ENVIRONMENT

Megafauna like woolly mammoths dominated during the ice age.

20 Cool Facts About the Ice Age

From what causes ice ages and how many we’ve had, to the species that thrived and the ones that died, here’s what you need to know.

How Long It Really Takes Your Cloth Grocery Bags to Become More Sustainable Than Plastic

Reusable cloth grocery bags are hailed as a sustainable alternative to plastic, but the truth is more complicated.

The 5 Days You Can Get Free Admission to National Parks in 2023

Want to commune with nature? Here's how to do it while saving a few bucks.

A tugboat on the Thames near Tower Bridge in heavy smog, 1952.

The Great Smog Descended on London 70 Years Ago, and Took Almost as Long to Solve

Heavy fogs have long been a part of life in London. But the darkness that enveloped the city on December 5, 1952 wasn’t your typical pea-souper.

Peaches and other stone fruits are often sprayed with pesticides.

The 10 Dirtiest Foods in the Produce Aisle, According to an Environmental Watchdog Group

There’s no such thing as eating too many fruits and vegetables, but you'll want to give these a good rinse first.

How the Quest for Wild Chocolate Could Help Save the Amazon Rainforest

To harvest wild chocolate from the Amazon, cacao hunters have to avoid cocaine smugglers, flash floods, and giant anacondas.

Dobby gains his freedom in 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' (2002).

Conservationists Ask People to Stop Leaving Socks at Dobby’s Seaside Grave in Wales

The harbor porpoises that live near Dobby’s Pembrokeshire grave site don’t love socks as much as the Harry Potter house elf did.

A humpback whale feeds off the coast of California.

Whales Could Be Eating 10 Million Pieces of Microplastic a Day

The research sheds new light on just how badly microplastic pollution is affecting nature's biggest living creatures.

Tourists get up close and personal with Antarctica's gentoo penguins.

Antarctica's Tourists Are Turning into Citizen Scientists to Clean Up the Continent

Scientists and cruise operators are fighting the impacts of tourism in Antarctica—with the help of tourists themselves.

Human Composting Is Coming to California

California residents committed to living an eco-friendly life will soon be able to opt for an eco-friendly death.

Why cremate when you can turn yourself into human porridge?

Want an Eco-Friendly Death? Consider Flameless Cremation

A flame-free disposal turns your body into a convenient sludge.

An industrial plant in Louisiana's "Cancer Alley" region.

The 20 Most Polluted States in America

Unfortunately, Louisiana doesn’t have a region called “Cancer Alley” for nothing.

Too much dietary protein is causing big problems.

Your Protein-Rich Diet May Be Turning Your Pee into an Environmental Pollutant

American eat more meat than any other country—and nitrogen from all that extra protein has to go somewhere.

Sustainable travel can help both the planet and your wallet.

6 Tips for Traveling Sustainably

High airfare and gas prices don't exactly make it easy to travel right now. And the greenhouse gasses that come out of those transportation methods aren't particularly great, either.

Jane Goodall is Getting the Barbie Treatment—With a Doll Made of Recycled Plastic

The Barbie ‘Inspiring Women’ series is honoring one of the world’s most iconic primatologists and conservationists.

A tokay gecko demonstrates its climbing skill.

10 Modern Inventions Modeled After Nature

Sometimes the best tech is right in front of us, thanks to millions of years of evolution.

Catatumbo lightning over Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela

9 Dazzling Facts about the Catatumbo Lightning, Venezuela’s Constant Electrical Storm

One place in Venezuela, near the confluence of the Catatumbo River and Lake Maracaibo, experiences lightning storms almost every day.

Bees Are Now Legally Fish in California—And That’s Good News for Bees

Thanks in part to a snail, California bees are fish. No, this isn’t a Mad Lib.

This Eco-Friendly Kayak Is Made From More Than 60 Pounds of Recycled Plastic

There’s not much crossover between the lists of best kayaks and eco-friendly products. Osiris Outdoor is trying to change that.

Spot the Turtle Among the Plastic Waste in This Ocean-Themed Brainteaser

There's a turtle swimming through the marine life and plastic waste in this hidden-image puzzle. How fast can you spot it?

Why You See Fewer Fireflies in the Summer Than You Used To

It's not in your head—there really are fewer fireflies than there used to be. Luckily there are steps you can take to help the insects.

11 Facts About Glacier National Park

More than 3 million people visited its snow-covered peaks in 2021, making Glacier the 27th-most visited park in the national park system.

A scene from Netflix's 'Meltdown: Three Mile Island' (2022).

8 Facts About the Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident

In 1979, America came the closest it’s ever been to a commercial nuclear catastrophe when a malfunctioning valve led to a partial meltdown on Three Mile Island.

The Rocky Mountain locust was a force to be reckoned with.

The Locust that Ate the American West

Laura Ingalls Wilder recalled the devastation they caused in the 1870s in 'On the Banks of Plum Creek.'

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