Photography Changed Americans’ Ideas about Nature
Many of our ideas about nature, wildlife, and conservation have their roots in the birth of nature photography.
DNA Forensics Can End Ivory Trafficking. Will Countries Play Along?
Scientists pinpoint poaching hotspots, but authorities aren’t always eager to join the fight.
Indigenous Reserves and the Future of the Amazon
Swathes of the Amazon rainforest are set aside for Indigenous peoples to manage. While they aren't conservation areas, they are important to the ecosystem.
Remembering Coral Conservationist Ruth Gates
Dr. Ruth Gates worked tirelessly to conserve coral reefs, promoting a controversial idea called assisted evolution.
The Great Seaweed Invasion
In the Caribbean, sargassum deposits have grown to unprecedented sizes, obscuring the sand and turning nearshore waters into seething sargassum soup.
Hippo Poop Kills Fish, but There’s an Upside
A robot disguised as a crocodile is helping scientists understand that mass fish die-offs serve a purpose.
Russian Cuckoos are Invading Alaska. Songbirds, Beware!
Songbirds may loose their entire broods to cuckoos’ parasitic tricks.
Alligators on Beaches May Become the Norm
As conservation efforts succeed, wolves, leopards, alligators, and other predators colonize new lands.
What This 19th-Century Poet Knew About the Future
The Anthropocene requires a new history to explain how humans transform the planet. The work of poet John Clare is a good place to start.
America’s Mysterious Lost Tree
Extinct in the wild, the Franklinia tree is still cultivated in botanical gardens, private homes, parks, even cemeteries. It's also got an interesting Revolutionary-era backstory.