The Environment

Hurricane forecast maps are more complex than they appear. Understanding them could change how you prepare for the next storm.

Hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of losing homes, businesses—and lives—as giant “gullies” expand into cities across Africa

The EPA fired five agency employees who signed a June declaration decrying moves that contradict science and undermine public health and issued removal notices to four more

Hurricane forecasts have made huge leaps since Katrina hit 20 years ago, but that progress is threatened by Trump administration cuts to research

Two decades after Katrina, we revisit the storm and discuss the evolution of hurricane preparedness since then.

Scientists and engineers have been implementing steps to better protect New Orleans, but recent government actions are undermining the work, raising alarm

Bottom trawling is a fishing practice that is notoriously destructive to seafloor ecosystems. Now there’s growing evidence that it might unleash planet-warming carbon

Deep-sea rocks packed with valuable metals may also be making oxygen in the deep, dark ocean—raising new questions about the cost of mining them.

Microplastics are seemingly everywhere—and now growing research suggests they could be breeding grounds for drug-resistant bacteria

This gruesome parasite is more of a threat to your burger than to you

In his latest book, science journalist Peter Brannen argues that CO₂ is the most important—and most misunderstood—molecule on Earth

Hurricane forecasts feature a “cone of uncertainty,” but what is it actually showing? Scientific American breaks it down for you