Environment

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

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Latest in Environment

There may be something weird going on with Western men’s sperm
Environment

There may be something weird going on with Western men’s sperm

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

This engineer has a wild plan to save coral reefs from climate change
Environment

This engineer has a wild plan to save coral reefs from climate change

By Marlene Cimons

Why scientists are racing to uncover the Greenland shark’s secrets
Environment

Why scientists are racing to uncover the Greenland shark’s secrets

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

hoodwinker sunfish
Environment

Meet an elusive, tragic, and incredibly bizarre new species of fish

By Sara Chodosh

httpswww.popsci.comsitespopsci.comfilesimages201707woman_-_beach_clean_up.jpg
Environment

Guess how many giant patches of garbage there are in the ocean now?

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

Uganda forest
Environment

Stopping deforestation might be easier than we thought

By Mary Beth Griggs

Protecting our children from climate change might take more than just cutting emissions
Environment

Protecting our children from climate change might take more than just cutting emissions

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

Soft plant-inspired robot navigates a maze
Technology

Plant-inspired soft robot grows to reach difficult places

By Kelsey D. Atherton

Discarded oyster shells can help us grow food, make cement, and fight climate change
Environment

Discarded oyster shells can help us grow food, make cement, and fight climate change

By Marlene Cimons

garbage patch
Environment

Humans have created 9.1 billion tons of plastic. Here’s how you can help stop the madness.

By Sarah Fecht

Derpy pug in blanket
Science

We still don’t really know where dogs came from

By Sara Chodosh

It’s not your imagination: 2017 has been abnormally hot so far
Environment

It’s not your imagination: 2017 has been abnormally hot so far

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

Fracking pollution stays in waterways long after the fracking is done
Environment

Fracking pollution stays in waterways long after the fracking is done

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

seaweed
Environment

Some invasive species actually help their new habitats thrive

By Mary Beth Griggs

Here’s how we were able to see that giant chunk of ice break off of Antarctica
Environment

Here’s how we were able to see that giant chunk of ice break off of Antarctica

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

Tardigrades could probably survive the otherwise complete annihilation of life on Earth
Science

Tardigrades could probably survive the otherwise complete annihilation of life on Earth

By Rachel Feltman

Ravens are so smart it’s actually kind of disconcerting, new study finds
Environment

Ravens are so smart it’s actually kind of disconcerting, new study finds

By Sara Chodosh

Up in the clouds.
Environment

#PopSciLovesNature and so do you

By Mallory Johns

Baby squirrels are less likely to die if they’re born early
Science

Baby squirrels are less likely to die if they’re born early

By Sarah Fecht

Bonobo ladies get to choose their mates and boy oh boy are they picky
Science

Bonobo ladies get to choose their mates and boy oh boy are they picky

By Sara Chodosh

An iceberg the size of Delaware just broke off of Antarctica
Environment

An iceberg the size of Delaware just broke off of Antarctica

By Marlene Cimons

beer
Environment

Entrepreneurs are turning trash into food, drink, and clean energy

By Marlene Cimons

Here’s how you can actually help stop climate change
Environment

Here’s how you can actually help stop climate change

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

These birds are trapped between predators and rising sea levels
Environment

These birds are trapped between predators and rising sea levels

By Mary Beth Griggs

To save endangered whales, look to the poop
Environment

To save endangered whales, look to the poop

By Kate Baggaley

Greenland’s ice sheet is full of toxins waiting to break free—and microbes that eat them
Environment

Greenland’s ice sheet is full of toxins waiting to break free—and microbes that eat them

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

Sea spiders use their guts to pump oxygen through their freaky little bodies
Environment

Sea spiders use their guts to pump oxygen through their freaky little bodies

By Sarah Fecht

Plants have a trick that drives very hungry caterpillars to cannibalism
Environment

Plants have a trick that drives very hungry caterpillars to cannibalism

By Mary Beth Griggs

As the Arctic gets warmer, our winters get colder
Environment

As the Arctic gets warmer, our winters get colder

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

30 percent of the energy sent to Earth bounces back into outer space. Climate change could upend that.
Environment

30 percent of the energy sent to Earth bounces back into outer space. Climate change could upend that.

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

far-out plans for taming our weather
Environment

Four far-out plans for taming our weather

By Matt Hongoltz-Hetling

Jellyfish use high-powered ‘syringes’ to shoot venom into your skin
Environment

Jellyfish use high-powered ‘syringes’ to shoot venom into your skin

By Mary Beth Griggs

Cockatoos make their own lil drumsticks to play music
Environment

Cockatoos make their own lil drumsticks to play music

By Sara Kiley Watson

lenticular clouds
Environment

These saucer-shaped clouds look just like UFOs

By Cici Zhang

What moral code should your self-driving car follow?
Technology

What moral code should your self-driving car follow?

By Marlene Cimons

fluorescent coral
Environment

Scientists may finally know why these magnificent corals glow in the dark

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

What would it take to invent a rain-deflecting forcefield?
Environment

What would it take to invent a rain-deflecting forcefield?

By Cici Zhang

Scientists are scrutinizing city sewage to study our health
Health

Scientists are scrutinizing city sewage to study our health

By Kate Baggaley

Doomsday bunker gear
Environment

8 essential items to help you ride out a storm

By Rob Verger

Topher White installs a cell phone listening device.
Environment

This engineer is using old cell phones to stop illegal logging

By Jeremy Deaton

Clear summer skies are making Greenland’s ice sheet melt even faster
Environment

Clear summer skies are making Greenland’s ice sheet melt even faster

By Aparna Nathan

If you live in the South, climate change could kill your economy
Environment

If you live in the South, climate change could kill your economy

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

Commercial agriculture is preventing wildfires—and that’s not good news
Environment

Commercial agriculture is preventing wildfires—and that’s not good news

By Kate Baggaley

horse
Environment

Park rangers recall their most dangerous encounters with nature

By As told to Mark D. Kaufman

This dress changes color to show how polluted your air is
Environment

This dress changes color to show how polluted your air is

By Owen Agnew

snow leopard
Environment

Meet eight species living on the brink, thanks to weather and climate change

By Mary Beth Griggs

Okmuk volcano
Environment

Think weather forecasts are bad? Try forecasting a volcanic eruption.

By Mary Beth Griggs

Researchers say we have three years to act on climate change before it’s too late
Environment

Researchers say we have three years to act on climate change before it’s too late

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

DNA may finally find a family for strange creatures that stumped Darwin
Science

DNA may finally find a family for strange creatures that stumped Darwin

By Rachel Feltman

8,200 years ago, California’s forecast was 150 years of rain
Environment

8,200 years ago, California’s forecast was 150 years of rain

By Sara Kiley Watson

Pandas, which are basically giant poop machines, may inadvertently help save other species
Environment

Pandas, which are basically giant poop machines, may inadvertently help save other species

By Rachel Feltman

Scientific studies favor male mice—and that could hurt a lot of humans
Environment

Scientific studies favor male mice—and that could hurt a lot of humans

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

How scientists modeled a deadly tornado with an insanely powerful computer
Environment

How scientists modeled a deadly tornado with an insanely powerful computer

By Rob Verger

A third of marine megafauna died in a mass extinction that we didn’t even know about
Environment

A third of marine megafauna died in a mass extinction that we didn’t even know about

By Sara Chodosh

*Pseudomonas syringae*
Environment

Bacteria in the sky may help to make it rain

By Veronique Greenwood

Researches installed artificial coralline algae to test their ability to attract marine micro-fauna.
Environment

Artificial algae could help save our oceans

By Marlene Cimons

Here’s what happens when lightning doesn’t hit the ground
Environment

Here’s what happens when lightning doesn’t hit the ground

By Claire Maldarelli

Most people don’t see how climate change is affecting their lives—and that’s a problem
Environment

Most people don’t see how climate change is affecting their lives—and that’s a problem

By Hillary Rosner

A storm chaser talks about the most dangerous storms of her career
Environment

A storm chaser talks about the most dangerous storms of her career

By Jaclyn Whittal, On-Camera Meteorologist at The Weather Network. As told to Rachel Feltman

Mars Terraforming 2
Science

So, you want to terraform Mars? Here’s one way to do it.

By Mary Beth Griggs

A border wall made of solar panels wouldn’t actually be good for the environment
Environment

A border wall made of solar panels wouldn’t actually be good for the environment

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

As drought looms, could this team of scientists prove cloud seeding works?
Environment

As drought looms, could this team of scientists prove cloud seeding works?

By Sarah Scoles

Clouds
Environment

Some clouds are full of little lollipop-shaped ice crystals

By Marlene Cimons

Birds’ ability to fly could determine the shape of their eggs
Environment

Birds’ ability to fly could determine the shape of their eggs

By Aparna Nathan