful flame results from a chemical reaction known as combustion.
-
EnvironmentChina exports pollution alongside goods
Many companies have moved the plants that make their products to developing countries, such as China. But the pollution linked to making those products can travel around the world.
-
AnimalsBirds 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.
-
EarthMining 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.
By Sid Perkins -
AnimalsSharks become science helpers
Jaws may scare beachgoers. But sharks bring a smile to some environmental scientists, who are using the toothy fishes to collect data on the ocean.
By Beth Mole -
EnvironmentOil harms fish hearts
Oil spills in the ocean can perturb the beating of heart cells.
By Beth Mole -
AnimalsFirst 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.
-
EnvironmentDoes lightning sculpt mountains?
A new study sparks debate about how much rubble on a mountainside has been blasted loose by powerful bolts from the sky.
By Sid Perkins