Starling-Studded Skies Photo Essay 07.13.2021 A modern approach to a 19th-century photography technique celebrates both the art and science behind one of the planet’s most mesmerizing spectacles.
Signs of the Times Article 07.08.2021 Despite their perceived abundance, the periodical cicadas that emerged across the eastern United States this summer point to a growing set of threats facing both the insects themselves and the ecosystems they help support.
The Big Picture 2021 Photo Gallery 05.27.2021 From the beautiful to the bizarre, this photographic showcase of life on Earth shines a light on some of our planet’s most amazing species and places.
Antarctica’s Upside Down World Article 05.12.2021 Clinging to the underside of ice hundreds of meters thick, strange communities of sea life eke out a living in perpetual darkness. Now, researchers are racing to find and study these creatures before they—and their ice sheets—disappear.
Life, Death, and Renewal in the Campo Rupestre Photo Essay 04.22.2021 In a little-known region of Brazil that calls to mind Tolkien’s Middle-earth, unique lifeforms have evolved to endure innumerable environmental challenges. Can they survive the country’s latest era of deregulation?
Home on the Range Article 03.23.2021 Once thought to be extinct, tule elk have returned to roam across California’s Point Reyes National Seashore, but the park—which also supports beef and dairy cattle—is getting crowded.
From Reviled to Adored Photo Essay 02.23.2021 How one community—and one woman in particular—have found a way to protect the rarest stork in the world simply by learning to appreciate the species and embracing it as one of their own.
Swamp Sentinels Article 02.18.2021 Buried in mud for millennia, some of New Zealand’s ancient kauri trees are revealing surprising clues about Earth’s climate—past, present, and future.
The Other COVID Nurses Photo Essay 01.01.2021 Caring for sick and injured wildlife has always been challenging, but during the pandemic, for many rehabilitators, it has become a grueling, 24/7 labor of love.
Mother Load Spotlight 12.11.2020 Multitasking bat moms carry their nursing pups underwing all while navigating a growing array of threats in the Australian forests they call home.
Lens on Life Photo Gallery 12.04.2020 While 2020 has thrown an endless string of challenges at many of us, nature hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s just as impressive and inspiring—and in many cases, just as imperiled as ever.
The Big Picture 2020 Photo Gallery 05.05.2020 From the beautiful to the bizarre, this photographic showcase of life on Earth shines a light on some of our planet’s most amazing species and places.
Saving Mexico’s Lost World Article 02.18.2020 Microbes have lived in Cuatro Ciénegas for 500 million years. They’ve survived countless cataclysms and extinctions. But can they survive us?
Mexico City and its Sacred Salamanders Video 12.10.2019 Important symbols of both Mexican culture and ecosystem health, axolotls are on the brink of extinction in the wild, but a return to ancient practices offers hope for their future.
A (Proposed) Pipeline Runs Through It Article 12.03.2019 The Atlantic Coast Pipeline would divide mountains, farmland, and sacred Native American land along its 600-mile route, but it’s uniting a diverse community of activists determined to halt its progress.
Refilling the Carbon Sink Photo Essay 11.12.2019 Long seen as wastelands, Scotland’s bogs are now the scene of an intense restoration effort in which millions of exotic trees are being felled to fight climate change.
Song of the Mountain Chicken Article 10.30.2019 These giant frogs—once a delicacy on two Caribbean islands—were almost wiped out by disease and natural disasters. But their resilience and years of dedicated conservation efforts have kept hope for the species alive.
The Secret Garden Photo Essay 09.11.2019 The crystalline rivers of the Serra da Bodoquena offer a window into Brazil’s freshwater biodiversity. But with deforestation on the rise, that window is becoming cloudier.
Ghosts of the Everglades Immersive 07.11.2019 Clinging to survival in shrinking swamps, ghost orchids are so elusive that their pollinators have remained unknown—until now. One team’s findings may help to save both the flower and its threatened home.
Raised in Rice Fields Article 06.26.2019 California’s Chinook salmon have been losing habitat to agriculture for decades. Now, they’re getting a much-needed boost from strategically flooded fields.
