Anthropocene Nature

Under the waters in Pemuteran, in Bali, this structure might be helping restore a coral reef.

This Coral Restoration Technique Is 'Electrifying' a Balinese Village

The technique is also changing attitudes and inspiring locals to preserve their natural treasures

This is what about a square inch of yttrium, a rare earth element, looks like.

Podcast: All About Rare Earth Elements, the 'Vitamins' Of Modern Society

In this episode of Generation Anthropocene, learn about rare earth elements (which aren't really that rare) and why they're so prized.

Lemur Extinctions Are Harmful to Madagascar's Plant Life, Too

Plants and trees that once relied on a particular species of lemur to spread their seeds may also be headed for extinction.

Eco-Celebrity Crane Inspires Wetland Protection in Taiwan

An endangered Siberian crane that has made Taiwan home is inspiring locals to protect the wetlands

Stalactites hang inside of Australia's Jenolan Caves, each one a record of Earth's past.

Caves Can Now Help Scientists Trace Ancient Wildfires

But the chemical clues for fire add an unexpected snarl for researchers using those same caves to track climate change

Meghan Fellows sprays flame on a patch of lesser celandine, an invasive weed, while volunteer Jim Anderson looks on. If "flaming" the plants (heating them up but not burning them) kills them reliably, the technique may replace pesticides in vulnerable stream environments.

A New Weapon in the War on Weeds: Flamethrowers

Long used in agriculture, land managers are now wondering whether cooking weeds to death is better than pesticides

The tule elk has been reintroduced to its native range at Point Reyes National Seashore in California, but sometimes "rewilding" landscapes brings unintended effects.

It Might Be Impossible to Turn Back the Clock on Altered Ecosystems

"Rewilding" landscapes to return them to a natural state might sometimes be ineffective and even harmful

A mother bonobo and her offspring.

The Surprising Way Civil War Took Its Toll on Congo's Great Apes

Using satellite maps and field studies, scientists found that even small disturbances to the forest had big consequences for bonobos

How to Save the Monarchs? Pay Farmers to Grow Butterfly Habitats

A novel conservation effort aims to fund a habitat exchange to protect the iconic butterflies from extinction

Microbeads and other tiny plastics could knock this aphrodisiac off the menu.

Your Cosmetics May Be Killing a Popular Aphrodisiac: Oysters

Microplastics from beauty products and other sources affected oysters’ ability to reproduce in laboratory experiments

The porcupine is among the animals that thrive beneath winter snows.

There's a Secret World Under the Snow, and It's in Trouble

How do animals survive under the snow? We're only beginning to understand—just as climate change may rewrite everything

A female medium ground finch, one of at least 14 species of Darwin’s finches in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.

Charles Darwin's Famous Finches Could Be Extinct in Half a Century

The finches on the Galapagos Islands are suffering from a parasitic fly introduced to the islands by humans

A cheetah stalks past a herd of giraffes in Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve.

Humans Caused a Major Shift in Earth's Ecosystems 6,000 Years Ago

We upended a pattern held for 300 million years, and that may mean we are causing a new phase in global evolution

These vicuñas are awaiting a haircut at Pulario in Bolivia.

Poaching Upsurge Threatens South America’s Iconic Vicuña

Brought back from the brink of extinction, the llama-like animals have attracted the attention of poachers eager to turn a profit from their prized wool

Iceberg, Amundsen Sea, Antarctica

What is Happening to Antarctica's Ice Sheets

While parts of Antarctica get icier, others are on the verge of collapse

The black-footed ferret's tale of near-extinction is just one of many stories of endangered animals.

How We Decide Which Animals Become Endangered

It wasn't too long ago that the idea of "endangered animals" didn't even exist.

Soldiers pose with bison heads captured from poacher Ed Howell. In the early days of Yellowstone, poaching, setting the park on fire and defacing its hot springs were rampant.

How the U.S. Army Saved Our National Parks

Before the National Park Service, Yellowstone was guarded by the cavalry. Without them, we might not have national parks today

See the Two Ship Graveyards That May Become New Marine Sanctuaries

The first marine sanctuaries approved by NOAA in 15 years are home to a plethora of shipwrecks

The wings of the Arctic fritillary butterfly have decreased in size since 1996.

Greenland's Butterflies Are Shrinking as Temperatures Rise

In the high Arctic, hotter summer weather may be taxing insect metabolism

Baby tree saplings, cloned from giant redwoods in California, chill out in the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive's propagation area.

The Race to Save the World's Great Trees By Cloning Them

A nonprofit dedicated to preserving old, iconic trees is cloning them in hopes of preserving them for the future

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