Environment

The changes and wonders of the natural world—and how human interaction influences animals, the ocean, and the rest of the environment.

Latest in Environment

Ocean waves crashing on rocky shoreline on cloudy day.
Environment

Pendulums under ocean waves could prevent beach erosion

By Andrew Paul

A person sitting in front of a desktop computer in an office, using a laptop. She should learn to schedule a shutdown on Windows.
DIY

Set your computer to turn on and off on a schedule

By David Nield

How big banks can make real progress against climate change
Environment

How big banks can make real progress against climate change

By Carla Delgado

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin photographed on the moon during Apollo 11 by Neil Armstrong
Science

Lunar laws could protect the moon from humanity

By Jon Kelvey

A carpenter bee on a white flower. If you're trying to figure out how to get rid of carpenter bees, it's best not to kill these crucial pollinators.
Environment

Easy ways to stop carpenter bees from remodeling your home

By Julia Rittenberg

A warming climate is driving salmon to switch streams
Environment

A warming climate is driving salmon to switch streams

By Lesley Evans Ogden/Knowable Magazine

Dog’s are a human’s best friend—and a shorebird’s worst enemy
Environment

Dog’s are a human’s best friend—and a shorebird’s worst enemy

By Ben Goldfarb/Hakai Magazine

Woolly mammoths evolved tiny ears over 700,000 years in Siberia
Environment

Woolly mammoths evolved tiny ears over 700,000 years in Siberia

By Laura Baisas

Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees hits a home run against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning at Fenway Park on September 13, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Environment

Hotter weather could be changing baseball

By Laura Baisas

Chronic wasting disease is sickening deer and elk. Could predators help?
Environment

Chronic wasting disease is sickening deer and elk. Could predators help?

By Christine Peterson/High Country News

Icebergs over the ocean in Greenland.
Environment

Antarctic ice can melt 20 times faster than we thought

By Laura Baisas

A close-up of extended polyps of an apparently healthy great star coral colony on a reef near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The tentacles surrounding the mouth of each polyp help trap food particles for the coral to eat.
Environment

Caribbean coral is getting sick and dying. A probiotic could help.

By Laura Baisas

Tulare Lake flooding stalls a train after severe rainstorms from the atmospheric river in California Central Valley in March 2023
Environment

This phantom lake in California is back with a vengeance

By Jamie Dickman

Mount Etna in Italy spews lava with snow around the top of the volcano.
Environment

Notes from meticulous medieval monks could illuminate this scientific wonder

By Laura Baisas

A snailfish that lives over 20,000 feet deep in the Izu-Ogasawara Trench in the northern Pacific Ocean.
Environment

Say hello to the deepest-dwelling fish ever caught on camera

By Laura Baisas

Why snails and slugs are so slow
Environment

Why snails and slugs are so slow

By and Jared Adam/The Conversation, Daniel Bliss, John F. Tooker

An adult elephant walks with two juvenile elephants.
Environment

Scientists may have figured out why elephants exhibit complex emotions

By Laura Baisas

A capuchin monkey in a tree looking at the camera.
Environment

Do magic tricks work on monkeys? Only if they have opposable thumbs like us.

By Laura Baisas

A lineup of the best solar panels on a white background
Gear

The best solar panels

By Timothy Dale

This is how bad a ‘super pig’ problem can really get
Environment

This is how bad a ‘super pig’ problem can really get

By Sage Marshall/Field & Stream

An ostrich inspects eggs in a nest.
Environment

Troodons laid eggs in communal nests just like modern ostriches

By Laura Baisas

Severe damage and debris of a home in Little Rock, Arkansas following a tornado.
Environment

Tornado outbreak killed dozens of people across the US this weekend

By Laura Baisas

Scientists are finally getting into the rhythm of sea creatures’ lunar cycle
Science

Scientists are finally getting into the rhythm of sea creatures’ lunar cycle

By Virat Markandeya/Knowable Magazine

A wooden serving tray with a variety of dehydrated fruit and herbs on it, along with fresh fruit and herbs.
DIY

Dehydrating food can save you money and reduce waste

By Bridget Reed Morawski

Why researchers surveyed more than 1.1 billion objects across 73 museums
Technology

Why researchers surveyed more than 1.1 billion objects across 73 museums

By Charlotte Hu

Otters are back, but that doesn’t mean our rivers are safe
Environment

Otters are back, but that doesn’t mean our rivers are safe

By Carin Leong/Hakai Magazine

Japanese beekeepers holding honeycomb up at the top of a Tokyo skyscraper
Environment

Beehives are the honeypot for a city’s microbial secrets

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

Lolita the killer whale performing its 40th anniversary performance at Miami Seaquarium.
Environment

After 50 years in captivity, Lolita the orca may be freed

By Laura Baisas

Critically endangered right whales are losing the battle against fishing boats
Environment

Critically endangered right whales are losing the battle against fishing boats

By Darren Incorvaia/Undark

Best dog food delivery services
Gear

The best dog food delivery services

By Chelsea Frank

Lab mouse on table in front of lab flasks and beakers in blue lighting
Technology

What video game-playing mice taught neuroscientists about memory-making

By Andrew Paul

Complete collapse of tall apartment building after Turkey Syria earthquake. Seen from aerial view.
Environment

Why most countries don’t have enough earthquake-resilient buildings

By Zayna Syed

A baby kisses a small dog
Environment

Babies who grow up around pets may be less likely to develop food allergies

By Laura Baisas

How science has made tornado forecasting better—but not perfect
Environment

How science has made tornado forecasting better—but not perfect

By Chris Nowotarski/The Conversation

Polycirrus onibi, a newly discovered marine worm that glows in the dark, was named after a creature from Japanese folklore.
Environment

These newly discovered bioluminescent sea worms are named after Japanese folklore

By Laura Baisas

Close up of hand holding Levi's tag sticking out of jeans back pocket
Technology

Levi’s claimed using AI models will boost company’s sustainability and diversity

By Andrew Paul

Woolly mammoth meatball on stone plate atop smoky table
Technology

Scientists made a woolly mammoth meatball, but don’t grab your fork yet

By Andrew Paul

A baby song thrush bird looks up from the forest floor.
Environment

Postmortem poop can teach us a lot about the avian gut microbiome

By Laura Baisas

The parking lot outside a Buc-ee’s store in Temple, Texas.
Environment

A 15-million-year-old beaver was just named after an iconic convenience store

By Laura Baisas

Hand holding sheet of iridescent cellulose nanoncrystal film
Technology

This rainbow shimmer coating may help cool future buildings

By Andrew Paul

Ilinizas Volcanoes under the Quilotoa lagoon in the Andes Mountains in Ecuador. Scientists recently discovered two new carnivorous plant species in the rugged high Andes.
Environment

Two newly discovered Andes Mountain plant species have an appetite for insects

By Laura Baisas

A view of the destruction in Rolling Fork, Mississippi after deadly tornadoes and severe storms tore through the state. At least 25 people were killed and dozens more injured.
Environment

Recovery begins after devastating tornadoes hit Mississippi’s Lower Delta

By Laura Baisas

plant leaf up close
Technology

Tiny, fast lasers are unlocking the mysteries of photosynthesis

By Charlotte Hu

Bears can run at surprisingly fast speeds—here’s how they vary by species
Environment

Bears can run at surprisingly fast speeds—here’s how they vary by species

By Bill Heavey/Field & Stream

Superconductor cuprate rings lit up in blue and green on a black grid
Science

Room-temperature superconductors could zap us into the future

By Rahul Rao

How can you tell a dolphin’s age? Check its freckles.
Environment

How can you tell a dolphin’s age? Check its freckles.

By Marina Wang / Hakai Magazine

Our bottled water habit stands in the way of universal clean drinking water
Environment

Our bottled water habit stands in the way of universal clean drinking water

By Carla Delgado

Desert daisy tricks male flies with sexy evolutionary deception
Environment

Desert daisy tricks male flies with sexy evolutionary deception

By Laura Baisas

Some ‘recycled’ product claims are mostly garbage
Environment

Some ‘recycled’ product claims are mostly garbage

By Ian Morse/Undark

A white-tailed jackrabbit in it's winter white fur.
Environment

Jackrabbit’s color-changing fur may prepare them for climate change

By Laura Baisas

Super Glue tube on blue background
Environment

Super Glue could make it easier to recycle plastic

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

Ankylosaur in blue floatie and life vest riding the ocean waves. Prehistoric trees and a full moon are in the background. Illustrated.
Environment

Why dinosaurs were terrible swimmers

By Riley Black

A Canada goose opening its mouth and spreading its wings to protect its nest and its mate behind it at the edge of a marshy area.
DIY

Read this if you’re too scared to walk past a goose

By Alisha McDarris

It’s still a mystery how snails ended up scattered around the globe
Environment

It’s still a mystery how snails ended up scattered around the globe

By Thom van Dooren/MIT Press Reader

President Joe Biden standing at a podium, addressing the White House Conservation in Action Summit.
Environment

The US inches closer to protecting 30 percent of all its lands and oceans

By Laura Baisas

A bug on a green leaf feeding on a caterpillar.
Environment

Save caterpillars by turning off your outdoor lights

By Laura Baisas

Birds sometimes hitch rides on ships—and it’s changing the way they migrate
Environment

Birds sometimes hitch rides on ships—and it’s changing the way they migrate

By Ute Eberle/Hakai Magazine

A Black person reaching their hands into a zeer pot—a type of DIY refrigerator—full of green beans, tomatoes, and other produce.
DIY

The coolest way to keep food cold without electricity

By Ilana E. Strauss

TikTok app information icon on Apple iPhone 8 close-up
Technology

TikTok is taking on the conspiracy theorists

By Andrew Paul

An illustration of Thylacosmilus atrox, an extinct marsupial with giant canine teeth,
Environment

With bulging eyes and a killer smile, this sabertooth was an absolute nightmare

By Laura Baisas

The sun shining on glaciers.
Environment

‘Humanity on thin ice’ says UN, but there is still time to act on climate change

By Laura Baisas

Best dog collars
Gear

The best dog collars

By Stan Horaczek

Rain falling on a window and green plants.
Environment

How a wet winter and spring could help and hurt US states

By Laura Baisas

America used to have its own lions. Where did they go?
Environment

America used to have its own lions. Where did they go?

By Devon Bidal/Hakai Magazine

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