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This year's overall winner Laurent Ballesta spent more than 3,000 hours trying to capture his stunning undersea image of mating groupers.

Ten Breathtaking Images From the 2021 Nature Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards

The annual awards tell the story of our planet’s creatures and the threats they face

The change to more eco-friendly toys is already underway in some countries like the UK and Ireland. In France, kids can choose between receiving a sustainable toy or a book in the "One Book or One Toy" program with their Happy Meal.  

McDonald’s Will Offer More Sustainable Happy Meal Toys by 2025

New prizes will be made from renewable, recyclable plastics and cardboard in a shift away from using plastic made from virgin fossil fuels

Some zebras in Africa have been known to live on the high slopes of Mount Kenya, and others have been able to migrate to warmer climates when the temperature drops. (Pictured: A zebra stands in a field of yellow flowers in Namibia.)

Two Escaped Zebras Are Still Roaming the Suburbs of Maryland

Officials initially reported five zebras on the loose, but that was incorrect. Only three escaped and with one dead, only two animals remain at large

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University analyzed popular vaping products and found nearly 2,000 chemicals not disclosed by manufacturers, as well as six potentially harmful compounds, including a pesticide.

New Research

Nearly 2,000 Chemicals—Some Potentially Harmful—Found in Vaping Aerosols

Researchers discover industrial chemicals, a pesticide and caffeine during analysis of popular vaping products

Low-dose aspirin or baby aspirin (81 to 100 milligrams) has been used as a safe and cheap way to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots. Aspirin does this by thinning out the blood and preventing blood clots from forming, which may block arteries.  

Aspirin No Longer Recommended as a Preventative Measure Against Heart Attacks and Strokes in Older Individuals

The guideline change is based on bleeding risks some may face when taking the blood thinner

Viewers can watch mom Rosalie care for her five newborn cheetah cubs on a live streaming webcam.

Five Cheetah Cubs Born at Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

Viewers can watch mother cheetah caring for her newborn babies on a live-streaming webcam

The new antiviral pill could help unburden hospitals in states with low vaccination rates.

Merck Asks FDA to Authorize Promising Covid-19 Pill

If approved, the antiviral drug could be a game-changer in the fight against the virus

But when severe drought and extreme heat collide, as they have this year, states like California that rely heavily on hydropower can be forced to buy extra power to meet demand, which tends to spike when temperatures soar.

Western Drought Drives Decline in Hydroelectric Power Generation

A new report predicts hydropower in the U.S. will fall by nearly 14 percent compared to last year

Facebook’s move comes as threats to the Brazilian Amazon from logging and land clearing only appear to be growing.

Facebook Addresses Illegal Sales of Amazon Rainforest Lands on Its Platform

The embattled social media company is taking steps to curb sales of protected lands via its marketplace following a BBC News investigation

While the seeds do not indicate how the ancient humans used tobacco, researchers suspect that tobacco leaves, stems, and other plants may have been twisted together and chewed or sucked and the seeds were discarded or spit out.

Humans’ Earliest Evidence of Tobacco Use Uncovered in Utah

The charred seeds suggest that people used tobacco over 12,000 years ago—much earlier than previously thought

Increased immunity from vaccines and previous infections could be a reason behind the drop in cases of "Covid toes." (Pictured: Nurse Sandra Lindsay—the first person to receive vaccine in the USA on December 14, 2020— receives COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine booster in New York on October 6, 2021.)

Powerful Immune System Response May Be Behind ‘Covid Toes’

A new study brings doctors closer to understanding the mysterious frostbite-like lesions on patients’ toes and fingers

In 2019 alone, malaria killed 400,000 people, with most individuals residing in sub-Saharan Africa. Children under five are more vulnerable to the detrimental effects of malaria, and most deaths occur within this age group.

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

The World Health Organization Endorses the World’s First Malaria Vaccine

Four doses of the vaccine Mosquirix prevents the risk of the mosquito-borne disease by 40 percent

Covid-19 booster vaccines are also safe to receive along with the flu vaccine. However, third doses are currently authorized for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine recipients who are immunocompromised, have underlying medical conditions, or those 65 years of age or older.  

Receiving a Flu Shot and Covid Vaccine at the Same Time Is Safe, Study Finds

Mild to moderate side effects were reported, such as fatigue in three-quarters of participants in the research

Nobel award recipients are overwhelmingly white, male, and American, and this year was no exception.

No Nobel Prizes in Science Went to Women This Year, Widening the Awards’ Gender Gap

Fewer than three percent of Nobel science winners are women, and only one woman of color has ever received the award

NOAA and Saildrone deployed the fleet of five hurricane-class vessels in the Atlantic’s “hurricane belt” in the summer months leading up to this year’s tropical storm season.   

Innovation for Good

‘Saildrone’ Captures First-Ever Video From Inside a Category 4 Hurricane

This uncrewed, remote-controlled vessel gathered valuable scientific data that could help researchers better understand and predict these violent storms

Now named a new species, Wallace's sphinx moth (top) of Madagascar displays its world's longest tongue next Morgan's sphinx moth, which is found on the African mainland.

With a Nearly Foot-Long Proboscis, This New Moth Species Holds Record for Longest Insect Tongue

DNA testing shows island moth from Madagascar is distinctly different from similar varieties found on the African mainland

A man shopping at a garage sale found this moon rock from the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.   

Florida Man Discovers Moon Rock at Garage Sale

Mounted on a wooden plaque, the lunar nugget had been a gift to the people of Louisiana from NASA

This event isn’t the first time river otters have acted aggressively toward humans and their pets, but it’s not considered common.

A Group of River Otters Is Attacking People and Dogs in Alaska

Officials are searching for the culprits after three reported incidents in September

American bumblebees are a vital pollinator for wildflowers and crops, and their decline could have severe consequences for the environment.  

The American Bumblebee Has Nearly Vanished From Eight States

In two decades, the insect’s population has declined by nearly 90 percent due to a combination of threats, including habitat loss, pesticides and diseases

Image description via the Plantetary Science Institute: "Loire Vallis (white line) is an outlet canyon that formed from the overflow of a lake in Parana Basin (outlined in white). Black lines indicate other valleys formed by processes other than lake overflows. Background is colored MOLA-derived topography over a THEMIS image mosaic. Image is approximately 650 kilometers across."

The Martian Landscape Was Shaped by Massive, Climate Change–Fueled Floods

When the Red Planet’s lakes burst their banks, the disaster carved the undulating canyons and valleys we still see today

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