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

A Barred Owl hangs upside down from a thin tree branch, its body horizontal, its face turned and looking at the camera. Above it hangs a squirrel on a branch. Its head is nearly completely severed and is held in the owl’s talons. Its fur is bloodied.
Animals

Mating, murder, and parenting: The complex lives of birds on display in 2024 Audubon Photography Awards

By Popular Science Team

person holding pets
Animals

The fuzzy science on whether your pet is actually good for you

By Michael Schulson/Undark

wombat
Animals

Inside the secret lives of wombats

By Amber Dance/Knowable Magazine

an illustration of a gold griffin with the body of a lion and the head of a bird of prey
Animals

We’re (probably) wrong about origin of griffins

By Laura Baisas

running in the summer
Environment

How runners and cyclists can stay safe in extreme heat

By Susan Yeargin / The Conversation

The ancient oak circle which emerged from the shifting sands at Holme next the Sea in Norfolk. The ring of oak tree trunks with a large upturned tree at its centre is believed to be 4,000 years old & is said to be of great archaeological importance.
Archaeology

What is ‘Seahenge’? Bronze Age worshipers may have used the structure to try to extend the summer

By Laura Baisas

Giraffes are a lot gayer than most people give them credit for
Animals

Giraffes are a lot gayer than most people give them credit for

By Popular Science Team

deer
Animals

As ‘zombie’ deer disease spreads, scientists look for answers

By Jim Robbins / Yale Environment 360

orange bucket filled with leaves. a hose rests on the edge of the bucket with water coming out
Animals

How to build a mosquito kill bucket

By Debbie Wolfe

Cheetah cubs rescued from the illegal wildlife pet trade and brought to Cheetah Conservation Fund’s Rescue and Conservation Center.
Animals

On the hunt: Tracking the illegal cheetah trade

By Rene Ebersole / Undark

Litter at sea
AI

Ocean trash can now be tracked from space

By Andrew Paul

an illustration of three long-necked and marine reptiles swimming with four paddle shaped limbs in an ancient sea
Animals

This giant polar reptile once stalked an ancient super-ocean

By Laura Baisas

Katie Tyson, 18, first runner up for the Miss Snake Charmer pageant poses for a portrait in a snake pit during the 2021 Rattlesnake Roundup at the Nolan County Coliseum in Sweetwater, Texas on March 13, 2021. - The town of Sweetwater holds the largest rattlesnake roundup in the world, launched in 1958 with the sole purpose of getting rid of rattlesnakes, killing an average of 5,000 pounds of snake each year. (Photo by PAUL RATJE / AFP) (Photo by PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images)
Animals

Despite criticism, the last of the rattlesnake roundups hang on

By Ted Willians / Yale Environment 360

Hammerhead shark
Animals

A scientific mission to save the sharks

By Angela Posada-Swafford / Knowable Magazine

a long and lean sei whale swimming in the ocean
Animals

Dozens of rare, endangered whales spotted off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard

By Laura Baisas

a tardigrade. these microscopic animals have right legs and round bear-like bodies with a small pointy appendage in front.
Animals

Tardigrade genes edited with an advanced CRISPR technique

By Laura Baisas

A seahorse in the Mediterranean,.
Animals

8 animal fathers that take care of their eggs

By Ben Guarino

Brooding squid
Animals

Incredible footage shows new squid species tending to enormous eggs

By Andrew Paul

two dogs cuddle together in a bed in an animal shelter
Animals

Shelter dogs appear ‘less stressed’ when paired with a buddy

By Laura Baisas

a black widow spider on a leaf. the spider is black with a red marking on its abdomen.
Animals

New experimental black widow venom antidote uses human antibodies

By Laura Baisas

Microplastic pile close-up
Climate Change

Every human semen sample contained microplastics in new study

By Andrew Paul

twin baby elephants stand under their mother
Animals

Set of rare elephant twins born in Thailand

By Laura Baisas

a juvenile dolphin lifts its head out of the water
Animals

Young dolphins mimic sex as part of play

By Laura Baisas

California Forever concept art of utopian cityscape
Agriculture

California’s billionaire utopia may not be as eco-friendly as advertised

By Andrew Paul

two juvenile elephants greet each other near a watering hole. their trunks are interlocked.
Animals

African elephants use name-like calls to address each other

By Laura Baisas

Best home weather stations sliced header
Environment

The best home weather stations for 2024

By John Alexander

As the planet warms, many of Alaska’s glaciers are retreating. This is destabilizing cliff faces throughout the state’s myriad bays and fjords.
Environment

Sailing in Alaska? Watch out for tsunamis

By Christian Elliott / Hakai Magazine

A colorful adult female Joro spider. These arachnids are native to parts of Southeast Asia.
Animals

No, ‘flying’ venomous spiders are not coming for you this summer

By Laura Baisas

A black dog sitting on an Orvis dog bed in a back yard
Animals

The best cooling dog beds

By Stan Horaczek

Stink bugs were observed freezing in place when this drone hover bed above them.
AI

How drones and AI could help farmers fight a stink bug invasion

By Mack DeGeurin

a school of yellow and white swim near a reef
Animals

Fish swimming together fare better in turbulent waters

By Laura Baisas

a tiger shark swimming in the ocean (left). a small spiky mammal with a pointy nose canned an echidna (right) on land
Animals

Unlucky shark vomits up hedgehog-like animal, shocks scientists

By Laura Baisas

oysters plate
Animals

Climate change is coming for your oysters

By Devon Fredericksen / Hakai Magazine

The best solar generators including Jackery 2000 Pro, Anker 767 and the EcoFlow
Energy

The best solar generators for 2024, tested and reviewed

By Nick Hilden, Stan Horaczek

An NA Negroni sitting on the arm of an Adirondack chair with the Cascade Mountains in the background.
Agriculture

Inside the first non-alcoholic distillery in the United States 

By Amanda Reed

a large bird with blue plummage and orange eyes called a cassowary
Animals

The world’s most dangerous bird is at risk of extinction

By Laura Baisas

OceanXplorers sub
Animals

Watch the exclusive trailer premiere for James Cameron’s new ‘OceanXplorers’ series

By Andrew Paul

Zebrafish
Animals

Why do we send so many fish to space?

By Briley Lewis

Bornean Orangutan
Animals

These orangutans indulge in a spa-like skincare routine

By Popular Science Team

yaks and sheep grazing on grassland with mountains in the distance
Agriculture

Bronze Age nomads used cauldrons for blood sausage and yak milk

By Laura Baisas

Concept art of superstructure with gravity battery inside
Climate Change

Colossal skyscrapers could harness height for gravity batteries

By Andrew Paul

A huge thermokarst crater showing the damage to the permafrost and our climate, Batagay, Russia.
Climate Change

Earth’s ‘Gateway to Hell’ is growing

By Lauren Leffer

an american flamingo. the bird has pink and white plumage with a black beak
Animals

A ‘pink wave’ of flamingoes settles into the Sunshine State

By Laura Baisas

a snake spits venom out of its mouth
Animals

Snake venom’s deadly secrets decoded with fake blood vessels

By Laura Baisas

Common cuttlefish
Animals

Cuttlefish tentacles and origami inspired a new robotic claw

By Andrew Paul

a close up of a cicada with blue eyes
Animals

A ‘one-in-a-million’ blue-eyed cicada spotted by 4-year-old child

By Laura Baisas

While scientists have seen colossal squid before—like this specimen examined by New Zealander researchers in 2014—their interactions have always been with animals that were either pulled from the depths, washed up on shore, or otherwise removed from their natural habitat.
Animals

Visiting the kraken at home

By Evert Lindquist / Hakai Magazine

An artistic life reconstruction of Genyornis newtoni, the last of the dromornithids, at the water’s edge
Animals

Giant 500-pound geese once honked around the Australian outback

By Laura Baisas

11 US National Parks where you can find fossils
Conservation

11 US National Parks where you can find fossils

By Alisha McDarris

How do animals get their spots and stripes? A Turing mechanism holds clues to patterns
Animals

How do animals get their spots and stripes? A Turing mechanism holds clues to patterns

By Amber Dance/Knowable Magazine

Cute jack russell dog terrier puppy sleeping on yellow knitted blanket. Funny small sleepy white and brown doggy. Concept of cozy home, comfort, warmth, autumn, winter.
Animals

Do dogs dream? The answer might make you appreciate your pup even more.

By Keith Wagstaff

Close-up of three cows
Agriculture

Cow poop might make cleaner hydrogen gas a reality

By Andrew Paul

white fluffy clouds on blue sky
DIY

NASA needs your help identifying clouds

By Alisha McDarris

beer being poured from a tap
Health

How recycled beer yeast can remove lead from water

By Andrew Paul

Metamaterial film on glass
Engineering

New material looks like frosted glass but lets in more light than a window

By Andrew Paul

Orcas only need one breath between dives
Animals

Orcas only need one breath between dives

By Laura Baisas

a brown snail sits on a green lettuce leaf
Animals

Slimy slugs and snails surprisingly thriving in LA

By Laura Baisas

Underwater image of Titanic wreckage
Conservation

Billionaire plans to ride $20 million submersible to the Titanic

By Andrew Paul

an otter eating while floating on its back
Animals

Female sea otters use tools more than males

By Laura Baisas

The best air purifiers for smoke on a plain white background.
Climate Change

The best air purifiers for smoke in 2024, tested and reviewed

By Terri Williams

coral polyps before spawning
Animals

Scientists are studying the mysterious sex lives of coral

By Laura Baisas

Concept art of EarthCARE satellite scanning clouds above Earth
Climate Change

The ‘White Dragon’ satellite will keep watch over our clouds

By Andrew Paul

This noble necklace worm, laden with eggs, will eventually release her developed larvae into the water column as plankton.
Conservation

Stunning images offer a peek into the ocean’s microscopic baby boom

Text by Kelly Fretwell and Adrienne Mason / Hakai Magazine, Photos by Hakai Institute

a green stick insect blending into a green plant
Animals

Chance or pattern? Stick insects show repeatable evolution in action

By Laura Baisas

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