Conservation (Page 6)

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

Latest in Conservation

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

a close up of a groundhog on the grass

Three orphaned groundhogs released back into the wild

By Margherita Bassi

an injured owl with wide eyes

Throwing food out of your car can kill owls

By Margherita Bassi

waves crash by a giant lighthouse

Enormous rogue waves don’t come out of nowhere

By Laura Baisas

Bow of the USS Preston shipwreck sunk in WWII

13 World War II shipwrecks captured in stunning detail

a man kneels down by a tranquilized rhino and applies a substance to its horn

How to stop rhino poaching: make their horns radioactive

By Margherita Bassi

Two researchers excavating dig site in Norwegian cave, seen from above

Remote Norwegian cave is an ice age animal jackpot

a hammerhead shark swimming in blue water

Hammerhead sharks eat other sharks—and it’s worth the risk

By Margherita Bassi

a purple crab stands on green moss in thailand

Rare purple crabs spotted in Thailand

By Margherita Bassi

Drone_on_the_ground_clsoe_up

These drones drop burning balls in the forest to control wildfires

By Mack DeGeurin

a scientist holds a large, reddish-purple sea star with 24 legs

Meet the 24-armed sea star, a kelp forest’s bodyguard

By Laura Baisas

Hawaiian petroglyphs on sandstone beach with tidal wave

500-year-old petroglyphs resurface on Hawai’i beach

Missionaries accused of illegally giving gadgets to isolated Amazon tribe

several fireflies blinking at once in a forest

Why fireflies are everywhere this summer

By Laura Baisas

a beaver swimming in water. its eyes, nose, ears, and back are exposed

Beavers put to work saving two Utah rivers

By Margherita Bassi

a penguin looks directly at the camera. it has black and white feathers with some red around the eyes

The clever way Magellanic penguins ride—and adjust to—ocean currents

By Laura Baisas

A harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) on the beach during the summer premoult stage.

When wily sea lions and determined wildlife officials sparred in Seattle

Shipwreck bow covered in sea life underwater

Shipwreck fragment linked to one of WWII’s strangest rescue tales

Masked boobies on Johnston Atoll

Pacific island wildlife refuge spared from SpaceX rocket project

a yellowtail parrotfish swims by a coral reef

Real Coral Reefs of Miami: A Q&A with the marine biologist behind a popular livestream

By Laura Baisas

Orca whale on beach

Wild orcas will sometimes offer food to humans

two sea turtles released into the ocean wearing transponders

17 rehabilitated sea turtles released off Cape Cod

By Laura Baisas

several baby turtles all crowded together

3,427 trafficked baby turtles rescued in Mexico

By Margherita Bassi

eight chipmunk specimens with tags on them in a museum collection

City living is changing rodent skulls in Chicago

By Laura Baisas

small fish in a net being rescued

After a devastating wildfire, rescued fish make a triumphant return to Malibu

By Margherita Bassi

a plastic bag and other garbage on a shoreline

Plastic bag bans work, new study shows

By Lauren Leffer

Huge wave breaking. Ocean spray is thrown into the air. World famous surf break named Jaws on the Northshore of Maui, Hawaii.

What’s the formula for the ‘perfect wave’?

By Avery Schluyer Nunn

A great hammerhead shark swimming close to the surface in Bimini, Bahamas, Caribbean Sea.

Young hammerhead sharks love Biscayne Bay. Leave them alone, humans.

By Laura Baisas

an anaconda coiled sitting on straw

Q&A: How anacondas, chickens, and locals may be able to coexist in the Amazon

a leopad seal with its mouth wide open

15 riveting images from the 2025 UN World Oceans Day Photo Competition

By Popular Science Team