Stories by Naomi Lubick

Wild Toads Saved from Killer Fungal Disease

But chemical treatment for chytrid infection may only work in specific habitats

High Levels of Antibiotic Resistance Genes Found in Major Midwest Watershed

The South Platte River system picks up microbial genes for resistance to sulphonamide and tetracycline antibiotics as its waters flow past human settlements

What Is Killing South African Crocs?

Mass deaths of South Africa's Nile crocodiles puzzle biologists

Mud Flood: Indonesian Eruption Also Spewed Oil

An Indonesian mud volcano most likely triggered by oil drilling now may be bringing that same oil to the surface

Triggered Swarms: How Big Quakes Can Cause Small Quakes Far Away

A quake in Alaska sets off a series of rumbles in the U.S.

An Ear to the Stars

Despite long odds, astronomer Jill C. Tarter forges ahead to improve the chances of picking up signs of extraterrestrial intelligence

Designing Trees

The same, often controversial gene-tweaking techniques that brought us pest-resistant fruits and vegetables now have a new target: trees

Allergen-Free Trees

Where Biosphere Meets Geosphere

Microbes don't only affect other living things. They break down rock, construct mineral deposits and create by-products ranging from electrical currents to methane gas

California Heats Up over Natural Steam

Pumping water into the Geysers geothermal steamfield in Napa Valley will provide power companies with free steam energy and residents with possible earthquakes

Looking for Aliens

We often assume extraterrestrials will be smart enough to contact us. But what if they aren't? How do we find them then?

Healing Haze?

As politicians debate the potential merits of medical marijuana, scientists search for new ways to deliver this old drug

Cutting the Cord

For billions of years the sun has steadily provided vast amounts of energy. Are we ready to tap into this resource?

Volcanic Accomplice

Deadly impacts may have exacerbated massive eruptions

Moving Mountains

Volcanoes swell and collapse back down in what seem like great, heaving sighs. These movements may help scientists better predict eruptions

Glaciers, Not Floods, on Mars

The Well-Rounded Flat Speaker

The Oldest Rock on Earth

A Trace of the Corona

New images help to explain why the sun's atmosphere is hotter than its surface

Desert Fridge

Cooling foods when there's not a socket around