Environment

It’s been a fascinating year in earth science—from mysterious “dark oxygen” to an “unidentified seismic object,” here are some incredible things we’ve learned about our planet in 2024

A mysterious outbreak occurs in the Democratic of the Congo, and researchers find evidence that exposure to leaded gasoline was linked to increases in mental illness. Plus, we discuss orcas wearing salmon as hats.

A new paper warns the concept of “tipping points” doesn’t do much to encourage climate action from laypeople and policymakers

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman, is a major supporter of human-crewed space exploration, but his views on the climate science that the agency does are unclear

This is a science adventure story. Take a wild journey down the Colorado River in the company of two pioneering botanists: Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter.

The Hawaiian crow, or ‘alalā, has been extinct in the wild since 2002. A new effort to reintroduce birds of this species—considered important guides to the souls of the dead in Hawaiian tradition—is underway

Last year avian influenza brought death to the picturesque island of South Georgia off Antarctica. This season scientists hope things will be different

Plate tectonics, or the recycling of Earth’s crust, may have begun much earlier than previously thought—and may be a big reason that our planet harbors life

The Arctic is likely to become “ice-free” by midcentury—and could pass that grim milestone much sooner—unless much more is done to combat climate change

There are fewer than 500 Ethiopian wolves, and they may be the first large carnivore known to act as a pollinator

A summit many hoped would yield a landmark treaty to tackle a global plastic pollution crisis ended in disappointment after oil- and gas-producing countries pushed back on limiting production

A man scouring Google Earth found a mysterious scar in the Australian outback. And now scientists know what caused it