Environment

Why 10 Daily Tons of Ant Poop Keep This Rainforest Thriving

The soil in the rainforests of Barro Colorado is packed with nutrients, but where does it come from?

March 23, 2017

Evotourism ®

The Biggest Tree Canopy on the Planet Stretches Across Nearly Five Acres

In remote India, a visit to Thimmamma Marrimanu offers a spectacular lesson in the vital coexistence of living things

April 2017

Ask Smithsonian 2017

The Beast’s Enchanted Rose Lasted a Decade. How Long Can a Real One Last?

A Smithsonian expert says the film’s was undoubtedly a hybrid tea rose

March 14, 2017

How Daily Images of the Entire Earth Will Change the Way We Look At It

With more satellites than any other company, Planet Labs gives environmental researchers daily data

March 13, 2017

The Trashy Beginnings of “Don’t Mess With Texas”

A true story of the defining phrase of the Lone Star state

March 10, 2017

The Toxic Truth Behind Mardi Gras Beads

Every year, 25 million pounds of plastic beads made by Chinese factory workers get dumped on the streets of New Orleans

March 8, 2017

Trending Today

WHO Warns That Pollution Is Killing Millions of Children

New reports say that one in four deaths of young people under the age of five can be attributed to the environment

March 7, 2017

Reprintable Paper Becomes a Reality

Coating paper with an inexpensive thin film can allow users to print and erase a physical page as many as 80 times

March 1, 2017

Texas Approves Pesticide Targeting Wild Pigs

But hunters and conservationists are concerned that other animals will be exposed to the toxin

February 24, 2017

Trending Today

Mining Exploration Begins in Michigan’s Porcupine Mountains

Michigan is divided over a mining company’s plans to drill for copper in a beloved state park

February 17, 2017

Age of Humans

Twelve Years Ago, the Kyoto Protocol Set the Stage for Global Climate Change Policy

The predecessor of today’s Paris Agreement got us one step closer to an international plan of action on climate change

February 17, 2017

Smart Startup

These Flowers Come Straight From the Farm to Your Door

By cutting out the middleman, this startup is aiming for better bouquets and a greener flower industry

February 13, 2017

New Research

New Self-Sustaining “Wheat” Could Change the Farming Industry

It’s called Salish Blue, and it’s more than a science experiment

February 13, 2017

Trending Today

Japan Plans to Make Olympic Medals Out of Electronic Waste

Organizers hope to reclaim gold, silver and copper from the used electronics for the 2020 games

February 7, 2017

Trending Today

Scientists Measure Highest Radiation Levels Yet Inside Fukushima’s Damaged Reactors

The latest measurements are over seven times the previously measured high—enough to fry a robot in two hours

February 6, 2017

New Research

Science Is Falling Woefully Behind in Testing New Chemicals

Over 10 million new chemicals are synthesized each year, but with little funding science can’t keep up

February 3, 2017

Rachel Carson Wrote Silent Spring (Partly) Because of the Author of Stuart Little

The book was a turning point for the environmental movement

February 3, 2017

New Research

Humans Threaten Over 100 Precious Natural Heritage Sites

Forest loss and humans’ footprint are endangering the very sites humans want to preserve

January 30, 2017

New Research

Changing Climate, Not Humans, Killed Australia’s Massive Mammals

But that mass extinction could help us predict what today’s human-wrought climate change may bring

January 26, 2017

New Research

How Escaped Exotic Pet Birds Could Help Save Threatened Species

Though usually seen as a threat to local populations, these escapees could also help in the recovery of creatures in trouble

January 16, 2017