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Science / Our Planet

The amount of jobs and money funneling into the American Midwest could be an economic boon, says Chris Somerville. "We've gone from a couple to 150 corn-grain ethanol plants in 3 years."

The World After Oil

As the planet warms up, eco-friendly fuels can’t get here fast enough

Nudibranchs (seaslugs) are favorite with amateur divers. The advent of SCUBA diving and digital photography has revolutionized how we document and describe these soft-bodied, shell-less gastropods.

Species Explosion

What happens when you mix evolution with climate change?

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No Ice in Arctic Means No Snow in Aspen

Two NOAA WP-3D Orions

Farming the Deep

"If global warming's worst predictions come true in 100 years," says Fabio Carrera, "the real issue is preserving Venice as a liveable place—not stopping the occasional tide from coming in."

Venice’s Uncertainty

A new floodgate system should protect the city from high tides—unless climate change interferes

Although Brazil protected indigenous territories in the 1980s, many miners and loggers ignore Native boundaries; they see cultural mapping as a threat.

Rain Forest Rebel

In the Amazon, researchers documenting the ways of native peoples join forces with a chief to stop illegal developers from destroying the wilderness

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Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Gray seals, alligators and the world’s largest flower

Roald Amundsen and his crew looking at the Norwegian flag at the South Pole, 1911

Antarctica’s Lost & Found Dept.

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Planet — well, Forest — of the Apes

IKEA’s $.05 Campaign to Save the Environment

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Seeds Kept Safe in Arctic Circle Vault

Corn is the main feedstock used for producing ethanol fuel in the United States.

Finding Alternatives to Bush’s Alternative Fuels

An image of Augustine erupting on January 13, 2006, from about 50 miles away from the volcano.

Volcanic Lightning

As sparks flew during the eruption of Mount St. Augustine in Alaska, scientists made some new discoveries

The ozone hole over Antarctica is recovering. Can the lessons be applied to today's climate crisis?

Ahead in the Clouds

Susan Solomon helped patch the ozone hole. Now, as a leader of a major United Nations report—out this month—she’s going after global warming

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Top 10 Polluted Cities

Jeweler Harry Winston donated the famous Hope Diamond—the largest-known deep blue diamond in the world—to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958. It arrived in a plain brown package by registered mail, insured for one million dollars. Surrounded by 16 white pear-shaped and cushion-cut diamonds and hanging from a chain with 45 diamonds, the rare gem attracts 6 million visitors a year to the Natural History Museum.

Diamonds Unearthed

In the final installment of this three-part series, diamond expert Jeffrey Post discusses the histories behind the Smithsonian collection

Jeweler Harry Winston donated the famous Hope Diamond—the largest-known deep blue diamond in the world—to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958. It arrived in a plain brown package by registered mail, insured for one million dollars. Surrounded by 16 white pear-shaped and cushion-cut diamonds and hanging from a chain with 45 diamonds, the rare gem attracts 6 million visitors a year to the Natural History Museum.

Diamonds Unearthed

Smithsonian diamond expert Jeffrey Post discusses conflict diamonds, colored diamonds and synthetic gems grown in the lab

Lake Champlain's Isle La Motte is rich in marine fossils, some of which are 450 million years old.

Paleozoic Vermont

What’s the world’s oldest communal ocean reef doing in the Green Mountain State?

Though sundials have been around 3,000 years, William Andrewes (indicating the lateness of the hour in his garden in Concord, Massachusetts) is perhaps the first to build one showing the time in multiple places simultaneously.

The Shadow Knows

Why a leading expert on the history of timekeeping set out to create a sundial unlike anything the world has ever seen

Jeweler Harry Winston donated the famous Hope Diamond—the largest-known deep blue diamond in the world—to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958. It arrived in a plain brown package by registered mail, insured for one million dollars. Surrounded by 16 white pear-shaped and cushion-cut diamonds and hanging from a chain with 45 diamonds, the rare gem attracts 6 million visitors a year to the Natural History Museum.

Diamonds Unearthed

In the first installment of a multi-part series, Smithsonian diamond expert Jeffrey Post explains how the rare crystals form

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