CLIMATE CHANGE

Atmospheric rivers slammed Southern California in February 2024 and caused widespread floods and mudslides.

What Is an Atmospheric River?

Explore the role of these weather systems in transporting moisture from the tropics and spreading it worldwide.

10 Chilling Facts About Permafrost

About 11 percent of the Earth’s surface is perpetually frozen, though that will surely change as global warming continues.

Here are all the new jawns in the dictionary.

Jawns and Shower Oranges: See 30 of Dictionary.com’s Newly Added Terms

Non-Philadelphians can finally look up the meaning of ‘jawn’ in the dictionary.

Xiulin Ruan and a sample of his cooling paint.

Scientists Have Created the Whitest Paint Ever—and It Might Help Cool the Planet

The ultra-white paint can block up to 98 percent of the sun's rays. Applied on roofs, it could have a dramatic cooling effect on homes and buildings.

A sign on the Hoover Dam warns of dangerous heat levels on September 16, 2022, in Boulder City, Nevada.

What Is a Heat Dome?

Heat domes are masses of hot air trapped within the atmosphere by high pressure. And they're becoming more common, thanks to climate change.

AirNow’s Interactive Map Shows You the Air Quality Index in Your Area

If you’re in the red on AirNow’s air quality map, you should stay inside.

Canadian wildfires have covered New York City in a dull amber pall.

4 Ways to Stay Safe When Wildfire Smoke Causes Poor Air Quality

Canadian wildfires have caused air quality alerts to go into effect across the U.S. Here’s how to stay safe.

Your state has probably seen some unbelievable weather.

Hot and Cold: The All-Time Highest (and Lowest) Recorded Temperatures in Each State

California once hit -45°F degrees.

Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) looks out for asteroids in the climate change satire 'Don't Look Up.'

8 Climate Movies That Get the Science (Mostly) Right—and 3 That Do Not

Climate fiction (cli-fi) movies run the gamut from deliciously cheesy to heartbreaking. But are these films actually offering a glimpse of our future?

Charlton Heston (L) confronts Chuck Connors (R) in 'Soylent Green.'

8 Things 'Soylent Green' Got Right (and Wrong) About the Future

The 1973 science fiction film was eerily prescient in predicting climate change, product shortages, and people-flavored meal replacements.

15 Amazing Facts About "The Year Without a Summer"

Few volcanoes had had such a dramatic and devastating impact on the world as Indonesia's Mount Tambora.

Why Does Humidity Make Us Feel Hotter?

Is it really not the heat, but the humidity? With temperatures spiking around the world, it's a good time to answer some questions about the heat index.

Seattle residents use air conditioning at half the rate of the national average.

It's Summer, But Many Seattle Residents Are Opting Out of Air Conditioning—Here's Why

Even in the dead heat of summer, stoic Seattle residents beg off on AC. Here's why.

'American War' and 'Clade' are just two of the cli-fi books tackling global climate and environmental issues.

11 Gripping Cli-Fi Books to Put on Your TBR List

Set in a fictionalized future, these cli-fi novels explore how climate change is poised to forever impact our civilization.

The ‘Doomsday Vault’ Has Opened Its Doors to Receive New Seed Deposits

The Svalbard Global Seed Bank in Norway contains 1.1 million seed samples from roughly 6000 plant species, and it just received a new batch of deposits.

Apple Is Launching a New Self-Service Repair Program, So You Never Have to Be Embarrassed by Your Cracked Screen Again

Apple screen repair could be easy for tech-savvy DIYers to figure out. Now, thanks to Apple's new Self-Service Repair Program, they’ll finally get the chance.

Christmas tree harvesters hard at work at Oregon's Holiday Tree Farms in November 2017.

The American Christmas Tree Association Is Warning of a Christmas Tree Shortage in 2021—So Plan Ahead

Climate change has hit Christmas tree farms hard. Thanks to supply chain issues, artificial tree vendors haven’t fared much better.

A Currier & Ives lithograph depicts people fleeing across the Randolph Street Bridge during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

8 Surprising Facts About the Great Chicago Fire of 1871—150 Years Later

On October 8, 1871, Chicago was transformed into a hellish inferno by the Great Chicago Fire. By the time a sudden rain helped extinguish the flames, 300 people were dead, and 100,000 more were homeless. And no: It was not because of Mrs. O'Leary's cow.

The Rainiest City in Every Country

From Hilo, Hawaii to Londonderry, Northern Ireland, these are the rainiest cities in every country around the world.

Calving is one way that glaciers lose ice.

12 Disappearing Glaciers Around the World

If you want to behold some of the world's most majestic glaciers on six continents, you better act fast.

A Sydney Suburb Is Combating Climate Change by Requiring Light-Colored Roofs and a Tree in Every Yard

Planting trees means more shade, and white roofs emit less heat. Here’s how Australia’s Wilton area is fostering eco-friendly growth.

Lenticular clouds in Cape Town, South Africa.

8 Strange Cloud Types and What They Mean

The next time somebody points out a UFO-shaped cloud, you can whip out the word ‘lenticular.’ They’ll love it.

Record Temperatures Are Frying Live Shellfish on Canada's Pacific Coast

The brutal Pacific Northwest heatwave of summer 2021 has left Canada's beaches filled with cooked and rotting shellfish.

What's worse than a single mosquito? Mosquitoes that don't want to be single.

Funnel of Love: Mosquitoes Looking for Mates Formed ‘Mosquito Tornadoes’ in Siberia

A mosquito bite eventually goes away. The image of a mosquito tornado, meanwhile, will live in your brain forever.