News & Commentary

If Bhutan Can, You Can

December 2, 2015 DispatchInternationalBrian Palmer

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

Seeing Stars

December 2, 2015 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

Scientists discover an expansive network of tortoise poachers in Asia.

The Cougar Next Door

November 27, 2015 PerspectivesUnited StatesJason Bittel

A new documentary reveals that mountain lions are not the solitary killing machines we’ve always thought.

Gobbler-smacked

November 25, 2015 ExplainerUnited StatesAlisa Opar

GPS tracking is giving us a revealing peek into wild turkeys’ sex lives, defense mechanisms, and more.

The Peanut Butter Solution

November 20, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

A (tasty) plague-fighting vaccine for prairie dogs may give endangered black-footed ferrets a new lease on life.

Starved by the Sea?

November 17, 2015 PerspectivesCaliforniaAlisa Opar

Mass die-offs in the Pacific are sending the emaciated bodies of seabirds, seals, and sea lions ashore from California to Alaska.

Hot or Not?

November 17, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesPerrin Ireland

Coral reefs are beautiful—but only when they’re healthy.

Ursine Exodus

November 17, 2015 Latest NewsWestAlexis Sobel Fitts

Yellowstone’s grizzly bears are spreading out and expanding their range. Is it a sign of good health—or increasing desperation?

Shot in the Dark

November 12, 2015 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

Mauritius is killing tens of thousands of vulnerable fruit bats.

Give Us Guano or Give Us Death

November 10, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Bat poop sustains entire ecosystems in places where they wouldn’t exist otherwise. So when bats go, many cave-dwellers go with them.

Man Bites Snake, News at 11

November 5, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Media reports about a remote island brimming with vipers raise the question: Why are we so quick to hate on snakes?

A River Ran Through It

November 4, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Scientists want to create a nationwide network of river corridors. Here’s why that’s not as crazy as it sounds.

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.

Down in the Dumps

November 2, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesPerrin Ireland

As megafauna (and their huge fecal deposits) disappear, so do their important contributions to the earth’s nutrient cycle.

Sunken Treasure

October 30, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

Shipwrecks are the main event at a newly proposed marine sanctuary, but scientists hope to find much more.

The People Who Opposed America’s Best Idea

October 30, 2015 PerspectivesUnited StatesBrian Palmer

As the National Park Service prepares for next summer’s centennial, a look at the people on the wrong side of national park history.

The Witch Hunt

October 28, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Why the animal “monsters” decorating our doors and mailboxes this Halloween are afraid of you.

Unbearable Decisions

October 26, 2015 ExplainerUnited StatesAlisa Opar

To kill or not to kill: How wildlife officials decide what to do with “problem bears.”

No Photos, Please

October 23, 2015 DispatchWyomingAlisa Opar

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

The Bee-Free Diet

October 23, 2015 ExplainerUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Would you die without bees to pollinate your food?