Environment

Smoke lingers following fires in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest in August 2020.

Humans Have Altered 97 Percent of Earth's Land Through Habitat and Species Loss

The study, which did not include Antarctica, also identified opportunities to restore up to 20 percent of land ecosystems

Blue pieces of microplastic viewed under a microscope alongside dust, minerals and charcoal collected from a park in Idaho.

Airborne Microplastics 'Now Spiral Around the Globe'

Researchers find the tiny synthetic particles can stay aloft for nearly a week and travel large distances in the wind

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant as seen from the coast of Futaba town in Fukushima prefecture.

Japan Will Release Fukushima Nuclear Plant Wastewater Into Ocean

Ten years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the site is running out of space to store tritium-containing wastewater

As many commercial operators and homeowners are shifting to LEDs, which tend to fall somewhere in the blue-white spectrum, the new results may have important implications beyond tropical rainforests.

Using Amber-Filtered Bulbs Instead of White Light Attracts Fewer Bugs

In a tropical rainforest study, 60 percent fewer insects visited traps illuminated in a golden glow. Researchers say the results may be widely applicable

As many as 70 orcas cooperatively hunted, killed and ate a roughly 50-foot long blue whale last month off the coast of Australia.

More Than 50 Orcas Hunt and Kill Blue Whale Off Australian Coast

This is one of just a handful of times that orcas have ever been recorded killing a blue whale

A new study found rat poison in the bodies of more than 80 percent of 133 dead bald and golden eagles from across the U.S.

Study Finds Rat Poison in Dead Eagles From Across the U.S.

More than 82 percent of 133 eagles tested had so-called anticoagulant rodenticides in their bodies

Women broke the glass ceiling of fire lookout positions almost as soon as the job was established.

Female Fire Lookouts Have Been Saving the Wilderness for Over a Century

Spotting smoke from towers on high peaks could have been deemed 'man's work,' but a few pioneers paved the way for generations of women to do the job

The marine sediments that bottom trawlers stir up like underwater rototillers are the largest storehouse of carbon on the planet.

Seafloor Trawl Fishing May Release as Much Carbon as Air Travel

A new study finds the carbon released when bottom trawlers stir up the seafloor is equal to the emissions of the entire aviation industry

Suffragist Rosalie Barrow Edge founded the world's first refuge for birds of prey.

How Mrs. Edge Saved the Birds

Meet a forgotten hero of our natural world whose brave campaign to protect birds charted a new course for the environmental movement

For decades there were rumors of leaking barrels filled with the pesticide DDT littering the ocean floor off the coast of Santa Catalina Island dumped by the now-defunct, Montrose Chemical Corp, the largest global DDT manufacturer based in Los Angeles

'Underwater Roombas' Scan Southern California Coast for DDT Barrels

Hundreds of tons of the toxic chemical have likely littered the ocean floor near Santa Catalina Island for decades

Indoor cannabis growing in California.

Growing an Ounce of Pot Indoors Can Emit as Much Carbon as Burning a Full Tank of Gas

In some parts of the United States, the growing cannabis industry is responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions

A tiny, invasive zebra mussel found on a moss ball sold as aquarium decor in a pet store. Officials say moss balls containing the invasive species have been reported in pet stores in at least 21 states.

Officials Say Invasive Zebra Mussels Are Hiding in Aquarium Decor Sold Across U.S.

Pet stores in 21 states recall items after reports of the destructive bivalves lurking in moss balls

Satellite images comparing bull kelp canopy cover (gold shading) 2008 and 2019 off the coast of Mendocino and Sonoma Counties in Northern California.

Satellite Imagery Shows Northern California Kelp Forests Have Collapsed

Researchers say they're not sure these iconic coastal ecosystems will be able to make a comeback anytime soon

Bryophytes in the tropics are threatened due to lack of information and research.

Step Into the Mossy World Where Tiny Plants Play an Outsized Role in the Environment

Bryophytes are an important part of our environment, but in the tropics, there's still much to learn about them

The western monarch butterfly has declined by 99.9 percent since the 1980s, according to the latest population assessment.

Climate Change Lays Waste to Butterflies Across American West

Study documents declines across hundreds of species over recent decades, and finds years featuring warmer, drier autumns are particularly deadly

A satellite image captured in September of 2020 shows how wildfire smoke blanketed the West Coast.

Wildfire Smoke Is More Damaging to Respiratory Health Than Other Sources of Air Pollution

Smoke exposure was associated with more hospital admissions than equivalent amounts of non-wildfire emissions

Wisconsin was home to about 1,195 wolves in 256 packs at the end of 2020, according to the state's Department of Natural Resources.

Hunters Killed 82% More Wolves Than Quota Allowed in Wisconsin

The state’s Department of Natural Resources granted permits to about 1,500 hunters to kill 119 wolves, but 216 were shot

The Oyapock river, between Brazil and French Guiana, is one of the few waterways that a new paper identifies as being relatively undamaged by humans.

One-Third of Freshwater Fish Species Are at Risk of Extinction

Humans have severely damaged more than half of the world’s rivers

To aid the turtles in flushing out their digestive systems clogged with crude oil, workers at the sea turtle rescue are feeding them mayonnaise, which will break down the tar and make it easier to expel out.

Turtles Caught in Disastrous Oil Spill Treated With Mayonnaise

The tar-covered animals were given the condiment to flush out their digestive systems

Salt marsh fairy circles may bounce back from environmental stresses because of their ability to merge and form a lush ecosystem after oxygen and nutrient depletion.

How Forming 'Fairy Circles' May Help Salt Marshes Adapt to Climate Change

The transient rings' secret to survival may be their ability to shape-shift based on nutrient availability

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