Water Bears' Super Survival Skills Give Up Secrets
A protein from microscopic creatures called tardigrades keeps their DNA protected—and could someday shield humans from radiation.
Environment8296 articles archived since 1845
EPA's Clean Power Plan Does Well in Court
Both sides in the fierce legal battle acknowledge that EPA has the early edge
Earth's CO2 Passes the 400 PPM Threshold--Maybe Permanently
Carbon dioxide levels often hit lows in September, but now remain above a crucial benchmark
They Do What?!: The Wide Wild World of Animal Sex
Carin Bondar talks about her new book Wild Sex, which covers the strange, surreal and sometimes scary sex lives of our animal cousins.
Clever Ants Have Backup Navigation Systems
An ant walking in the desert can gauge distance by footsteps and the sun's position, but an ant being carried can estimate distance by visual information perceived as it passed by.
Not Done Yet: Climate Pact Is Only Halfway
More than the needed 55 countries have ratified the Paris agreement, but they don't represent the required 55 percent of emissions
What Causes Wildfires?
The wildfire season started early this month in the northwestern U.S., and the huge blaze still burns in Fort McMurray, Alberta, after three weeks of fighting the flames. What causes wildfires on this scale, and how can we prevent them?
Birch Trees Droop at Night with No Rays in Sight
The branches of birch trees in Europe sagged by as much as four inches at night compared with daytime.
![Tree Loss Is Put to Music [Audio]](/sciam/cache/file/4A0AEE73-848D-4645-8239449A533007F7_small.jpg)
Tree Loss Is Put to Music [Audio]
Data, turned into music, reveals an odd scenario: death by freezing, in a warming world
Sea Ice, Near Record Low, Is Not Rebounding
Winter regrowth may be slower than usual
No Safe Haven for Polar Bears in Warming Arctic
Sea-ice retreat is affecting every one of the endangered species’ refuges
World Leaders Meet to Protect Oceans
Proposals range from more protected areas to bans on plastic bags
Activists Open an Online Window onto the Global Fishing Fleet
A free Web service combats illegal fishing by exposing the movements of commercial vessels to public view
Life in the Meta City
We walk a line between the anarchy of choice and Disney-fication, says the author of Neuromancer
Road Noise Makes Birds' Lives Tougher
By playing road noise where there was no road, researchers were able to gauge the effect of the noise on bird behavior without having to deal with the effect of the road itself.
Debate Rises over Real Source of Higher Methane Emissions
Some research says oil and gas production is the largest contributor, other work says it's agriculture, livestock and landfills
Secrets of Life in the Soil
Diana Wall has built a career on overturning assumptions about underground ecosystems. Now she is seeking to protect this endangered world
World Wilderness Down 10 Percent in 20 Years
South America and central Africa lost the most wilderness in a decline since the 1990s that saw the planet's wild areas down by a tenth
Clean Energy Firms Lobby Congess as Much as Dirty Firms Do
Carbon-emitting companies try to maintain the status quo, green-energy companies try to gain a competitive advantage
Even the Most Remote Islands Harbor Human Messes
Biologists are trying to clean uninhabited U.S. Pacific Islands that are covered in nuclear waste, bird-eating mice and yellow crazy ants
