New Map Knows Noise
National Park Service researchers recorded ambient sound from all over the country to find out where there’s still stillness. David Biello reports
Feb 23, 2015•3 min
60-Second Earth
Tune in every Sunday for quick reports on the science of the environment and the future of energy. It'll just take a minute!
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Episodes
Oil-Eating Microbes Have Worldwide Underground Connections
Life thrives even deep inside Earth and scientists are beginning to suspect extensive connections among those underground environments. David Biello reports
Feb 15, 2015•3 min
Siberian Winters See Temp Uptick
The long-term winter warming of Russia’s far north has gotten a boost from industrialization. David Biello reports
Feb 08, 2015•3 min
Dig This: China Cuts Coal Production
The biggest single source of global warming pollution actually started to shrink in 2014. David Biello reports
Feb 01, 2015•3 min
Is Recycling Worth the Effort?
The value of recycling depends on the material in question and whether all hidden costs and benefits go into the analysis. David Biello reports
Jan 28, 2015•3 min
Tropical Forests Pay Price for Gold Rush
Desire for gold has made mining in tropical forests financially worthwhile, leading to ecosystem destruction. Cynthia Graber reports
Jan 20, 2015•3 min
Cheap Oil Means Raise the Gas T-Word
Low oil prices present an opportunity to come to grips with our crumbling infrastructure and the cost of climate change. David Biello reports
Jan 12, 2015•3 min
Meet the (Newest Known) Beetles!
Researchers announced the discovery of 98 beetle species previously unknown to science. David Biello reports
Dec 30, 2014•3 min
Oil Spill Sullies World Heritage Site
The Sundarbans, part of the world's largest mangrove forest and stretching across India and Bangladesh, have been tarnished by a 350,000-liter oil spill. David Biello reports
Dec 22, 2014•3 min
Plummeting Petroleum Price Gases Up Global Warming
Good news for gas and oil consumers can be bad news for the environment. David Biello reports
Dec 15, 2014•3 min
Movies Can Boost Solar Power
The pattern that stores a film on a Blu-ray disc also can help improve photovoltaics. David Biello reports
Nov 28, 2014•3 min
Sun's Magnetic Field Boosts Earth Lightning
When the Sun's magnetic field is pointed away from Earth, lightning strikes in the U.K. go up 50 percent. Christopher Intagliata reports
Nov 24, 2014•3 min
Wildlife Crime? There's an App for That
A new tool may help officials crack down on the illegal wildlife trade. David Biello reports
Nov 18, 2014•3 min
Protected Areas Get Short Shrift
Protected land and sea areas serve the wildlife within them as well as the humans who live near them. But countries are backtracking on their financial commitments to these vital regions. Steve Mirsky reports
Nov 10, 2014•6 min
Clock Ticking on Climate Change Prevention
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 's new synthesis report adds urgency to the need to cut additional greenhouse gas pollution
Nov 02, 2014•3 min
Better E-Waste Handling Helps Environment and Health
Plastic-removal machines will enable Ghana's e-waste recoverers to get at valuable metal guts without burning off the exteriors. David Biello reports
Oct 28, 2014•3 min
Bottling the Sun's Power on Earth
A breakthrough in fusion could solve the world's energy problems, but remains improbable. David Biello reports
Oct 19, 2014•3 min
Ebola Gorilla Vaccine Could Prevent Human Outbreaks
Infected gorillas and chimps butchered for meat may be behind Ebola outbreaks. David Biello reports
Oct 13, 2014•3 min
Wildlife Population Plummeted Since 1970
A World Wildlife Fund report estimates losses of 40 percent of all individual land and sea animals, and a 70 percent population crash of all river animals, since 1970. David Biello reports
Oct 05, 2014•3 min
People Power Takes Aim at Climate Change
Participlants in the People's Climate March in New York City September 21st hope to persuade world leaders at the U.N. Climate Summit that follows. David Biello reports
Sep 20, 2014•3 min
Ozone Hole Closing Up, Thanks to Global Action
The world united to combat the ozone hole, can we do the same for climate change? David Biello reports
Sep 15, 2014•3 min
Historic Abundance of Blue Whales Returns in California
The mighty blue whale is back after being nearly hunted to extinction. David Biello reports
Sep 07, 2014•3 min
How to Save the Woods
The first step in solving the world's forest problem is recognizing the world's forest problem. David Biello reports
Aug 24, 2014•3 min
Spill Some Oil? Magnetize It for Cleanup
A physicist may have dreamed up a new way to clean up oil spills. David Biello reports
Aug 17, 2014•3 min
Antique Markets Used to Launder Poached Ivory
Legal ivory markets that are supposed to only deal in stockpiles and antiques inevitably launder poached ivory. Close them all, says WCS vice president for species conservation. David Biello reports
Aug 11, 2014•3 min
Bahamas Creation Linked to African Dust
Cyanobacteria fed by nutrients carried over the Atlantic in African dust may have initiated the process by which, over millions of years, calcium carbonate collected to build the Bahamas. David Biello reports
Aug 03, 2014•3 min
Some Coral Should Produce Shells in Acidifying Ocean
Of four common corals and algae tested, three still produced shells in conditions that mimic oceans if atmospheric CO2 concentrations reached 1,000 ppm. David Biello reports
Jul 27, 2014•3 min
Ants Could Help Warming Cry Uncle
At test sites, the exposure of rock by ants accelerated the absorption of atmospheric CO2 by the rock by as much as 335 times compared with ant-free areas. David Biello reports
Jul 21, 2014•3 min
Urban Growth Defines This Century
How existing cities expand and new cities emerge will determine how humanity fares in the 21st century. David Biello reports
Jul 14, 2014•3 min
Environmental Crime Funds Terrorism
Environmental destruction—from smuggling elephant tusks to illegal dumping of toxic waste—generates as much as $213 billion annually for criminals and terrorists. David Biello reports
Jun 29, 2014•3 min
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