News & Commentary

Stories from the Gulf

March 16, 2016 Dispatch

Living with the BP oil disaster.

Undersea Mining Spree: Scientists Race to Study the Southeastern Pacific Before it's Too Late

March 12, 2016 DispatchInternational, WestBrooke Jarvis

As mining interests deepen in the southeastern Pacific, researchers are racing the clock—and pushing the frontiers of science—to understand this unknown stretch of sea.

This Former Meatpacking Facility Is Now an Experiment in Sustainable Urban Ag

March 8, 2016 DispatchChicagoSusan Cosier

Come take a tour of "The Plant."

Taste the Rainbow . . . Trout?

March 1, 2016 DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier

Farming non-native fish in the Great Lakes? It might not be such a bad idea.

Seeking a Clean Bill of Health

February 18, 2016 DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier

What it takes to make the Great Lakes’ areas of concern less concerning.

Drinking In the Heavy Metal

February 8, 2016 DispatchFlint, MichiganSusan Cosier

Thanks to the Flint water crisis, the city’s kids could experience terrible, long-lasting consequences from lead exposure.

Spring Break

February 4, 2016 DispatchMontanaAlisa Opar

Bison go from seasonal outlaws to year-round residents in a large swath of Montana.

Raising the High-Water Mark

January 27, 2016 DispatchMidwestClara Chaisson

In the Midwest, “rare” floods are becoming the norm. Here’s why it’s high time we improve our flood risk estimates.

The Woman Who Loves Orcas

January 20, 2016 DispatchAlaska, WestTed Genoways

Scientist, poet, and cancer survivor Eva Saulitis says that orcas saved her life. If only she could return the favor.

Toxin Avenger

January 18, 2016 DispatchUnited StatesSarah Engler

By following hundreds of children from the womb through adolescence, Dr. Frederica Perera has become a public-health superhero.

Growing Green Awards

January 18, 2016 DispatchUnited StatesMelissa Denchak

Celebrating America’s most influential leaders in the sustainable food movement

Il Primo Piatto

January 14, 2016 DispatchAfricaClara Chaisson

As the bushmeat trade drives the Bioko drill monkey toward extinction, some West Africans are realizing these animals are worth more in the woods than on the plate.

Soft in the Middle

January 12, 2016 DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier

What’s up with the Midwest’s warm and soggy winter weather?

‘Nowhere to Go but Up’

January 8, 2016 DispatchMidwestBarry Yeoman

Don’t blame the recent flooding along the Mississippi River on the rain. We created this mess.

Life on the Mississippi, Now

January 5, 2016 DispatchMissouri, Illinois, MidwestBarry Yeoman

We've spent billions of dollars on dikes, locks, and levees in a vain attempt to subdue what Mark Twain called "that lawless stream." Is it time to let the river have its way?

Stop, Drop, and Roll

December 9, 2015 DispatchChicagoSusan Cosier

Every week, barrels upon barrels of volatile crude oil crisscross Chicago by rail, endangering tens of thousands of schoolkids.

Frog vs. Fish

December 8, 2015 DispatchCaliforniaAlisa Opar

How cutting-edge technology may save endangered amphibians from hungry trout in Yosemite’s alpine lakes.

If Bhutan Can, You Can

December 2, 2015 DispatchInternationalBrian Palmer

The tiny South Asian kingdom absorbs three times as much carbon as it emits.

No Photos, Please

October 23, 2015 DispatchWyomingAlisa Opar

New Wyoming laws stifle freedom of speech and make citizen science illegal.

The Soil Savior

October 15, 2015 DispatchTexasJeff Turrentine

A Texas farmer is bucking tradition by putting soil health above all else. The result? Water-retaining, nutrient-rich pay dirt.