https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/environment/RSS feed for EnvironmentenFri, 09 Oct 2026 20:39:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-digital-swamp-coming-to-new-york-citys-moma-is-made-to-envelop-you-in-nature-with-the-help-of-cutting-edge-technology-180989652/"Wetland" is the latest installation of a high-tech traveling exhibition designed by Danish artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen. It recreates the overlooked ecosystem with the help of folklore, soundscapes and video game softwareFri, 09 Oct 2026 20:39:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-digital-swamp-coming-to-new-york-citys-moma-is-made-to-envelop-you-in-nature-with-the-help-of-cutting-edge-technology-180989652/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/seven-places-in-europe-that-legends-say-were-built-by-giants-devils-or-dragons-180989571/Bridges, mountains, caves and rock formations that seem impossible to explain become magnets for folkloreFri, 25 Sep 2026 19:32:57 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/seven-places-in-europe-that-legends-say-were-built-by-giants-devils-or-dragons-180989571/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-scorching-temperatures-brought-on-by-the-super-el-nino-could-kill-nearly-half-a-million-people-by-february-180989555/The predicted number, which includes deaths since June, likely represents an underestimate of total deaths. The heat could linger beyond February, and the climate swing could bring about other life-threatening conditions, including flooding, wildfire and infectious diseasesThu, 24 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-scorching-temperatures-brought-on-by-the-super-el-nino-could-kill-nearly-half-a-million-people-by-february-180989555/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-otter-just-returned-to-new-york-citys-bronx-river-for-the-first-time-in-a-century-now-you-can-help-name-it-180989556/A trail camera photographed the animal earlier this summer, offering a hopeful sign that the once-polluted urban waterway is recovering after decades of restoration workWed, 23 Sep 2026 18:06:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-otter-just-returned-to-new-york-citys-bronx-river-for-the-first-time-in-a-century-now-you-can-help-name-it-180989556/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-you-suffer-a-sweltering-august-you-werent-alone-it-tied-for-the-month-with-the-hottest-global-temperatures-on-record-180989482/Last month, the air temperature averaged 62.53 degrees Fahrenheit, tying with July 2023 as the toastiest month ever documented by the European Union's climate serviceFri, 11 Sep 2026 16:57:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-you-suffer-a-sweltering-august-you-werent-alone-it-tied-for-the-month-with-the-hottest-global-temperatures-on-record-180989482/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-lake-in-canada-got-a-mysterious-new-island-then-it-disappeared-and-now-its-back-180989442/The floating forest appeared in a well-mapped reservoir in British Columbia. Its presence and vanishing act have puzzled locals and officials at the power utility that operates the lake, but other similar islands exist elsewhereThu, 03 Sep 2026 19:15:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-lake-in-canada-got-a-mysterious-new-island-then-it-disappeared-and-now-its-back-180989442/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/blue-crabs-have-taken-over-the-adriatic-sea-to-fight-them-off-italian-researchers-just-released-thousands-of-baby-octopuses-180989430/Although prized in the United States, the crustaceans have been decimating ecosystems and the fishing industry in Italy. Experts hope that an army of natural predators—common octopuses—can help contain the invasive species' spreadWed, 02 Sep 2026 18:48:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/blue-crabs-have-taken-over-the-adriatic-sea-to-fight-them-off-italian-researchers-just-released-thousands-of-baby-octopuses-180989430/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cast-your-vote-for-the-chunkiest-alpine-rodent-during-colorados-first-ever-fat-marmot-week-180989395/The inaugural competition puts eight yellow-bellied marmots head-to-head while shining a light on the science behind their seasonal weight gain and survival at high elevationsTue, 25 Aug 2026 19:33:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cast-your-vote-for-the-chunkiest-alpine-rodent-during-colorados-first-ever-fat-marmot-week-180989395/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-extremely-rare-half-male-half-female-bird-temporarily-took-up-residence-outside-of-chicago-180989377/The unusual-looking bobolink is what's called a bilateral gynandromorph. The bird behaved like a male, eventually wooing a mate and raising fledglingsFri, 21 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-extremely-rare-half-male-half-female-bird-temporarily-took-up-residence-outside-of-chicago-180989377/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-coral-reefs-off-west-africa-were-long-presumed-dead-scientists-just-found-them-alive-and-teeming-with-life-180989350/Fish surveys in the 1960s detected what experts thought was a dead coral reef barrier off the country of Benin. Decades later, researchers set off in small fishing boats to investigate it using sonar mapping, underwater drone surveys and stationary video recordersTue, 18 Aug 2026 14:34:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-coral-reefs-off-west-africa-were-long-presumed-dead-scientists-just-found-them-alive-and-teeming-with-life-180989350/