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Environment

Chattanooga was once one of the most polluted cities in the country. Now, it's North America's first National Park City.

Chattanooga Just Became North America’s First National Park City. Here’s What That Means

The designation was awarded by a London-based charity that aims to make cities more like national parks: “greener, healthier and wilder”

Mainstream providers of shared mobility — such as e-scooters, bicycles and rideshares — often overlook marginalised communities, families and the elderly. NGOs and public agencies are filling the gap.

Making Ride Hailing, Bike Shares and Other Transportation Options Accessible to All

Shared mobility is good for the environment, but not equal opportunity. What can be done to make travel easier for everyone?

A variety of marine creatures and unique features can be found in the deep sea off Norway, including the dumbo octopus, colorful anemones and venting chimneys.

As Norway Considers Deep-Sea Mining, a Rich History of Ocean Conservation Decisions May Inform How the Country Acts

In the past, scientists, industry and government have worked together in surprising, tense and fruitful ways

A Schaus’ swallowtail (Papilio aristodemus) rests on a plant.

Why Does This Endangered Butterfly Thrive After Hurricanes?

For Schaus’ swallowtail butterflies, the powerful storms mean clear skies and bright futures

Fossils indicate a variety of marine reptiles swam through ancient seas.

From Massive Eyes to Shark-Like Tails, Seven Amazing Adaptations That Helped Prehistoric Reptiles Thrive at Sea

The creatures cruised the world’s oceans with features we often associate with marine mammals, such as coats of blubber and the ability to birth live young

An Aldabra giant tortoise stands tall. Males can weigh more than 500 pounds.

Thousands of Giant Tortoises Anchor a Thriving Ecosystem on Aldabra, a Remote Atoll in the Indian Ocean

The animals graze the vegetation into a picturesque turf, fertilize the soil with their dung and disperse seeds over large distances

The Barry Arm landslide in Alaska’s Prince William Sound

Studying This Slow-Moving Alaskan Landslide May Help Avert Future Disaster

If the landslide at the Barry Arm fjord collapses, its falling ice and rock could generate a devastating 650-foot-high tsunami

Crops around the world—including corn, wheat and rice—might suffer from decreased yields as a result of microplastics interfering with photosynthesis, according to a new study.

Microplastics Are Making Photosynthesis Harder for Plants—and That Could Slash Crop Yields, Study Suggests

On average, these little particles could reduce photosynthesis in plants and algae by up to 12 percent, according to the paper

Before taking samples, students carefully examined the environment.

Nine New Tardigrade Species Discovered Thanks to the Efforts of Danish Schoolchildren

The budding scientists collected the tiny water bears in a massive citizen science project that involved almost 30,000 participants

Individual Antarctic krill are small, but the animals live in gigantic groups that can be seen from space.

Tiny Antarctic Krill Benefit the Planet in Big Ways, but Face a Barrage of Threats

The bountiful creatures sequester carbon and are a vital food source for marine predators, but their future is uncertain

A hatchling Kemp's ridley sea turtle

Inside the Herculean Effort to Study and Save the World’s Smallest Sea Turtle

After years of steady gains, a decades-long conservation program dedicated to the Kemp’s ridley hits rough seas

Dead trees teem with life.

What Happens to a Tree That Dies in a Forest?

Rotting logs turn out to be vital to forest biodiversity and recycling organic matter

Nutria have voracious appetites for vegetation, leading them to destroy wetland ecosystems.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wants You to Eat These Giant, Invasive Rodents

As part of National Invasive Species Week, the agency is calling on Americans to “eat the invaders,” including swamp-dwelling nutria

A mosquito stuck in resin is on its way to becoming a fossil preserved in amber.

How a Fragile Insect Living 100 Million Years Ago Becomes a Fossil

A bug, a dinosaur and a tree intersect, creating the perfect conditions for resin to capture a moment in time

Microbes can grow in clouds and even divide in two.

A Brief and Amazing History of Our Search for Life in the Clouds

By collecting samples after climbing a high peak and firing rockets with special traps into the upper atmosphere, scientists have found microbes living in thin air

A pangolin emerges from an underground tunnel at night at Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, a group that runs a pangolin conservation program inside the Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam.

Will the Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry End the Pangolin?

The creature is being trafficked across Africa and Asia to fuel a steady demand for their scales, an ingredient in unproven remedies

An albino squirrel peeks out from within a tree.

Can a Small Town’s Protections for Albino Squirrels Inspire Other Cities to Guard Wildlife Against Cats?

Olney, Illinois, has taken steps to protect an iconic mammal from domesticated felines, setting a possible model for other places to follow

The palm oil industry in Indonesia has led to widespread deforestation, making it hard to find remaining signs of archaic life.

The Search to Find the Remains of Homo Erectus in a Vanishing Landscape

A paleontologist journeys through Indonesia’s Riau Archipelago in search of our earliest ancestors, and uncovers how environmental devastation has erased much of the region’s history

The coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii) depends on chaparral habitat to survive. It has declined across much of its range due to habitat loss, whether from development or invasion of non-native grasses. After fires, non-native grasses often fill in habitat and create problems for the species.

Here’s How the Los Angeles Wildfires Are Affecting Animals, From Fish to Snakes to Birds

While scientists were able to save and move some creatures in the aftermath, researchers are worried about the prospects for other species

Researchers found higher levels of microplastics in brain tissue than in liver and kidney tissue.

The Human Brain May Contain as Much as a Spoon’s Worth of Microplastics, New Research Suggests

The amount of microplastics in the human brain appears to be increasing over time: Concentrations rose by roughly 50 percent between 2016 and 2024, according to a new study

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