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.
Pico Bolívar

The Last Glacier of Venezuela

Glaciers are retreating around the world. The Andes are no exception: in Venezuela, the ice has mostly already disappeared.
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.
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.
anolis proboscis lizard

Will Optimistic Stories Get People to Care About Nature?

Research shows that negative messaging is not the most effective way forward.
Penguins in Antarctica

Antarctic Ice Reveals Temporary Side Effect of Carbon Pollution: Happy Plants

The rate of photosynthesis has increased dramatically over the past century. Plants have been shielding us from some of the effects of climate change.