Smokestacks with pollution

Plastic in Your Beer, Toxins in Your Air, and Heavy Metals on Your Doorsteps

From household plastic to industrial waste, anthropogenic activity has created compounds that poison ecosystems from water to air.
Satellite view of Hurricane Irma.

Hurricanes May be Getting More Severe: Do We Need a Whole New Cateogry to Describe Them?

There’s been a devastating trail of destruction and flooding along the east Atlantic coast in the last few ...
Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston - August 27 2017

How To Recycle Half A Million Flooded Cars

Although a car seems like a long-term capital investment, it is only a crash or disaster away from becoming two tons of mass-consumer junk.
Zika virus kills some cancer

Meet Zika’s Lifesaving Side: It Kills Cancer

A new study suggests the Zika virus may kill some cancer cells. It can destroy the stem cells of glioblastoma, the most common type of brain tumors.
flooded houston hurricane harvey impact

Natural and Man-Made Disasters, from Atom Weather to Fire Ants

Mother Nature’s wrath can be unpredictable and random, but history shows that humankind is ultimately responsible for many "natural disasters."
NOAA image of Irma Jose and Katia

Is This Triple-Hurricane Image the Sign of the New Norm?

There are currently three hurricanes swirling over the Atlantic Ocean, and meteorologists are saying they have never seen anything like.
dehydration and climate change

Climate Change is Turning Dehydration into a Deadly Epidemic

A mysterious kidney disease is striking down laborers across the world and climate change is making it worse. Meet the doctors who are trying to stop it.
virtual farming

New Farming Frontiers—Heat, Pesticides, and Virtual Reality

As climate change pushes agriculture into the unknown realms, farmers develop new methods of farming and organic sustainable farming takes hold.
Spotted Owl sitting on a tree branch

Scientists Turn to Spotted Owls to Understand Wildfire Patterns

To better understand how the warming climate affects wildfires, Scientists are turning to Spotted Owls that evolved to deal with such disasters.
Costa Rican rainforest

A Clever Way to Conserve Forests

As climate change looms, scientists seek ways to reduce the release of carbon. Sometimes a low-tech approach is overlooked: conserving forests.