Thursday, May 14, 2026

Environment

Latest

Earth draws closer to passing behind the Moon in this image captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby. NASA

Environment

Will future missions to the Moon be sustainable? It may depend on whom you ask

Staff Writer - May 14, 2026

MP Materials’ Mountain Pass mine and processing facility in California was for years the only U.S. rare earth elements mine. Tmy350/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Environment

The missing link in America’s critical minerals push isn’t mining – it’s processing expertise

Henry David Thoreau investigated the Sudbury River as America’s first river scientist. Robert M. Thorson

Environment

Thoreau the scientist – how environmental research informed ‘Walden’ and later works

Large-scale wildfires seem to turn visitors away, while prescribed burning may have the opposite effect. Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Environment

Fire is transforming the US West’s public lands – research shows overlooked cost to recreation

Leaders attend the 45th Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Kuwait City, Kuwait on Dec.01, 2024. Amiri Diwan of Kuwait/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images

Environment

Gulf state cooperation has long been shaped by the threat of Iran − but shows of unity belie division

A pipe carries water and raw sewage into the C&O Canal, parallel to the Potomac River. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Environment

Washington DC’s 240 million‑gallon sewage spill is a symptom of nationwide trouble

Staff Writer - April 16, 2026

Gray whales have unique markings, making it possible to track each one in the bay. Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images

Environment

Gray whales are dying in San Francisco Bay at an alarming...

Staff Writer - April 13, 2026

This composite image shows the Geminid meteors, captured in 2020 using Global Meteor Network software. Aleksandar Merlak

Environment

I found a new meteor shower, and it comes from an...

Staff Writer - April 10, 2026

The Denver suburb of Castle Rock, Colo., limits water use in future developments. Homeowners are embracing water-efficient yards. RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Environment

Water conservation works, but climate change is outpacing it: Phoenix, Denver...

Staff Writer - April 8, 2026

The Salton Sea is shrinking and releasing toxic dust from its lake bed. Jennifer Davis/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Environment

Toxic dust from California’s shrinking Salton Sea is harming children’s lung...

Staff Writer - April 5, 2026

The Camelot crater in the Moon’s Taurus-Littrow Valley is where the sample containing trivalent titanium was found. NASA/Apollo 17: AS17-145-22159

Environment

New study measures titanium in Apollo rock to uncover Moon’s early chemistry

Staff Writer - March 29, 2026

Boat strikes can harm or kill whales and are one concern about the oil industry’s environmental impact. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Environment

Trump’s ‘God Squad’ pits energy vs. endangered species, but it’s a...

Staff Writer - March 28, 2026

The Artemis II crew poses during a ground systems test ahead of launch. NASA/Frank Michaux

Environment

From ‘Project Hail Mary’ to Artemis II, spaceflight captures audiences when...

Staff Writer - March 27, 2026

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EXPLORING NATURE

This screenshot juxtaposes a fossil of stem from the plant Archaeopitys eastmanii (bottom) and a close-up of its vascular system (top). The specimen was found in Kentucky and is over 350 million years old. Ingrid C. Romero, CC BY-SA

Education

Galaxies of life are collecting dust in museums – digitizing microscope...

Staff Writer - May 5, 2026

Ingrid C. Romero, Smithsonian Institution and Scott L. Wing, Smithsonian Institution Approximately 145 million: That’s the number of specimens...

Gas prices were well over $4 a gallon on April 28, 2026, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

What’s in the price of a gallon of gas?

May 1, 2026

The new federal classification of marijuana regulates only medical use; recreational use is still determined by state laws. tvirbickis/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Reclassification of marijuana opens doors for much‑needed medical research into the...

April 29, 2026

An artisanal miner holds a cobalt stone at a mine near Kolwezi, Congo, in 2022. About 20,000 people work there among toxic materials. Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty Images

The race to mine critical minerals for AI and clean energy...

April 28, 2026

Pope Leo XIV arrives to celebrate Mass at the Malabo stadium in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on April 23, 2026, on the last day of his 11-day pastoral visit to Africa. AP Photo/Misper Apawu

‘Just war’ has guided Catholic thinking on conflict for centuries –...

April 26, 2026