California

The Colorado River's Glen Canyon Dam, which creates Lake Powell.

States Propose Landmark Deal to Conserve the Colorado River

The water cuts suggested by California, Arizona and Nevada are not as ambitious as those proposed by the federal government, but they will buy time

An abbot at Dongchan Temple in Fuzhou, China, supervised the creation of The Scripture of the Great Flower Ornament of the Buddha, now on view at the Huntington Library.

Nearly 1,000 Years Old, This Text Shows the Ingenuity of Chinese Woodblock Printing

An 11th-century collection of aphorisms is a part of a new exhibition in California

California condors are the largest birds in North America.

Twenty Endangered California Condors Die Amid Avian Flu Outbreak

Scientists fear the deaths could set back the slow-breeding birds' recovery by at least a decade

Poppies in bloom in Antelope Valley, California, on April 11, 2023.

The Science of California's 'Super Bloom,' Visible From Space

The state's unusually wet winter provided the right conditions for dormant wildflower seeds to bloom all at once

Aurora borealis captured in northern Minnesota on April 23.

Widespread Auroras That Lit Skies This Week Are Getting More Common

The stunning colors that dazzled viewers on Sunday will appear again as the sun's activity builds to a peak in 2025

Interest in gold prospecting is growing across the country as the value of gold rises.

Five Places Where You Can Still Find Gold in the United States

Lucky for you, these gold rush hot spots have not yet run their mining course

Sleeping northern elephant seals on the beach at Año Nuevo State Park, California.

Elephant Seals Take Extreme Power Naps in the Open Ocean

While foraging on deep dives, the marine mammals sleep for about two hours per day in short, ten-minute bursts

Packages of DVDs await shipment at the Netflix headquarters in San Jose, California, in 2002.

After 25 Years, Netflix Ends DVD Rentals

As users move to online streaming, the company will mail its last disc in September

Zooplankton help clean Lake Tahoe by eating tiny particles that can make the water cloudy.

Why Lake Tahoe Is the Clearest It's Been in 40 Years

Thanks to a "natural clean-up crew" of zooplankton, the large freshwater alpine lake is looking especially pristine

Lake Mead in July 2021—the lighter colored rocks indicate how high water levels used to be. Last summer, the lake was filled to just 27 percent of capacity, its lowest water levels since 1937.

U.S. Proposes Cuts to Colorado River Water Usage

Negotiations between states have not produced an agreement on how to allocate the dwindling water, so the federal government has offered tentative plans

Saylor Flett, left, fans flames ignited by Jeff Greef. Air quality, weather and even bird migration affect when it’s safe to conduct a burn.

Planet Positive

Fighting Fire With Fire in California

How communities in the West are boldly setting property ablaze to reduce the impact of extreme wildfires

Amid a multi-year drought, record winter rainfall has led to conditions perfect for fungi.

Winter Rains Bring Mushroom Boom in California

Fungi are popping up in numbers the West Coast may not see again for years

Wong Kim Ark's departure statement

Untold Stories of American History

How the Fight for Birthright Citizenship Shaped the History of Asian American Families

Even after Wong Kim Ark successfully took his case to the Supreme Court 125 years ago, Asian Americans struggled to receive recognition as U.S. citizens

Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highlands in Colorado extended their seasons this winter.

Ski Resorts in the Western U.S. Will Stay Open Into the Spring and Summer

Slopes in California, Utah and Colorado are extending their seasons after record-breaking snowfall

Between 2013 and 2017, 90 percent of the sunflower sea star population was wiped out from a disease called Sea Star Wasting Syndrome.

These Sea Stars Are Literally Wasting Away—but They May Soon Receive Protection

Sunflower sea stars have been recommended for Endangered Species Act protection as disease leads them to “disintegrate into gooey masses”

This computer-generated image shows objects in Earth's orbit. The majority—around 95 percent—are bits of space junk.

Burning Space Junk Creates Mysterious Lights in California Sky

Bright streaks observed Friday were jettisoned equipment from the International Space Station re-entering Earth’s atmosphere

Ponderosa pines at Yosemite National Park

California's 'Zombie Forests' Are Cheating Death—but Maybe Not for Long

A fifth of conifer forests in the state’s Sierra Nevada mountains are stranded in unsuitably warm conditions

Balloons can pollute the oceans, harm wildlife and get tangled in power lines.

Seaside California City Bans Balloons in Public

Laguna Beach has joined several other cities taking aim at ocean pollution, wildlife health, power outages and wildfires

Tourists flocked to Walker Canyon to see the poppies during the superbloom in 2019.

Will California See a Wildflower Superbloom This Spring?

If the swaths of show-stopping poppies do appear, officials urge tourists to act responsibly

Aerial view of Apple's California headquarters

How California Took Over the World

A sweeping book offers a provocative new history arguing that today's inequality can be traced back to the state's founding

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