Restoration of an American mastodon herd by Charles R. Knight

This Week in Sustainability: From Ice Age to Internet Age, Scientists Look for Clues to Species’ Extinctions

Scientists explore the causes--climate change, habitat destruction, and more--that decimated animals and humans alike, from Ice Age to Internet Age.
Tree in desert

The Environmental Impact of Nuclear War

Even a limited nuclear war would throw enough soot into the atmosphere to block sunlight and lower global temperatures by more than one degree Celsius.
tiny fur tree growing after forest fire

It’s the End of the World as We Know It. Is there Any Room for Optimism?

Climate scientists tend to be optimistic and have faith that humanity can engineer our way out of the climate change we’ve created.
dead fish float in a polluted river

A Dead Fish “Vitamin Pill,” Microbes that Put Dinner on the Table, and a Truck that Runs On Cow Manure

From microbial biochemistry to recycling dead fish to manure-to-energy converters, here’s this week’s most surprising sustainability news.
wildfires are getting worse

West Coast Infernos, Midday Mudslides, and the Little Cool Beans that Might Save the World

Wildfires and public health, predicting floods, and substituting beans for beef were top stories in environmental news this week.
Earthworm in soil

Maybe Earthworms Aren’t So Great For Soil After All

Earthworms are often portrayed as beneficial to the environment, but in North America's temperate forests, they are a disaster in action.
Nuclear power plant

Nuclear Power Without the Meltdowns?

When it comes to nuclear power, one word in particular instills fear: meltdown. But what is a meltdown? Can one be avoided?
Common Blue Butterfly

Why Conservationists Shouldn’t Forget About Insects

Insect conservation can be a tough sell. Lots of people simply don’t like bugs, and an endangered bug simply doesn’t pull on the heart strings.
Everest basecamp

Mountain of Trash: Everest’s Environmental Disaster

We often picture the Himalayas as pristine. In reality, Everest's snows cover empty oxygen tanks, wrappers, cans, and an array of debris left behind by climbers.
Wax moth

Will Feeding Plastic to Wax Worms Work?

The problems of plastic in the environment are well documented. Researchers may have a solution to our problem: the common wax worm.