Down to Earth
The biodiversity crisis, explained
A new solution to save the iconic Joshua tree uses a distant relative of one of the Mojave’s ancient seed distributors: The camel.
Everything from Ozempic to Covid vaccines is tested on long-tailed macaques. Experts believe many are illegally trafficked from the wild.
Scientists have never seen a newborn great white shark ... until (maybe) now.
It’s good news for bat-haters and bad news for everyone else.
Stray cats harm wildlife. Should we kill them?
Climate change and other human impacts are turning some animals nocturnal.
At the center of a controversial new proposal to limit logging are very, very old trees.
In Central Mexico’s forests, armed community members defend an iconic butterfly from cartel-backed logging.
Good God, give this US agency a few more dollars to stop a mass extinction.
Our planet faces a mass extinction. I visited ground zero.
To clean up poisoned streams, Appalachian researchers are turning acid mine drainage into something unexpected.
Dengue, drought, and floods are hammering Peru and Bolivia this year. At the UN climate talks, they’re seeking justice.
A herd of javelinas damaged a ritzy golf course in Arizona. Golf courses have done more damage.
Deep-sea mining threatens the world’s untapped and unknown underwater pharmacies.
It’s a bedbug’s world now. We’re just sleeping in it.
Human survival depends on this iconic ecosystem, and only one thing will save it.
Not all heroes wear capes. Some are crabs.
Devastating photos reveal how an extreme heat wave is wrecking Florida’s coral reef.
These monkeys, reptiles, and birds don’t belong in Florida. Should we kick them out?
An extreme heat wave has pushed Florida’s reef to the brink — and burned up years worth of progress.
If you love nature, consider not driving in it.
Invasive species cost hundreds of billions each year. But the division between “alien” and “native” isn’t so clear.
These marine predators have a few clever tricks to survive storms like Idalia.
Nature is healing.
Scientists are reporting increasing insecticide resistance among American Culex mosquitoes that spread West Nile virus to humans.
Tinder for these insects is actual tinder.
Wildfires can be devastating, but for some animals, they’re an opportunity.
Humans install spikes so birds will go away. Birds steal them and do this instead.
13 questions about bird flu, answered.
Animals don’t have AC. But they have beavers.
Deforestation raged ahead again in 2022, even after scores of countries pledged to protect their forests.
A chemist explains how PFAS can harm us — and what to do about them.
Carnivorous plants are thriving in the most unlikely place.
Countries are negotiating a new global treaty to drastically reduce the plastic waste that has been poisoning the world.
From “fluffy flying narwhals” to maggots that snorkel in trash, welcome to the wonderfully bizarre world of flies.
Protected areas cover more than a quarter of US waters, yet they often don’t safeguard marine life.
It’s a stinky ecological wonder.
Scientists have never seen anything like it.
Kelp forests are majestic, life-sustaining ecosystems. Climate change imperils them.
De-extinction isn’t worth the ethical cost.