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Climate Change

T. oblongifolia thrives in Death Valley's high temperatures.

This Shrub Thrives in Death Valley’s Scorching Temperatures. Where Do Its Heat-Tolerant Superpowers Come From?

Tidestromia oblongifolia thrives in high heat—and scientists think it may hold the key to making food crops more resilient amid global warming

Well-preserved reindeer antlers found at the site

Cool Finds

A Hiker Discovered a Trove of Artifacts in Norway’s Melting Ice. The Site Turned Out to Be a 1,500-Year-Old Reindeer Trap

Located in the mountains of western Norway, the facility was likely used by Iron Age hunters to trap and kill wild reindeer. Experts say it’s the only site of its kind ever found in the country

The Palos Verdes Kelp Forest Restoration Project near Los Angeles forms an ecosystem that is home to many creatures.

Underwater Forests Return to Life off the Coast of California, and That Might be Good News for the Entire Planet

Wondrous kelp beds harbor a complex ecosystem that’s teeming with life, cleaning the water and the atmosphere, and bringing new hope for the future

More than 200 river dolphins died in Brazil's Lake Tefé in the fall of 2023, with water temperatures soaring as high as 105.8 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a new study.

Water Temperatures in Amazon Lakes Reached Hot Tub Levels in 2023, Killing Fish and Dolphins

Brazil’s Lake Tefé reached 105.8 degrees Fahrenheit during the severe drought and heat wave

Researchers studied space dust in ocean sediment cores from the Arctic.

Researchers Used Space Dust to Build a Timeline of 30,000 Years of Arctic Sea Ice

Understanding the extent of past Arctic ice could help predict how the planet will respond to global warming

A new study suggests the Hektoria Glacier, seen here in 2024, shrank by 16 miles between January 2022 and March 2023—and five miles in November and December 2022 alone.

One Glacier’s ‘Out of This World’ Retreat Might Have Set a Modern Record. Now, Scientists Pieced Together What Happened

New research finds that Hektoria, a grounded glacier in Antarctica, shrank with astounding speed in 2022 and 2023

A population of black-and-white ruffed lemurs on Madagascar is experiencing changes in the cadence of its breeding, researchers say.

Lemurs Are Having a Mysterious ‘Baby Boom’ in Madagascar. Here’s Why That Might Not Be a Good Thing

Researchers are investigating a sudden spike in pregnancies in one black-and-white ruffed lemur population that might signal environmental stress to the mammals

A company called Roofscapes has installed an experimental green roof over a zinc one at the Academy of Climate in Paris. A wooden platform, dotted with planters, runs along the building’s side, creating a terrace.

The Skyline of Paris Is Filled With Zinc Rooftops. But Can They Survive Climate Change?

Innovations are overdue, as the signature blue-gray metal roofs heat up in high temperatures, making living conditions in the apartments beneath them unbearable

A satellite image of Hurricane Melissa arriving in Jamaica

One of the Strongest Hurricanes on Record Pummeled Jamaica and Continues to Wreak Havoc in the Caribbean

The Caribbean’s unusually hot waters allowed Hurricane Melissa to intensify rapidly, officials say

New research reveals that Earth's Northern Hemisphere is growing darker faster than the Southern Hemisphere is.

Earth Is Getting Dimmer—and the Northern Hemisphere Is Losing Brightness Faster Than Scientists Expected

New research challenges the idea that the hemispheres’ matching brightness is a fundamental property of the planet

Culiseta annulata, the mosquito species discovered in Iceland this month.

Iceland Is No Longer Mosquito Free. Is Climate Change to Blame?

It was previously thought to be one of the last places on Earth without the insects

Researchers studied rainforests in northeastern Australia. These wet rainforests are very dense, and their canopies help cool down their ecosystems and store large amounts of carbon.

Australian Rainforests Become the First to Emit More Carbon Than They Absorb

A new analysis finds tropical forests in Australia are not taking in enough carbon dioxide to keep up with the emissions from their decaying trunks, holding possible implications for global ecosystems

Isaque Carvalho Borges won $12,500 in the Central and South American category of the 2025 Earth Prize, the world’s largest environmental sustainability competition for students between 13 and 19 years of age.

This 16-Year-Old Invented an A.I. Tool to Help Cool Down the World’s Hottest Cities

Isaque Carvalho Borges experiences the urban heat island effect in his home of Palmas, Brazil, and he wants to do something about it

An aerial view of Altadena on March 11, 2025, shows surviving trees and new greenery amid homes destroyed in the Eaton Fire.

After the L.A. Fires, Locals Turn to Native Plants to Help Shield Homes From Flames and Clean Contaminated Soil

Scientists and community members in Altadena are testing ways that California species can assist efforts to rebuild

Scientists gathered samples from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility in central Alaska.

Scientists Resurrect 40,000-Year-Old Microbes From Alaskan Permafrost. What They Found Raised Worries About the Future of a Warming Arctic

The experiments offer new insights into one of the “biggest unknowns” in how the climate will change in the years to come

Conness Glacier.

New Research

By 2100, Humans Might See a Glacier-Free Sierra Nevada for the First Time Ever

A new study suggests some glaciers have existed on the California mountain range for the entirety of known human history in North America

An aerial view of the Amazon rainforest near Manaus, Brazil

New Research

The Amazon’s Trees Might Be More Resilient to Climate Change Than We Thought

A team of nearly 100 researchers found the average tree size in the massive rainforest has increased by more than 3 percent per decade since the 1970s

A male blue jay on the left, a female green jay on the right and a hybrid offspring of the two species in the center.

Strange Bird Spotted in a Texas Backyard Is the First Known Hybrid Between a Blue Jay and a Green Jay

The ranges of the two parent bird species have expanded due to climate change and now overlap around San Antonio, researchers say

The annual average concentration of PM 2.5 expected in 2050. 

New Research

Wildfire Smoke Will Likely Kill Thousands More Americans Each Year

A new analysis finds that 30,000 more Americans are expected to die from wildfire-smoke exposure annually by 2050

Excavations have uncovered 40 tombs made of Hellenistic-era ceramics, along with various artifacts and ceramic vessels.

Cool Finds

Severe Drought in Iraq Reveals Dozens of Ancient Tombs Created 2,300 Years Ago

The tombs, which likely date to Iraq’s Hellenistic period, were discovered along the Mosul Dam reservoir

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