Environment

Life

A new metric of extinction risk considers how cultures care for species

Conservation efforts should consider relationships between cultural groups and the species important to them, researchers argue.

Climate

It’s possible to reach net-zero carbon emissions. Here’s how

Cutting carbon dioxide emissions to curb climate change and reach net zero is possible but not easy.

Environment

Recycling rare earth elements is hard. Science is trying to make it easier

As demand grows, scientists are inventing new — and greener — ways to recycle rare earth elements.

Environment

Rare earth elements could be pulled from coal waste

The scheme would provide valuable rare earth metals and help clean up coal mining’s dirty legacy.

Climate

Cyclones in the Arctic are becoming more intense and frequent

Over the last 70 years, boreal storms have steadily grown stronger. And climate change may make them worse, threatening both people and sea ice.

Earth

Rare earth mining may be key to our renewable energy future. But at what cost?

We take you inside Mountain Pass, the only rare earth mine in the United States.

Climate

2022’s biggest climate change bill pushes clean energy

Experts weigh in on the pros and cons of the United States’ first major climate change legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, signed this year.

Animals

Dry pet food may be more environmentally friendly than wet food

The environmental cost of wet pet food is higher than dry food, scientists say. That may be because wet food gets most of its calories from animals.

Health & Medicine

Pollution mucks up the lungs’ immune defenses over time

A study of immune tissue in the lungs reports that particulate matter buildup from air pollution may impair respiratory immunity in older adults.

Animals

These devices use an electric field to scare sharks from fishing hooks

SharkGuard gadgets work by harnessing sharks’ ability to detect electric fields. That could save the animals’ lives, a study suggests.

Climate

Wind turbines could help capture carbon dioxide while providing power

Turbulent wakes from wind turbines can concentrate CO₂ from cities and factories, making it easier to remove the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.

Earth

Landslides shaped a hidden landscape within Yellowstone

Scientists have used lasers to get a detailed view of the national park’s topography, and they’ve spotted more than a thousand landslides.