Conservation (Page 3)

Protecting natural resources—from sea to sky—is about much more than planting a few trees.

Latest in Conservation

a sunrise over a desert landscape

13 perfect panoramic images from the 2025 Epson International Pano awards

By Popular Science Team

AI created video of bunnies on a trampoline

AI videos of animals could be dangerous. Here’s how to spot them.

By Margherita Bassi

Close up of tree toad

These toads don’t start as tadpoles

Seized ivory and rhino tusks photographed by law enforcement

Endangered rhino horns and elephant tusks seized in California

a bird with white and gray plummage

Rare seabird saved after swallowing four large fishhooks

By Laura Baisas

P. Mikazuki Portuguese Man O'War

Portuguese Man O’War species honors ‘One-Eyed Dragon’ samurai

Eastern hellbender salamander underwater in river

Hellbender salamanders are huge—and in trouble

A dark, grainy infrared or night-vision security camera image shows a mouse or rat on a ledge or windowsill, grappling with and biting a flying bat. The bat is visible on the left, upside down in mid-air with its wings spread, as the rodent lunges at it. The entire scene is dominated by shades of white and gray against a dark background.

Caught on camera: Rats hunting bats mid-flight

a zombie worm, it is long and cylindrical with tentacles

Zombie worms have gone missing

By Laura Baisas

Screenshot of ROV video showing icefish nests on floor of Weddell Sea

The quest to find Shackleton’s ship uncovered an Antarctic mystery

Two close up shots of two tube-nosed bat species

Six new bat species discovered in the Philippines

a dolphin blowing bubbles under water

Dolphins may be getting an Alzheimer’s-like disease due to this neurotoxin

By Margherita Bassi

Awa Guajá couple, family of Takarentia, only contacted 5 days before this picture was taken, 1992.

Half of all uncontacted Indigenous tribes may disappear by 2036

A red cusk-eel burrowed in among tubeworms at a methane seep off the coast of El Quisco in central Chile. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute

Tiny spider crabs snack on parasites from Chile’s favorite fish

World’s only flightless parrot doing okay against ‘crusty bum’ disease

By Laura Baisas

Big bison in the National Park on the shore of a lake or river

This national park uses helicopters for bison round-up duty

a glowing green capped mushroom

13 fascinating fungi photos that’ll really grow on you

By Popular Science Team

ROV screenshot of dive to Titan submersible debris on ocean floor

OceanGate’s ‘Titan’ went on 7 dives with a damaged hull before implosion

Security camera footage of bear entering grocery store in Japan

Bears have attacked over 100 people in Japan since March

a baby sea turtle crawling on sand

Green sea turtle no longer Endangered

By Laura Baisas

Selection of overripe avocados against yellow background

AI may help you pick the perfect avocado

ASU marine biologist and conservation scientist Jesse Senko fishes a solar-powered illuminated net off the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Saving sea turtles with solar-powered fishing nets

By Laura Baisas

bat hanging upside down from tree branch at night

Why do bats spread so many diseases? They’re evolutionary marvels.

a lobster with orange and black coloring

Rare 1-in-30-million calico lobster makes her spooky debut

By Laura Baisas

two baby rabbits sit in an open box with grass

15 baby rabbits born at an NYC zoo released in New England

By Margherita Bassi

Research team lowering Redwing submersible into ocean from a boat

Self-piloting submarine set to begin historic mission to circle Earth’s oceans

two baby komodo dragons

These butter-sized hatchlings will someday be the biggest lizards on Earth

By Margherita Bassi

An overhead shot of a human composting vessel, which resembles a long, rectangular planter box with a light wooden frame. The interior contains a layer of straw, wood chips, and organic material, with colorful pink and purple flowers scattered throughout. A white cloth-wrapped form rests in the center.

How human composting turns bodies into soil

By Jennifer Byrne

a set of billiard balls on a pool table

How billiard balls led to plastic everywhere

By Avery Schluyer Nunn

Front and rear view of small porcelain crab

Newly discovered deep-sea lanternshark glows in the waters near Australia

a purple octopus on the bottom of the ocean

13 inspiring photos of thriving deep-sea animals

By Popular Science Team

Close up view of bearded vulture

Multi-generational vulture nests hold 700 years of human artifacts

a toilet in the woods, covered by wooden panels

World’s first mushroom-powered toilet could replace stinky porta-potties

By Margherita Bassi

Several starfish hang out on a cream-colored piece of discarded metal under the sea.

Sunken WWII bombs make a surprising home for sea life

a sea otter with its paw on its head

6 fun photos to celebrate Sea Otter Awareness week

By Popular Science Team

several rescue technicians hold a stranded dolphin in a net before releasing it

11 dolphins stranded in Cape Cod rescued by nonprofit

By Margherita Bassi

Three leopard sharks mating in water

First-ever footage of leopard shark sex shows an unexpected trio

an orcar breeches the water as two humans look on

14 winning images from the Ocean Photographer of the Year awards

By Popular Science Team

a small, brown prairie dog popping out of a hole

Tiny prairie dogs’ poop play a mighty role in grasslands

By Margherita Bassi

a red panda in a tree

11 adorable photos of red pandas to celebrate International Red Panda Day

By Popular Science Team

Researcher using thermometer to measure meatball temperatures in kitchen

Ground beef infused with apple scraps clears taste test

Side by side comparisons of a blue jay, green jay, and a hybrid between the two birds with green plummage and a blue head

First known wild ‘grue jay’ hybrid spotted in Texas

Red Hind Grouper in coral reef

Eavesdropping on grunting groupers reveals how the fish communicate

Coral formation with long branches that make it look like Chewbacca

New species of coral named after Chewbacca

Close up of Australian sleepy lizard with its mouth open on the ground outdoors

A zookeeper’s burnt lunch revealed a lizard’s secret survival skill

hundreds of hats that were recovered from yellowstone national park laid out in front of a white pick up truck

Yellowstone employees recover over 300 hats from hydrothermal areas

By Margherita Bassi

a leopard seal on an ice flow with its mouth open

Leopard seals sing like the Beatles

By Avery Schluyer Nunn

a baby koala in a tree

First koala chlamydia vaccine approved

By Laura Baisas

Mountains, river, and forest in Alberta, Canada

A $1 million treasure hunt is underway in Canadian wilderness

a turtle hatchling on a large pile of brown seaweed

Sea turtle hatchlings struggle through a smelly seaweed maze

By Laura Baisas

a vulture with a white feathers on its body and black, red, white, red, and yellow feathers near its beak

11 majestic photos of vultures for International Vulture Awareness Day

By Popular Science Team

a fish with bright blue markings swim in a tank

A rainbow of fish dazzles in New Jersey

By Laura Baisas

Clay sculpture of two frogs from Caral civilization

An ancient frog statue’s secret message

a clear squid like creature dotted with small orange circles

9 other worldly images of ‘The Radiant Sea’

By Popular Science Team

Miya the dog swims through sargassum floating on the surface of the ocean on May 18, 2023 in Key West, Florida. The sargassum spanned more than 5,000 miles.

7 wild photos. 40 years of data. 1 smelly seaweed story.

a shark tooth with jagged edges on a black background

Sharks may be losing their bite

By Lauren Leffer

Two images of Bootanomyia dorsalis with 1 mm size comparison

Invasive parasitic wasp spotted in the US for the first time

an aerial view of a humpback whale spinning in a circle with nets made out of bubbles

Humpbacks are the only whales that can feed with bubble nets

By Laura Baisas

a scallop with a dent in its top that makes it look like a heart

A heart-shaped scallop turned up off the Massachusetts coast

By Laura Baisas

close up of Cuban brown anole

These New Orleans lizards are full of lead

a rattlesnake with brown and white scales is coiled on the ground of a forest

Michigan’s only rattlesnake is inbreeding

By Laura Baisas

Cacao Beans in seed pods next to chocolate chunks in cacao seed pod

How to make perfect chocolate, according to science

A large white mushroom cloud explodes into the upper atmosphere in a vintage photograph of a hydrogen bomb.

When the U.S. almost nuked Alaska—on purpose

By Shoshi Parks

Wild pig walking in grass

Wild pigs’ guts are turning blue in California