Thursday, May 7, 2026

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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

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

Staff Writer - May 6, 2026

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

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Galaxies of life are collecting dust in museums – digitizing microscope slides can uncover billions of fossils for natural history

A pregnant mother with untreated syphilis can pass it to the unborn fetus. Halfpoint Images/Moment via Getty Images

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Syphilis cases in expectant mothers have dramatically risen since the pandemic – here’s what’s driving the trend

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

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Reclassification of marijuana opens doors for much‑needed medical research into the benefits and risks of the drug

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

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The race to mine critical minerals for AI and clean energy is creating ‘sacrifice zones’ that harm water and health of world’s poor

This well was contaminated with high levels of PFAS from firefighting foam used at a small airport nearby. Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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You can be exposed to PFAS through food, water, even swimming...

Staff Writer - September 4, 2025

The beans that created this cup of coffee had a long journey. Guido Mieth/Moment via Getty Images

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How Europe’s deforestation law could change the global coffee trade

Staff Writer - September 2, 2025

White dwarf stars, like this one shown shrouded by a planetary nebula, are much smaller than stars like our Sun. NASA/R. Ciardullo (PSU)/H. Bond (STScI)

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Earth-size stars and alien oceans – an astronomer explains the case...

Staff Writer - August 31, 2025

The FDA’s move comes as, for the first time in decades, guidance from federal health authorities and pediatric experts diverge. PeopleImages/iStock via Getty Images Plus

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FDA approves updated COVID-19 vaccines with new restrictions, potentially limiting access...

Staff Writer - August 28, 2025

The red square on this 1767 map of St. Croix marks where Danes believed the Maroon settlement was. Paul Kuffner/Royal Danish Library

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Escaped slaves on St. Croix hid their settlements so well, they...

Staff Writer - August 27, 2025

Rescuers search for survivors on Aug. 18, 2025, after a flash flood submerged homes, killing at least 18 people in a village near Swabi, Pakistan. Hussain Ali/Anadolu via Getty Images

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Monsoon flooding has killed hundreds in Pakistan – climate change is...

Staff Writer - August 25, 2025

Stars form in the universe from massive clouds of gas. European Southern Observatory, CC BY-SA

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The first stars may not have been as uniformly massive as...

Staff Writer - August 22, 2025

Some portable air cleaners generate chemicals such as ozone, formaldehyde and hydroxyl radicals to kill microbes. ArtistGNDphotography/E+ via Getty Images

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Most air cleaning devices have not been tested on people −...

Staff Writer - August 20, 2025

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EXPLORING NATURE

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

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

Staff Writer - April 26, 2026

Valerie Morkevičius, Colgate University Since the beginning of the Iran war, Pope Leo XIV has frequently called for peace,...

A striking 51.7% of Gen Z respondents ranked casket burial as their first choice, compared with just 27.1% of baby boomers. Ashley Cooper/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Boom in cremation hides surprising truths about what Americans really want...

April 24, 2026

Seagrass has made an unexpected return to Mosquito Lagoon. Captain William B. Wolfson, Grassroots Guide Service, New Smyrna Beach, FL

Hurricanes devastated Florida’s East Coast – then seagrass made an unexpected comeback

April 22, 2026

A German security guard checks for radiation after the Chernobyl accident in April 1986. Patrick Piel/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Chernobyl at 40: Secret Stasi files reveal extent of Soviet misinformation...

April 22, 2026

A long-running experiment is testing tree mixes to develop the healthiest forests. Mickey Pullen/Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Don’t just plant trees, plant forests to restore biodiversity for the future

April 21, 2026