News & Commentary

Don't Drink Porpoise Milk

July 22, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

It still contains PCBs.

Remember the Kalamazoo

July 21, 2015 DispatchMichiganBrian Palmer

Five years ago, a pipeline spilled a million gallons of tar sands crude into a Michigan river—and we’re still cleaning it up.

CSI: Seahorse Key

July 21, 2015 Latest NewsFloridaJason Bittel

When birds suddenly up and abandon their nests by the thousands, who or what is to blame?

Dead Bear Walking

July 17, 2015 Latest NewsArcticBrian Palmer

Will “walking hibernation” help polars bears survive climate change?

And I Thought They Were God's Sneezes...

July 17, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

A new study shows where clouds come from—and what that means for climate research.

NIMBY By Any Other Name

July 16, 2015 DispatchMarylandJeff Turrentine

Light-rail proponents in Maryland just won support from their Republican governor. Why is a self-styled “environmental” group standing in their way?

If You Don’t Use Your Bones, You Lose Them—Unless You’re a Hibernating Bear

July 15, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesPerrin Ireland

A weekly roundup of the best in science journalism, doodled.

Orangutan Accounting 101

July 14, 2015 ExplainerInternationalJason Bittel

To save a species, scientists first need to know how many members it has left.

Thrice as Nice

July 13, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesClara Chaisson

President Obama just established three new national monuments.

Bringing the Noise

July 13, 2015 Latest NewsArcticAlisa Opar

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

A young beetle’s best defense? A poop shield.

July 10, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesPerrin Ireland

A weekly roundup of the best in science journalism, doodled.

Fire in the Hole

July 10, 2015 Latest NewsInternationalBrian Palmer

Glaciologists drill deep into West Antarctica and find that the ice is melting from both ends.

Blowing Up the Climate

July 8, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

A new timeline of volcanic eruptions showcases our vulnerability to climate change.

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.

There Are Other Sharks in the Sea

July 8, 2015 ExplainerInternationalJason Bittel

Shark Week has been running for 28 years, and yet so many endangered sharks are still waiting for their close-up.

Painting the Town Purple

July 7, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

A new generation of conservative pundits is cheerfully blurring the line between red and blue—by embracing smart growth and New Urbanism.

In Defense of Goldfish

July 2, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Scientists say exotic species may help spread a gruesome amphibian virus, but pesticides should take some blame, too.

The Bearded Ladies

July 1, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Climate change may eliminate male bearded dragons.

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.

Plight of the Panther

June 30, 2015 DispatchFloridaKim Tingley

What happens when preserving a species makes it unpopular?