Earth’s tropical forests hoard huge amounts of carbon, but as temperatures rise and weather patterns shift due to climate change, scientists worry that their lush green canopies will start leaking more CO2. That concern got some serious validation this week, when a new study concluded that the recent El Niño period…
When Hurricane Irma plowed into Florida’s southwestern coast as a powerful Category 4 storm last month, it tore up seagrass beds, stripped mangrove forests of their leaves, and overall, left what looked like a trail of ecological apocalypse in its wake. But it’s now been a few weeks since the storm, and as scientists…
When a powerful earthquake rocked the Pacific coast of Tōhoku in March 2011, it didn’t just upend life in Japan. A massive tsunami wave swept countless coastal organisms into the open ocean, clinging to human garbage. An “extraordinary” trash-fueled migration from Japan to to North America ensued, the likes of which…
Full-on deforestation is a major environmental problem, but what about seemingly less impactful changes, like forest degradation and disturbance? A new study published today in the journal Science finds that these less eye-catching human impacts are more harmful than has been assumed, and are actually causing tropical…
A week after Hurricane Maria tore through the Caribbean, Puerto Ricans are still struggling to get basic relief supplies and make contact with loved ones. But as the US territory’s leaders focus on the looming humanitarian crisis, scientists are starting to think about another longer-term impact of the storm, its…
The Solomon Islands—a nation comprised of nearly one thousand islands located northeast of Australia, between Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea—is an impressive corner of the globe. Dense, lush rainforest blankets the majority of the islands, and the country’s coral reef biodiversity is among the richest in the world. Many…
Each day, our Sun pours its energy down onto the Earth’s surface, turning vast expanses of open water into vapor. New research shows the surprising degree to which this clean and renewable process could be used to produce electricity—enough, perhaps, to meet 70 percent of US energy needs. But before this energy…
Last year brought some rare good conservation news: the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the folks who determine which species are endangered and which aren’t, bumped pandas from endangered to vulnerable. That’s a sign that conservation efforts have begun to reverse the effects of the human…
Stand in awe of the small but mighty pumpkin toadlet. He might only be an inch long, but his skin is packed with some of the most potent toxins on Earth. Strutting proudly through the mulch, he lets out a series of high-pitched buzzes to let nearby females know that in this patch of damp, decomposing leaves, he is…
The life of a hermit crab is one of repetition. Find an abandoned snail shell. Live in it. Nom on some flecks of detritus. Grow bigger. Find a slightly bigger shell. Repeat all steps for the rest of your crustacean life. The most onerous part is continually upgrading the shell, a process that can get pretty intensely…
Floridians were spared the brunt of Hurricane Irma’s destructive power last week, when the storm instead took direct aim at some of the most pristine sections of the Everglades. Early reports from scientists suggest that these ecosystems saw serious damage, and could face a long road to recovery.
The Department of Homeland Security has moved to waive a stunning list of environmental regulations for the construction of Donald Trump’s stupid border wall. You know, the same one which depending on how lit the president happens to be at any given moment, he has promised would be between anywhere from 30 to 65 feet…
Ah, the simple pleasure of a perfectly stacked soda display or an impeccably organized closet. Who doesn’t feel at least a little reenergized after a bout of over-the-top arranging? Turns out, our squirrelly friends might feel the same way about neatly-organized nuts.
As Hurricane Irma rakes the west coast of Florida, all eyes are on the cities and human lives in the storm’s path. But Irma is also hammering the Florida Everglades, and the scientists familiar with this fragile ecosystem are concerned the storm could deliver a devastating blow.
Old sailor’s tales about the seas being so full of fish you could walk on them, or oysters the size of frisbees, tend to inspire skepticism today, and for good reason—most of us have very little direct experience with the oceans, except for the occasional news article about how we’ve screwed it up beyond repair. But…
Burying beetles (Nicrophorus) are hard to miss. The insects aren’t big, but most species are painted with vibrant, orange blotches on a glossy black background. According to new research, walking around dressed in their Halloween best may have a much more important function for the beetles than just looking like …
The American Pika (Ochonta princeps) is one of the few unproblematic faves we have left. These tiny animals roams the mountainous regions of the western United States, doing absolutely nothing wrong. Seriously, all these little floofs do is munch on wildflowers and grass—the images of which are mind-numbingly cute.…
Many animals endemic to islands have gone the proverbial “way of the dodo,” including, well, the dodo. Island species face some of the toughest climate and human-induced challenges, and some of them just don’t make it out alive. But new research shows how one strange creature—the Solenodon—was able to escape…
You may be familiar with the Big Buck Hunter bonus level where you pump a few dozen rounds into salmon flopping out of the river while grizzlies look on. This is not an especially good bonus level (I prefer the one with the basketballs or the electric eels), but it would be much worse if you needed to shoot…
Nature can be brutal as hell. The Circle of Life translates to a horrible place full of awful smells, corpses, murder, and plenty of unreasonably upsetting shit. Looking at pictures of nature, however, is a completely different story. It’s soothing. It’s nice. There’s not as much blood, generally.
