South African researchers have inserted radioactive material into the horns of 20 live rhinos. Their goal is to be able to track horns from rhinos that were hunted illegally.
Toxicologist Danielle Stevenson cleans up carbon-based pollutants and heavy metals from contaminated sites using fungi and plants. She’s also training environmental justice and tribal communities in using these methods so they can…
Most species are rare, meaning they are few in number or cover a small range, or both. As a result, a new study concludes, humans can preserve much of the great diversity of life on Earth by marking out just 1.2 percent of the planet for…
Emerald ash borer beetles have killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in the U.S. Now, researchers are nurturing ash that can withstand the insects, in the hope of producing resistant seeds that would ensure a future for trees that are a…
To keep warming in check, some experts have proposed brightening clouds over the ocean to reflect more of the sun's light. A new study finds that doing this in the north Pacific could, in the future, actually worsen heat in Europe.
A new study casts doubt on the narrative often told about Easter Island, of an ancient society that plundered its forests to the point of collapse. Researchers have found fresh evidence for another, more hopeful story — that the islanders…
As agricultural greenhouses proliferate, researchers are finding that their reflective roofs are having a cooling effect. Some experts see this as an unintended experiment with lessons for cooling cities, but others point to the…
Lake Ohrid, at 2 million years old, may be the most biodiverse lake of its size in the world, teeming with fish, snails, crustaceans, and more. But tourism development along the edges of the lake and nutrient pollution are clouding its…
A group of gray whales that spends its summer on the Oregon coast is shrinking, with young whales on track to be around 5 feet shorter than their elders, a new study finds.
Campaigners are calling for an investigation into the kidnapping and beating of Stephen Kwikiriza, a vocal opponent of a controversial drilling and pipeline project in Uganda.
In the wake of last month’s disastrous flooding in southern Brazil, researchers are asking residents to use their smartphone cameras to document the damage and high-water marks. The data collected will help scientists map flood risk and…
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on whether to overturn the Chevron doctrine, a landmark precedent that has stood for 40 years. Scrapping the doctrine could have major impacts on regulation in such areas as pollution,…
Chronic wasting disease, which slowly destroys the brains of deer and elk, is hard to detect, impossible to treat, and spreading across North America. Researchers are mounting new efforts to understand the deadly disease, amid concerns it…
Fifteen years ago, wealthy nations pledged to channel $100 billion in climate aid to poorer countries by 2020. New analyses find that not only were rich nations two years late in meeting this goal, but much of the money was existing aid…
Public outrage has caused many rattlesnake roundups — killing contests held in the name of public safety — to go out of business or convert to no-kill wildlife festivals. But in Texas and Oklahoma, these annual events continue, with…
The U.S. oil and gas industry has made significant progress in curbing emissions of methane, a potent heat-trapping gas that leaks from wells and pipelines.
A rare fork fern found in the island nation of New Caledonia has become a world record holder. Scientists have discovered that the tiny plant, which grows in the trunks and branches of trees, has the largest genome of any living organism.
Some species may be better able to withstand climate change than was previously thought. That's because these species have changed little since the last warm period on Earth.
New research indicates that the decline in smog particles from China’s air cleanups caused the recent extreme heat waves in the Pacific. Scientists are grappling with the fact that reducing such pollution, while essential for public health…
The transition to renewables requires batteries that can store energy for long periods of time. To meet that demand, engineers in California’s Kern County are aiming to revamp depleted oil wells to hold concentrated solar energy in super…
A record-breaking drought, fueled by the El Niño weather pattern, has caused widespread crop failure and national emergency declarations in Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. Without harvests of maize, the staple food, millions in the region…
Windborne dust is spreading across the Southern Ocean, fueling plankton blooms that absorb our emissions. A new study reveals the full impact of dust on plankton.
Gone from Romania for 200 years, European bison were reintroduced to the Țarcu Mountains, at the southern end of the Carpathian range, in 2014. Now numbering 170, the bison are reshaping the mountain landscape in ways that are helping…