Signs of the TimesArticle 07.08.2021Despite 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 2021Photo Gallery 05.27.2021From 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 WorldArticle 05.12.2021Clinging 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 RupestrePhoto Essay 04.22.2021In 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 RangeArticle 03.23.2021Once 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.
Mother LoadSpotlight 12.11.2020Multitasking bat moms carry their nursing pups underwing all while navigating a growing array of threats in the Australian forests they call home.
Lens on LifePhoto Gallery 12.04.2020While 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 2020Photo Gallery 05.05.2020From 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 WorldArticle 02.18.2020Microbes 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 SalamandersVideo 12.10.2019Important 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 ItArticle 12.03.2019The 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 SinkPhoto Essay 11.12.2019Long 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 ChickenArticle 10.30.2019These 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 GardenPhoto Essay 09.11.2019The 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 EvergladesImmersive 07.11.2019Clinging 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 FieldsArticle 06.26.2019California’s Chinook salmon have been losing habitat to agriculture for decades. Now, they’re getting a much-needed boost from strategically flooded fields.
The Big Picture 2019Photo Gallery 04.30.2019From 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.
The Last WolvesPhoto Essay 02.27.2019Africa’s rarest carnivores face mounting threats from disease-carrying domestic dogs, but scientists hope a new vaccination campaign will give Ethiopian wolves a fighting chance at survival.
Green Glove, Iron FistArticle 12.18.2018As China prepares to unveil its brand-new national park system, the country—and the world—holds its collective breath to see how conservation will play out under this authoritarian regime.
The WreckersSpotlight 12.12.2018The lionfish that haunt one of the world’s most famous shipwrecks are now laying claim to new battlegrounds.
