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The year 2018 wasn’t an easy one for the planet. Throughout the year we worried about how soon we may have to say good-bye to the Mediterranean region, what mysterious blight is killing European trees and whether a freshly calved Manhattan-sized iceberg would flood Manhattan. But there was also good news. We learned that our coastlines are recovering from the Superstorm Sandy, retired oil rigs are attracting fish, and livestock can help mitigate climate change. No doubt 2019 will bring more questions, more dilemmas, and likely more crises, but we hope that science will get us through. Here are our 10 favorite stories of 2018, as always, backed by scholarship and research to which our readers have free access.

JSTOR Teaching ResourcesJSTOR Teaching Resources

A cow in a field

Can Cows Help Mitigate Climate Change? Yes, They Can!

Lela Nargi
December 19, 2018
Livestock emit greenhouse gases. They also can sequester carbon and boost biodiversity.
Bee on Lilly

The Race to Build a Better Bee

Jodi Helmer
August 21, 2018
Could drone pollinators help secure our future food supply?
Sweeper machine in a greenhouse of fruit trees

Do We Really Need Robot Farmers?

Lina Zeldovich
September 18, 2018
As weather heats up and climate change progresses, fieldwork will grow more hazardous.
Several buckets of clams

Can Re-Clamming Our Harbors Keep Superstorms at Bay?

Jen Pinkowski
October 30, 2018
Hurricanes like Sandy destroy coastlines. Clams and oysters help keep them together.
A family of elephants around a broken ivory tusk

DNA Forensics Can End Ivory Trafficking. Will Countries Play Along?

Rachel Nuwer
December 4, 2018
Scientists pinpoint poaching hotspots, but authorities aren’t always eager to join the fight.
Detroit alley with bee balm

To Battle Floods, Cities Revive Their Long-Forgotten Alleyways

Lynn Freehill-Maye
September 11, 2018
Once polluted and abandoned, back alleys have sprouted into flourishing rain gardens.
used styrofoam food containers

Is the 30-Year-Long Styrofoam War Nearing Its End?

Katherine Martinelli
October 9, 2018
Neither banning nor recycling will rid us of Styrofoam. Can we live without it?
Venice, Italy with flooding and tourists walking in high water

Is It Time to Say Good-Bye to the Mediterranean?

Lina Zeldovich
November 6, 2018
The cradle of civilization may not support our civilization anymore.
Girl and dog relaxing on a healthy green lawn

Fixing the Grassroots of the American Lawn

Lina Zeldovich
May 30, 2018
A citizen scientist bred low-mow, slow-grow grass that needs little water and fertilizer.
Manhattan glacier

Should Manhattanites Worry About the New Manhattanish-Size Iceberg?

Lina Zeldovich
July 17, 2018
Probably. If all Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets melt, the sea level will rise over 200 feet.
Oil Rigs Fish

Can Oil Rigs Grow into Ocean Reefs?

Lina Zeldovich
July 24, 2018
Scientists suggest keeping old offshore oil platforms as productive fish habitats.

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