News & Commentary

Why Everybody Is So Excited About 23 Salmon

June 14, 2019 Latest NewsCaliforniaAlisa Opar

After millennia of migrating to and from the sea, Chinook salmon disappeared from California’s San Joaquin River 65 years ago. Now they’re trickling back.

How a Controversial Firing May Affect Development Along the California Coastline

March 11, 2016 Latest NewsCaliforniaAlisa Opar

Conservationists are now watching the California Coastal Commission very closely.

Could Invasive Mosquitoes Ignite Zika Outbreaks in California?

March 7, 2016 Latest NewsCaliforniaAlisa Opar

Could invasive mosquitoes ignite Zika outbreaks in California?

Bugging the Ocean

February 25, 2016 Latest NewsUnited StatesAlisa Opar

Eavesdropping on the sea reveals the surprising chattiness of fish and invertebrates.

Zombie Crabs!

February 17, 2016 Latest NewsEastAlisa Opar

Tiny, invasive East Coast parasites are leaving hordes of the living dead in their wake.

Home Invasion

December 21, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesAlisa Opar

Forget cockroaches—around 100 species of bugs are crawling around our houses (and faces).

Slip-sliding Away

December 18, 2015 Latest NewsCaliforniaAlisa Opar

Heavy El Niño rains could trigger mudslides in California this winter. These scientists are trying to figure out the whens and wheres.

Something's Hot in the State of Denmark

November 4, 2015 Latest NewsInternationalAlisa Opar

An 18-year survey hints at how global warming may be changing the face of Danish bugs.

The Smell Test

October 21, 2015 Latest NewsInternationalAlisa Opar

The reasons a man has for holding poop and feathers under the beaks of sleeping penguins.

No "I" in Sagebrush

September 22, 2015 Latest NewsWest, United StatesAlisa Opar

The greater sage grouse is staying off the Endangered Species List, thanks to unprecedented collaborative conservation efforts.

Mite-y Watchman

September 17, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesAlisa Opar

In the fight to protect honeybees from parasites, researchers turn to ’shrooms and sperm banks.

Resistance Movement

September 8, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesAlisa Opar

Pesticide pollution actually creates toxin-tolerant frogs—to a point.

Northward Ho!

August 27, 2015 Latest NewsArctic, AlaskaAlisa Opar

Obama is headed to the Arctic. Here are five things the president should put on his must-do-in-Alaska list.

Bringing the Noise

July 13, 2015 Latest NewsArcticAlisa Opar

How will Shell’s Arctic drilling affect marine mammals in the Chukchi Sea?

Innovation Has Not Run Dry!

July 8, 2015 Latest NewsCaliforniaAlisa Opar

As summer heat compounds four years of drought, Californians are coping with water shortages in some wacky and smart (and desperate) ways.

Moveable Feast

July 1, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesAlisa Opar

When dead whales sink to the ocean floor, they give life to an array of bizarre creatures—including gutless, bone-devouring worms.

A Horny Issue

June 4, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesAlisa Opar

To try and curb demand for black-market rhino horn, a bioengineering startup is making 3-D substitutes.

Fearing the Burn

May 26, 2015 Latest NewsWestAlisa Opar

Western states prepare for an “explosive” wildfire season.

Down with TPP

May 18, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesAlisa Opar

From fracking to tainted fish, how the Trans-Pacific Partnership could affect the West.

The Secret Life of Plants

April 28, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesAlisa Opar

Plants can hear, feel, and tell one predator from another—and this researcher is spying on their defense strategies.