Environment

Animals

Wayward baby puffins get help from a community-led Puffling Patrol

Fitted with ID tags or tracking devices, birds from one Iceland colony give scientists an eye into puffins’ largely unknown lives at sea.

Climate

Trees may be even bigger climate heroes than we thought

These plants absorb methane, a potent greenhouse gas, in addition to carbon dioxide. Methane’s uptake is likely thanks to microbes living in tree bark.

Environment

Scientists want to create a sort of Noah’s Ark on the moon

Climate change is threatening Earth’s biodiversity banks. A lunar “ark” would safeguard seeds and cells against changes happening on Earth.

Earth

Meet the sneaky and surprisingly dangerous squall-line tornado

These destructive, radar-dodging twisters often form at night. Emerging data from the U.S. Southeast might soon make forecasting the tornadoes possible.

Earth

As Yellowstone’s supervolcano slumbers, another big danger lurks

Superheated water beneath Yellowstone could fuel hydrothermal explosions with the force of an atomic bomb. And lessons from the past suggest they could happen today.

Tech

Lasers help put the cork on spilled oil

Treating cork with lasers made the material able to quickly sponge up oil while repelling water, scientists in China and Israel found.

Chemistry

Scientists Say: Methane

Used to cook food and heat homes, this potent greenhouse gas accounts for 30 percent of the warming of our climate.

Environment

To limit pollution, new recipe makes plastic a treat for microbes

Microplastics made from fossil fuels take centuries to disappear. But the plant- and algae-based plastic can break down in weeks to months.

Chemistry

Air pollution can make it harder for pollinators to find flowers

Pollutants that build up in night air can break down the scents that attract pollinating hawkmoths to primrose blooms, disrupting their pollination.

Chemistry

Turning jeans blue with sunlight might help the environment

When dipped in indican and exposed to sunlight, yarn turns a deep blue. This process is more eco-friendly than the current denim dyeing method.

Earth

Experiment: Can plants stop soil erosion?

Soil erosion washes pollutants into streams and rivers — but plants may help limit that.

Environment

Scientists Say: Carbon capture

Carbon capture technology tackles climate change by stomping out carbon dioxide at the source.