Andrea Thompson is senior desk editor for life science at Scientific American, covering the environment, energy and earth sciences. She has been covering these issues for nearly two decades. Prior to joining Scientific American, she was a senior writer covering climate science at Climate Central and a reporter and editor at Live Science, where she primarily covered earth science and the environment. She has moderated panels, including as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Media Zone, and appeared in radio and television interviews on major networks. She holds a graduate degree in science, health and environmental reporting from New York University, as well as a B.S. and an M.S. in atmospheric chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Follow Thompson on Bluesky @andreatweather.bsky.social
The first Atlantic tropical storm of 2026 is here—and it used to be a Pacific cyclone
Tropical Storm Arthur is the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and will bring heavy rains and potential flash flooding to the Southeast
Dmitrii Kochkov
Making artificial-intelligence tools to predict what climate change will mean for extreme weather
Lucy Jones
The well-known seismologist on the need for the U.S. to recalibrate its social commitment to science
Naomi Oreskes
The science historian talks about scientific integrity and public opinion
Michael E. Mann
The famed climatologist talks about how science in the U.S. is under attack
J. Marshall Shepherd
The well-regarded meteorologist shares advice for young scientists to become as good at communication as they are at discovery
The 2026 World Cup will bring the heat. Here's how to keep cool
Extreme heat poses a risk to players, spectators and workers—find out where the danger is and how to keep cool
The Philippines earthquake is massive, but it could’ve been bigger—here’s why
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit the Philippines happened at a subduction zone. Such places are capable of producing the largest earthquakes possible
Andrew Scott learned all about meteorology for his latest film Pressure
Andrew Scott plays World War II meteorologist James Stagg in a new film Pressure, which explores the crucial role weather forecasting played in D-Day
How the success of D-Day hinged on a weather forecast
As General Dwight D. Eisenhower prepared for D-Day, he needed a forecast. The new movie Pressure shows the tense make-or-break weather prediction that led to the successful invasion of Europe that spelled the beginning of the end of World War II
Extreme heat is breaking records in the East. Here’s why
A Bermuda high parked over the western Atlantic is pulling sweltering air up from the south, challenging records in parts of the eastern U.S.
Wildfire breaks out in Chernobyl exclusion zone
A fire covering at least five square miles burned through the exclusion zone around the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster on Friday after two drones crashed into the area
Whatever happened to the ozone hole, acid rain and DDT?
The environmental crises of the past often seem to disappear—have problems like acid rain and smog been solved?
NASA’s Artemis II nears the moon, oil trumps endangered species, snowpack plummets
An update on NASA’s historic moon mission, alarm over the low snowpack in the western U.S. and a move that could endanger wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico
April 1 is supposed to be peak snow. But this year’s western snowpack is utterly dismal
A record warm winter meant that snow levels across the western U.S. were already low, but an incredible March heat wave has made things even worse
Disappearing Arctic sea ice breaks frightening record
The Arctic sea ice maximum this year effectively tied for the lowest ever on record, with major implications for polar ecosystems and global warming
‘Science under attack’: Top climate scientist Kate Marvel explains why she resigned from NASA
Climate scientist Kate Marvel talked to Scientific American about her decision to leave NASA amid federal government turmoil and funding challenges
There is no historical precedent for how badly out of balance the climate is now, U.N. warns
The past 11 years were the 11 hottest on record amid an increasing onslaught of climate-driven disasters, the World Meteorological Organization said in a new report
Spring heat, a blow to RFK, Jr.’s vaccine policy, lead in kids’ clothes
An unseasonal heat dome over parts of the U.S., a federal court ruling that blocks the CDC’s recent change to its recommended childhood vaccine schedule, new research on unsafe levels of lead in fast fashion
Everything about this week’s record-shattering western heat wave is extreme
An astoundingly strong heat wave is not just setting records across the western U.S.—it’s pulverizing them
What’s with all the wild weather this week?
From blizzard conditions in the Midwest to a heat wave in the western U.S. to flooding in Hawaii, March has brought wild weather to the country
No U.S. states had a record cold winter. Nine had a record hot one
Though it may surprise East Coasters, the story of this winter was not record cold but record heat
How a bomb cyclone is bringing blizzard conditions to the Northeast
Blizzards can bring a ton of snow, but here’s what else they feature
Trump guts climate policy, polar vortex disrupts winter, and Olympic ‘Penisgate’ rumors fly
We take a look at President Trump’s decision to reject a landmark climate finding, the cause of an unusual winter in the U.S. and the physics behind a bizarre ski jumping scandal