In the humid rainforests of northern and eastern Madagascar reside seven newly described frog species. They often hang out near fast, flowing rivers. These treefrogs' high-pitched, "futuristic" sounds may help male frogs attract females over the sound of nearby rushing water. They also are what inspired their Star Trek-themed names. Have another animal you want us to dig into for a future episode? Email us at [email protected]!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Norway is the largest exporter of salmon in the world. And while some of those fish are wild-caught, many are raised in "fish farms"- large cylindrical pens made of nylon in the open water. Sometimes these farmed fish escape, mixing with the local population and causing ecological issues. We see farmed fish in a Norwegian fjord and hear about potential solutions to the problem.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Even though there are more than 10,000 rock glaciers in the western United States, most people would look at one without knowing it. Unlike the snowy glaciers we're more familiar with, rock glaciers are under-researched and hiding in plain sight. But inside these glaciers covered with rocks is a little bit of climate hope.Read more of science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce's reporting here. Want to know more about the hidden science of the world? Email us at [email protected] — we might cover it on a future episode!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Hurricane Milton tore a path of destruction through Florida late Wednesday, leaving multiple dead and wrenching buildings apart.Many across the southeastern U.S. were still struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, which hit less than two weeks ago.Now, residents and officials must again navigate the clean up rescue and recovery efforts.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Recently, the state of Washington embarked on an ambitious new plan to combat climate change. Taking a page from economics textbooks, the state instituted a statewide "cap and trade" system for carbon emissions. The state establishes a cap on the total amount of carbon pollution it is willing to allow each year, and then gives away or auctions off carbon emission permits that add up to that total. Companies can then trade those permits on the open market.Economists love cap and trade plans because they establish a limit on carbon emissions while letting the market find the most efficient way for decarbonization to occur. But cap and trade has had a hard time catching on, especially in the U.S.The stakes are high for Washington's new plan. If it succeeds, it could convince other states to implement their own versions, but if it fails, it might serve as a cautionary tale. On today's show, we take a look at how Washington's grand experiment with cap and trade is faring.This episode was hosted by Keith Romer and Kenny Malone. It was produced by Emma Peaslee and edited by Emily Siner. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Valentina Rodriguez Sanchez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Lightning: It happens all the time, and yet the exact details of how it's made has long eluded scientists. That is, until now. New research out this week in the journal Nature holds new insights into the precursor to lightning. To figure it out, researchers flew a NASA ER-2 – essentially the research version of a spy plane – over several tropical thunderstorms. What they found: The same high energy radiation is found in places like neutron stars and around black holes. Want to hear more stories about the science behind natural phenomena? Email us at [email protected] — we'd love to hear from you!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Over six million fungal species are believed to inhabit planet Earth. Outsmarting them is the work of Arturo Casadevall's lifetime. What If Fungi Win? is the question at the heart of Arturo's new book, co-authored with journalist Stephanie Desmon. In this episode, Emily and Regina take a trip to Arturo's lab at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and meet a group of scientists thinking about the fungal consequences of climate change, urban heat islands, and scooping up microbes with candy. Curious about fungi? Email us at [email protected] — we'd love to hear from you!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Governors across the southeastern United States have declared statewide states of emergency as Hurricane Helene continues its ascent. After forming in the northwestern Caribbean Sea Tuesday, Helene escalated from a tropical storm, then to a cyclone, and finally to a Category 4 hurricane by the time it made landfall late Thursday night. We talk to hurricane climatologist Jill Trepanier about how a storm tropical storm system rapidly intensifies into a major hurricane, the impact of a changing climate on future storms — and why the devastation doesn't stop at the shore.Follow local updates on Hurricane Helene.Want to know more about the scientific underpinning of serious weather events? Email us at [email protected] — we might cover it on a future episode! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In California's Napa Valley, the nation's unofficial wine capital, one varietal reigns supreme: cabernet sauvignon. But climate change is threatening the small blue-black grapes for which cabernet sauvignon is named. Increasingly severe heat waves are taking a toll on the grape variety, especially in late summer during ripening.To kick off NPR's Climate Solutions Week, climate correspondent Lauren Sommer joins host Regina G. Barber for a deep dive into the innovations wineries are actualizing — and the ways that cabernet farmers and fans alike could learn to adapt.Climate change is affecting our food, and our food is affecting the climate. NPR is dedicating a week to stories and conversations about the search for solutions.Read more of Lauren's reporting on how climate change is affecting wine. Interested in hearing more climate solutions? Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Short Wave producer Hannah Chinn has adult-onset eczema. They're not the only one. Up to ten percent of people in the United States have it, according to the National Eczema Association — and its prevalence is increasing. Despite its ubiquity, a lot about this skin condition remains a mystery. So today, Hannah's getting answers. They sat down with Raj Fadadu, a dermatologist at UC San Diego, to ask: What is eczema? What triggers it in the first place? And might climate change make it worse sometimes?If you liked this episode, check out our episode on the science of itchiness. Also, follow us! That way you never miss another Short Wave episode.Interested in hearing more about climate change and human health? Email us at [email protected] — we'd love to hear your feedback!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From Indonesia to Wisconsin, farmers all over the world struggle with a huge problem: pests. On top of that, it's tough for farmers to identify where exactly they have the pests and when. Reporter Lina Tran from NPR member station WUWM in Milwaukee joins host Emily Kwong to tell the story of how researchers in the Midwest are inventing new forms of pest detection that involve eavesdropping on the world of insects. Plus, hear what aphid slurping sounds like.If you liked this episode, check out behind-the-scenes photos of Insect Eavesdropper experiments in Lina's digital story!Interested in hearing more insect news? Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What does it mean to do the greatest good for the greatest number? When the Los Angeles Aqueduct opened in 1913, it rerouted the Owens River from its natural path through an Eastern California valley hundreds of miles south to LA, enabling a dusty town to grow into a global city. But of course, there was a price.Today on the show: Greed, glory, and obsession; what the water made possible, and at what cost.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The U.S. is the largest exporter of natural gas in the world. And Louisiana's Gulf Coast is where much of America's natural gas is piped in to be liquified for export.Over the last twenty years, liquified natural gas (LNG) has been heralded as a clean and efficient "bridge fuel" for nations transitioning away from coal and oil, towards a future of renewable energy. But the promise of LNG has not reflected reality. In today's episode of The Sunday Story, WWNO reporters Halle Parker and Carlyle Calhoun talk about the impact of the LNG export industry on Louisiana's Gulf Coast. And they follow the supply chain of LNG all the way to Germany and Japan.To hear more of Halle and Carlyle's reporting on LNG, listen to their three-part series, "All Gassed Up," on the podcast Sea Change from member stations WWNO and WRKF.Part One: The Carbon CoastPart Two: The German ConnectionPart Three: The Sugar Daddy of LNGLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Generally, we at Short Wave are open-minded to the creepies and the crawlies, but even we must admit that leeches are already the stuff of nightmares. They lurk in water. They drink blood. There are over 800 different species of them. And now, as scientists have confirmed ... at least some of them can jump!Interested in more critter science? Email us at [email protected] — we'd love to consider your animal of choice for a future episode!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

More than a hundred years ago, a British engineer proposed linking two rivers in India to better irrigate the area and cheaply move goods. The link never happened, but the idea survived. Today, due to extreme flooding in some parts of the country mirrored by debilitating drought in others, India's National Water Development Agency plans to dig thirty links between rivers across the country. It's the largest project of its kind and will take decades to complete. But scientists are worried what moving that much water could do to the land, the people — and even the weather. Host Emily Kwong talks to journalist Sushmita Pathak about her recent story on the project. Read Sushmita's full story here.Interested in more science stories like this? Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Every year for two weeks between mid-May and mid-June, Congaree National Park in South Carolina is home to a fairy-tale-like display of flashing lights. These rhythmic performances happen all because of thousands of fireflies, flashing their belly lanterns at exactly the same time. According to the National Park Service, there are just three types of these synchronous fireflies in North America, making the experience all the more magical for the lucky visitors who get the chance to see them. Firefly scientists and enthusiasts hope these displays in places like Congaree will inspire people to care about other kinds of fireflies, also known as lightning bugs, in the U.S., which are not as well-studied – or well-protected – as synchronous ones. Some community scientists are already taking on this mission with projects like the Firefly Atlas, where volunteers can help survey for fireflies and report sightings.This story was originally reported for NPR by science correspondent Pien Huang. Read Pien's full story here. Want more of the science behind wildlife wonders? Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's that time of the year again: Shark Week. The TV program is so long-running that if you're under 37, you've never known a life without it. In honor of this oft misunderstood critter, we revisit our conversation with shark scientist Melissa Christina Marquez. She explains just how important sharks are to keeping the oceans healthy, including their role in mitigating climate change. Plus, there may be some talk about shark poop.Have another animal with a bad rap you want us to clear the reputation of? Email the show at [email protected] — we'd love to hear from you!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

About ten years ago, science writer Ferris Jabr started contemplating Earth as a living planet rather than a planet with life on it. It began when he learned that the Amazon rainforest doesn't simply receive the rain that defines it; rather, it helps generate that rain. The Amazon does that by launching bits of biological confetti into the atmosphere that, in turn, seed clouds. After learning this, he began looking for other ways life changes its environment. That led to his new book Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life. He talks to host Regina G. Barber about examples of life transforming the planet — from changing the color of the sky to altering the weather. Have a story about the environment you'd like us to cover? Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a record number of hurricanes this season, which began on June 1 and runs through Nov. They're forecasting anywhere from 17 to 25 storms in the Atlantic basin, including at least four major hurricanes. Scientists think this storm activity could be due to strong winds, warmer ocean temperatures and a scientific mystery unfolding in the Atlantic. Questions about hurricanes or other weather disasters? Email us at [email protected] — we'd love to consider it for a future episode! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

To a lot of people, mosquito bites are annoying. But to the rare Hawaiian honeycreepers, they're deadly. Scientists in Maui are racing against time to save them ... and discovering some pretty crazy innovations along the way. Like, releasing-mosquitos-incapable-of-breeding level innovations.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Joro spiders are spreading across the east coast. They are an invasive species that most likely arrived in shipping containers from eastern Asia. Today, we look into why some people find them scary, why to not panic about them and what their trajectory illustrates about the wider issue of invasive species.Questions? You can also email those to [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Wildlife trafficking is one of the largest and most profitable crime sectors in the world. The illegal trade estimated to be a multi-billion dollar industry. On a high level, that illegal trade causes problems for everything from global biodiversity to local economies and the balance of entire ecosystems. And on the immediate level, authorities are tasked with caring for confiscated animals and placing them in long-term care facilities. One network launched last year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Association for Zoos and Aquariums hopes to help. And with wildlife trafficking surging globally, the organizations are now in talks to expand the program to other parts of the country. Read more about illegal wildlife trafficking and check out more photos in climate correspondent Nate Rott's full story.Have other wildlife stories you want us to cover? Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

June 6, 1944 the Allied Forces stormed the beaches of Normandy and took the Nazis by surprise in the largest sea-to-land invasion in history. This would be remembered as D-Day and would ultimately lead to the end of World War II in Europe. However, this planned attack wouldn't have been possible without deep knowledge of ocean tides! We get into the whole story, including why tides sit at the intersection of astronomy and marine ecology — and why understanding tides are key to a greener future.Want to hear us cover more science history? Email us at [email protected]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Scientists are testing the limits of artificial intelligence when it comes to language learning. One recent challenge? Learning ... whale! Researchers are using machine learning to analyze and decode whale sounds — and it's just as complicated as it seems. Curious about other mysteries of nature? Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Baobabs are sometimes called the "tree of life" with their thick trunks, crown of branches and flowers that only open at twilight. But theories about their geographic origin was divided among three places: the savannas of sub-Saharan Africa, the Kimberley region of western Australia and the dry forests of the island nation of Madagascar. To solve this mystery, a global research team led by scientists at the Wuhan Botanical Garden at the Chinese Academy of Sciences examined high-quality genomic data from all eight baobab species. Have another origin story you want us to cover? Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Wildlife ecologists have seen white-tailed deer expanding their range in North America over many decades. And since the early-2000s these deer have moved north into the boreal forests of western Canada. These forests are full of spruce and pine trees, sandy soil and freezing winters with lots of snow. They can be a harsh winter wonderland. And ecologists haven't known whether a warmer climate in these forests or human land development might be driving the deer north. A recent study tries to disentangle these factors – and finds that a warming climate seems to play the most significant role in the movement of deer. Read more in the journal Global Change Biology. Curious about more wildlife news? Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Today, we're going full nerd to talk about a new board game — Catan: New Energies. The game's goal is simple: Build and develop a modern-day island without catastrophically polluting it. Although the concept mirrors the effects of climate change, those words don't actually appear in the game. NPR correspondent Nate Rott talks to Emily about the thinking behind the new game and how the developers hope it can start conversations around energy use and pollution. Have questions or comments for us to consider for a future episode? Email us at [email protected] — we'd love to hear from you!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ten years ago, Flint, Mich. switched water sources to the Flint River. The lack of corrosion control in the pipes caused lead to leach into the water supply of tens of thousands of residents. Pediatrician Mona Hanna-Attisha recognized a public health crisis in the making and gathered data proving the negative health impact on Flint's young children. In doing so, she and community organizers in Flint sparked a national conversation about lead in the U.S. water system that persists today. Today on the show, host Emily Kwong and science correspondent Pien Huang talk about the state of Flint and other cities with lead pipes. Efforts to replace these pipes hinge on proposed changes to the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule. Have questions or comments for us to consider for a future episode? Email us at [email protected] — we'd love to hear from you!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

NPR's Tom Dreisbach is back in the host chair for a day. This time, he reports on a story very close to home: The years-long battle his parents have been locked in with the local wild beaver population. Each night, the beavers would dam the culverts along the Dreisbachs' property, threatening to make their home inaccessible. Each morning, Tom's parents deconstructed those dams — until the annual winter freeze hit and left them all in a temporary stalemate.As beaver populations have increased, so have these kinds of conflicts with people...like Tom's parents. But the solution may not be to chase away the beavers. They're a keystone species that scientists believe could play an important role in cleaning water supplies, creating healthy ecosystems and alleviating some of the effects of climate change. So, today, Tom calls up Jakob Shockey, the executive director of the non-profit Project Beaver. Jakob offers a bit of perspective to Tom and his parents, and the Dreisbachs contemplate what a peaceful coexistence with these furry neighbors might look like.Have questions or comments for us to consider for a future episode? Email us at [email protected] — we'd love to hear from you!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Roughly 196 million tons of fish were harvested in 2020, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The organization also notes that the number of overfished stocks worldwide has tripled in the last century. All of this overfishing has led to the decline of entire species, like Atlantic cod. Enter the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch. It and other free guides give consumers an overview of the world of fish and seafood, helping people to figure out the most sustainable fish available to them. With the help of Life Kit's Clare Marie Schneider, we figure out how to make informed decisions about what we eating – whether that's at a restaurant or the local supermarket.Check out more from Life Kit on sustainable seafood.Have questions or comments for us to consider for a future episode? Email us at [email protected] — we'd love to hear from you!A previous version of this episode incorrectly stated that there are native wild salmon in Chile. Salmon are not native to Chile.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Panama Canal has been dubbed the greatest engineering feat in human history. It's also (perhaps less favorably) been called the greatest liberty mankind has ever taken with Mother Nature. But due to climate change, the Canal is drying up and fewer than half of the ships that used to pass through are now able to do so. So how did we get here? Today on the show, we're talking to Cristina Henriquez, the author of a new novel that explores the making of the Canal. It took 50,000 people from 90 different countries to carve the land in two — and the consequences of that extraordinary, nature-defying act are still echoing through our present.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Biden has been pushing new regulations to promote electric vehicle production to combat the climate crisis — and former president Trump is using those regulations as a talking point against Biden. To break down how cars became the latest weapons in the culture wars, host Brittany Luse is joined by NPR's transportation correspondent Camila Domonoske and Dan Brekke, a reporter and editor at KQED in San Francisco who covers transit. Together, they talk about why Americans are so invested in their cars — and how cars became more than just a policy battle. Then Brittany discusses a new HBO documentary series that is making waves right now: Quiet On Set. The show alleges a pattern of sexual harassment behind the scenes at Nickelodeon, and includes interviews with several former child stars describing experiences that range from taking part in sexualized gags to facing downright sexual abuse while working for the network. Brittany looks closer at the trouble with child performers with Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, co-hosts of the Eating for Free podcast. They discuss what makes child performers especially vulnerable to abuse — and they ask why society demands performances from children.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

'You will see a sun you've never seen before,' says science writer David Baron. He urges people to head to the 'path of totality' to see the total solar eclipse on April 8 for an experience of a lifetime.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Historic numbers of animals across the globe have become endangered or pushed to extinction. But some of these species sit in limbo — not definitively extinct yet missing from the scientific record. Rediscovering a "lost" species is not easy. It can require trips to remote areas and canvassing a large area in search of only a handful of animals. But new technology and stronger partnerships with local communities have helped these hidden, "uncharismatic" creatures come to light. Have other scientific gray areas you want us to cover in a future episode? Email us at [email protected]!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Across the animal kingdom, menopause is something of an evolutionary blip. We humans are one of the few animals to experience it. But Sam Ellis, a researcher in animal behavior, argues that this isn't so surprising. "The best way to propagate your genes is to get as many offspring as possible into the next generation," says Ellis. "The best way to do that is almost always to reproduce your whole life." So how did menopause evolve? The answer may lie in whales. Ellis and his team at the University of Exeter recently published a study in the journal Nature that studies the evolution of menopause in the undersea animals most known for it. What they uncovered may even help explain menopause in humans. Curious about other animal behavior mysteries? Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What happens if your car runs out of power on a road trip? Is it better to buy an EV now or wait until you need a new car? A roundup of smart questions from our listeners.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

On August 6, 1945, a stone-faced President Harry Truman appeared on television and told Americans about the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima. The attack on Hiroshima marked the first time nuclear power was used in war, but the atomic bomb was actually tested a month earlier in the Jornada del Muerto desert of New Mexico. At least hundreds of New Mexicans were harmed by the test's fallout. Radiation creeped into the grass their cows grazed, on the food they ate, and the water they drank. A program compensating victims of government-caused nuclear contamination has been in place since 1990, but it never included downwinders in New Mexico, the site of the very first nuclear test. This week, the Senate voted to broaden the bi-partisan legislation that could compensate people who have suffered health consequences of radiation testing. Now, the bill will go to a House vote.Generations after the Trinity Nuclear Test, will downwinders in New Mexico finally get compensation? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Fish populations are dwindling around the world due to overfishing. Here's how to make the right choices when dining out or buying fish at the market.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Why is it so complicated to save the Everglades?The Everglades is home to the largest mangrove ecosystem in the western hemisphere and a sanctuary for over three dozen endangered and threatened species. It also provides fresh water, flood control, and a buffer against hurricanes and rising seas for about 9 million Floridians.But climate change, pollution, agriculture and rapid development are causing potentially irreversible damage.In 2000, the state of Florida and the federal government struck an extraordinary deal to save the Everglades. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan was the largest ecosystem restoration project in the world.But from the moment it was signed into law, things got complicated.Now almost 25 years later, the Everglades is as endangered as ever, and the problems have become even more difficult—and expensive—to solve.Today on The Sunday Story, Ayesha Rascoe talks with WLRN's Jenny Staletovich. Jenny has a new podcast series out called Bright Lit Place that tells the dramatic story of the Everglades, what's been done to the ecosystem, and what needs to happen to save it.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In the last few years, a new trend has emerged on social media: De-influencers.Instead of selling, de-influencers encourage their followers to stop buying things they don't actually need. De-influencers are also using this trend as an opportunity to raise awareness about the negative impact of overconsumption on the environment.From plastic packaging to useless gadgets that end up in landfills, over-consumption doesn't just have a negative effect on our wallets - but also on our planet and climate change. We look at what role can de-influencers play in helping address climate change and spreading the message of sustainable living.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Lately, paleoecologist Audrey Rowe has been a bit preoccupied with a girl named Elma. That's because Elma is ... a woolly mammoth. And 14,000 years ago, when Elma was alive, her habitat in interior Alaska was rapidly changing. The Ice Age was coming to a close and human hunters were starting early settlements. Which leads to an intriguing question: Who, or what, killed her? In the search for answers, Audrey traces Elma's life and journey through — get this — a single tusk. Today, she shares her insights on what the mammoth extinction from thousands of years ago can teach us about megafauna extinctions today with guest host Nate Rott. Thoughts on other ancient animal stories we should tell? Email us at [email protected] and we might make a future episode about it!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It was a year ago this month that a Norfolk Southern freight train with 38 cars derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.Twenty of those train cars carried hazardous materials. In the days after the crash officials, decided to burn off one of those hazardous materials, vinyl chloride. The burn and massive plume of smoke it created caused environmental problems and concerns about the health and safety of residents. A year after that devastating derailment and chemical burn the train company Norfolk Southern and the EPA say the air and water are safe. The people who have to go on living there aren't so sure.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected]

In 1986 the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, releasing radioactive material into northern Ukraine and Belarus. It was the most serious nuclear accident in history. Over one hundred thousand people were evacuated from the surrounding area. But local gray wolves never left — and their population has grown over the years. It's seven times denser than populations in protected lands elsewhere in Belarus. This fact has led scientists to wonder whether the wolves are genetically either resistant or resilient to cancer — or if the wolves are simply thriving because humans aren't interfering with them. This episode, researchers Shane Campbell-Staton and Cara Love talk through what might be causing this population boom. Plus, why researchers in the field of human cancer are eager to collaborate with them.Want to hear about other ways humans are impacting the planet? Email us at [email protected].

2023 was filled with scientific innovation, exploration and new discoveries. A few of the biggest threads we saw unraveling this year came from the James Webb Space Telescope, the changing climate and artificial intelligence. Today, host Regina G. Barber wraps up these three areas of science news with the help of correspondent Geoff Brumfiel and All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro. Got more science news? Email us at [email protected]. Listen to Short Wave on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

Every year world leaders gather at the Conference of the Parties, or COP, to devise solutions to what amounts to a growing existential crisis for humankind: our rapidly heating planet. The United Arab Emirates is hosting COP28 this year. The goal of the conference is to decrease emissions and protect the planet. But leading the climate talks is the head of one of the biggest oil companies in the world, in a nation that derives much of its wealth from oil. Are the goals of this meeting truly in sync with the goals of the hosts?NPR's Miles Parks speaks with NPR international correspondent Aya Batrawy from COP28. Email us at [email protected]

Pope Francis says he will attend the COP28 climate conference in Dubai next month, which would make him the first pontiff to attend the annual UN gathering. The pope has made addressing the climate crisis an important focus since 2015, when he published an encyclical on climate change and the environment. Last month, he doubled down on his stance with a new document – Laudate Deum. It's a scathing rebuke of the inaction by world leaders over the last eight years. As Francis takes on an even bigger role in climate activism. What does he hope to achieve? And how does this all fit into his broader legacy as leader of the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics. NPR's Scott Detrow spoke with Fordham professor Christiana Zenner, and Associated Press Vatican correspondent Nicole Winfield, about Pope Francis and his role in advocating for action on climate change. Email us at [email protected].

Saturday, the entire coastal town of Grindavik, Iceland was evacuated. That's because over the weekend, the country experienced nearly 2,000 earthquakes within 48 hours. And they've kept coming since then – in swarms. Scientists think the quakes are indicative of magma moving closer to the surface in the country's southwestern peninsula and that a local volcano could erupt at any moment. Today on the show, host Regina G. Barber talks to volcanologist Diana Roman about the science behind these earthquakes. Got science to share? Email us at [email protected].

If you've ever looked up at the clouds and wondered where they came from, you're not alone. Atmospheric researcher Lubna Dada is fascinated by the mystery of how clouds form and what role they play in our climate. Today, host Aaron Scott talks to Dada about a recent study on the role of trees in cloud formation, and how this data will improve our current climate models. Want more stories on the environment or climate change? Email us at [email protected].

The average American generates five pounds of trash per day, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Reduce your household trash by listing your output and taking these simple actions.

Some people keep dogs in their backyards. In the Florida Keys, some residents have deer the size of a golden retriever in their yards. As sea levels rise and salt water climbs higher on the islands, it's shrinking habitat for this deer — which already has an estimated population of at most 1,000. Today, host Regina G. Barber hears from reporters Nate Rott and Ryan Kellman about the Key deer, and how rising sea levels are forcing wildlife managers to ask big questions about the future of the subspecies.

From our friends at Code Switch, we present a story about one group of student activists in Baltimore and how their efforts to make their neighborhood healthier has them facing big coal — and actually making gains.

Coral reefs in Florida have lost an estimated 90 percent of their corals in the last 40 years. And this summer, a record hot marine heat wave hit Florida's coral reefs, exacerbating that problem. Scientists are still assessing the damage as water temperatures cool. And one researcher is taking coral survival a step further: Buffing up corals in a "gym" in his lab. Reporter Kate Furby went down to South Florida to see the coral reefs up close and talk to the innovative scientists working to save them. Questions about the science happening around you? Email [email protected] — we'd love to hear about it!

Here on Short Wave, we're getting into the Halloween spirit a little early with a look at the world's oldest mummies. They're found in modern-day northern Chile. The mummies are well-preserved, so over the past 7,000 years, some have been exhumed for scientific study. But recently, something startling happened: Some of the mummies started to decompose. Today on the show, Regina G. Barber talks to archeologist Marcela Sepulveda about the civilization that made these mummies: the Chinchorro people. We dig into the science behind their mummification techniques and how the changing planet is affecting archeologists' ability to study the past. Fascinated by a science mystery? Send us your tales — we're at [email protected].

South Baltimore has some of the most polluted air in the country. Local teenagers are fighting polluters back, and slowly building toward climate justice.

Politicians in red states sometimes resist green policies. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Ben Jealous, executive director of the Sierra Club, about how they're trying to bring red and green together.

The Biden administration is trying to dramatically change how and where oil and gas drilling occurs on federal land, which is getting mixed reviews in longtime drilling boom-towns.

More than 1,500 adult Caspian Terns made Rat Island, near Port Townsend, their home. Now 80% of them are dead.

Environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb says cars are killing animals, while highways cut off them off from their food sources and migration paths. His new book is Crossings.

As the U.S. plans new mines for copper, lithium and other metals to use in green technologies, mining projects in the West could threaten scarce water supplies.

The bipartisan infrastructure law granted federal firefighters a big pay bump. Amid a looming government shutdown, that wage increase will expire, leaving first responders unsure about their income.

The horseshoe crab bleeding industry is in transition. One biomedical company agreed to more oversight, and a regulatory group is paving the way for drug companies to use animal-free alternatives.

Idaho has more backcountry airstrips and wilderness pilots than any state other than Alaska. Many airstrips were incorporated into protected wilderness but now conservationists are challenging them.

Today on the show, All Things Considered co-host Mary Louise Kelly joins Regina G. Barber and Maria Godoy for our bi-weekly science roundup. They talk through some of the latest eye-catching science news, including the percussion-intensive mating life of cockatoos, what pink diamonds today tell us about the breakup of the ancient supercontinent Nuna and the latest on the Nipah outbreak in India.

Wildfires are becoming more frequent and serious due to human-caused climate change. This is prompting a new industry focused on residential wildfire preparedness. Today, we consider the new technology addressing wildfire risk and the cost of protecting yourself.Related Episodes:Gambling, literally, on climate change (Apple Podcasts / Spotify) For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

The Woolsey wildfire devastated most of Paramount Ranch's Hollywood heritage in 2018. Human-driven climate change is demanding difficult decisions about what to preserve in the rebuilding process.

The last several decades have taken a toll on the oceans: Some fish populations are collapsing, plastic is an increasing problem and climate change is leading to coral bleaching — as well as a host of other problems. But marine biologist and World Economic Forum programme lead Alfredo Giron says there's room to hope for the seas. He works to create systems that governments and the fishing industry can use to make sure fishing is legal and sustainable so oceans thrive for years to come. In this encore episode, he talks to host Aaron Scott about his work and how managing the ocean is a lot about managing people.We spoke to Alfredo Giron about his research and thoughts, the episode is not meant to reflect the World Economic Forum's positions.Have questions about the world around you? Email us at [email protected].

The Oak Fire last year threatened the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation's way of life. Now the tribe is restoring ancient heritage sites and cultural practices in collaboration with local agencies.

Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit because they want the federal government to list a rare orchid, found mainly in Florida, as an endangered species.

The company proposing a new railroad beside the Colorado River for Utah oil says it will persist, after a federal judge ruled their environmental analysis inadequate. Climate activists watch closely.

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, about California's lawsuit against fossil fuel companies for worsening climate change.

A laundromat owner in Aurora, Colo., installed washing machines that conserve water. His customers abandoned him, but he was able to win them back after learning why they might be skeptical.

U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón has announced her signature project titled " You Are Here," which hopes to engage people with poetry and nature.

Climate change is a major issue for young voters, but so far, it has not been a major mobilizing force in U.S. elections. Some environmental action groups see that changing.

Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit because they want the federal government to list a rare orchid, found mainly in Florida, as an endangered species.

Rising temperatures and carbon dioxide levels give the toxic vine the oomph it needs to grow earlier, bigger and itchier, scientists say.

California accuses oil companies of misleading the public on the dangers of fossil fuels for decades. The state demands they help fund recovery efforts after climate change-fueled disasters.

Climate change, technological leaps, panicked insurers, the shifting sense of responsibility: All are powering the still-nascent, but fast-growing industry of preparing homes for wildfires.

Global Witness says 177 environmental activists were killed in 2022, and the majority were murdered in Latin America.

After summer storms flooded many Vermont communities, homeowners are deciding whether to repair their buildings or accept a buyout.

A drought is causing a slowdown in shipping traffic at the Panama Canal. It's introducing new problems for the global supply chain.

Occidental Petroleum is investing in billion-dollar projects to suck carbon dioxide out of the sky. The effort is raising hopes — and eyebrows.

Wildfires are a worsening danger — and a big business opportunity. From high-tech alarms to home retrofits, the industry around preparedness is nascent, fairly small, barely regulated, growing fast.

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Short Wave hosts Regina Barber and Aaron Scott about antibiotic resistance spreading through air, how farms can support biodiversity, and the eating habits of black holes.

After flames destroyed 1.3 million Joshua trees in Mojave National Preserve, biologists began replanting seedlings. But many have died, and now another fire has torched more of the iconic succulents.

A U.S. oil company is investing heavily in what could become a game-changing technology: Sucking carbon from the sky. Two business models are vying for primacy over how this technology will be used.

Environmental groups have filed suit against the state of Utah arguing leaders aren't doing enough to prevent the state's namesake Great Salt Lake from drying up.

A group of seniors in Mobile, Ala., wants coal ash from a power plant moved to a lined landfill. They worry the toxic ash could leak into Mobile Bay. (Story aired on ATC on Sept. 4, 2023.)

A heat wave along the East Coast and in the Midwest leads to closings, shorter school days.

We pay a late summer visit to some of the tallest white pines in North America in The Adirondack Park in northern New York, one of the few places you can still find the old white pines.

A group of seniors in Mobile, Ala., wants coal ash from a power plant moved to a lined landfill. They worry the toxic ash could leak into Mobile Bay.

Residents of Pakistan's Himalayan region turn to science and folklore, with backing from the U.N. They're erecting ice towers, harvesting avalanches and performing an ancient glacier ritual.

We pay a late summer visit to some of the tallest white pines in North America in The Adirondack Park in northern New York, one of the few places you can still find the old white pines.

Critics say the $2.6 billion floodwall project overlooks current climate risks and exposes flaws in how the federal government approaches major flood infrastructure.

When Hurricane Idalia slammed into the Florida coast, it decimated several small beach towns and fishing villages. Now, those communities are beginning the task of rebuilding.

The EPA dialed back pollution protections for inland waterways including streams and wetlands in alignment with a Supreme Court decision. NPR's Michel Martin talks to Ariel Wittenberg of E and E News.

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Marla Stelk, executive director of the National Association of Wetland Managers, about the EPA's new rules that comply with a ruling limiting the Clean Water Act's scope.

The White House wants to direct more funding communities dealing with high levels of pollution and health problems. But how agencies determine who qualifies for the money has some researchers worried.

Your whole idea of the Triassic period is about to be disrupted. Paleontologists are shifting their focus from dinosaurs to fossils so small they have to be reassembled under microscopes.

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to Adil Ashiq from the maritime intelligence firm MarineTraffic {sic} about how a historic drought is causing huge delays at the Panama Canal.

The coast guard and local officials have put up barriers to help avoid runoff from rain. Even though Lahaina is a dry place, what are the continuing threats to ocean health from the burn zone?

Climate change is a top issue for young voters across political parties, but most of the Republican presidential candidates avoided the question.

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with LA Times environmental reporter Susanne Rust about what she learned from logging her plastic use for a week.

Local fishermen and the government of neighboring China are among the critics of Japan's decision to release water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.

The water comes from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Although most scientists agree it does not pose an immediate environmental threat, some are worried about the long-term consequences.

Japan's government says tomorrow it will begin releasing more than a million tons of wastewater into the Pacific Ocean from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant.

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with climate scientist Alex Hall about the temporary relief that Hilary has offered the drought in California.

Those displaced by the fires have found temporary quarters in hotels and with family and friends. One host opened their home to 87 evacuees, most of them from one extended family.

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Jeva Lange, who wrote a story called "Most Wildfires Aren't Forest Fires," about how wildfires largely occur in grasslands.

A new report finds that California could lose most of its beaches by the year 2100, due to rising sea levels.

The footage of humpback whales exfoliating their skin with sand offer new insight into these animals' complex lifestyles deep beneath the ocean

After flames destroyed 1.3 million Joshua trees in Mojave National Preserve, biologists began replanting seedlings. But many have died, and now another fire has torched more of the iconic succulents.

The devastating fires on Maui burned more than 2,000 homes and buildings in Lahaina. Many churches have taken in their congregants because they have nowhere to go.

As people grapple with more than 100 people who died in the Lahaina fire on Maui, they're still trying to understand the loss of priceless artifacts and their connections to the island's ancient past.

While the world focuses on the devastation in West Maui and the destruction of the historic community of Lahaina, another wildfire is still burning in the hills some 25 miles away in Kula.

State and local officials have warned that the burn area on Maui is laden with distinct and potent toxic contaminants from incinerated buildings, vehicles and infrastructure.

One year ago, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, directing hundreds of billions of dollars to speed the transition away from fossil fuels.

Balancing sadness for the losses with hope about what's been saved, heritage workers are in the early stages of planning recovery and restoration efforts.

Maui has long known the dangers of wildfires. The island has a plan to help make communities safer. But like so many other places at risk, they've struggled to get the funding to implement it.

NPR's Juana Summers speaks with Jill Tokuda, who represents Hawaii in the U.S. House of Representatives about the search and rescue efforts continue in Maui after wildfires.

A new report from NOAA and NASA confirms that last month was the hottest July ever recorded, driven to new heights by human-caused climate change.

Hawaii's Gov. Josh Green says thousands of displaced people will need to be housed as firefighters continue to put out fires on Maui. The death toll stands at 55 and is expected to rise.

NPR's Juana Summers speaks with Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono about the wildfires on the island of Maui. President Biden approved a major disaster declaration, making funds available to those effected.

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Regina Barber and Berly McCoy of the Short Wave podcast about stealthy fish, a recent communication hiccup with Voyager 2 and why waves are getting taller in California.

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Giuseppe Torri, a climate scientist at the University of Hawaii, about the role of climate change in the Maui wildfire.

The Biden administration is moving ahead with what could be the largest national marine sanctuary in the continental U.S. A Native American tribe is hoping to be partners in managing it.

The four-legged creatures with digestive tracts of steel make easy work of consuming vegetation that typically fuels wildfires.

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Reveal reporter Nathan Halverson about Arizona's investment in a major land deal that effectively ships the state's limited water supply overseas in the form of hay.

Hundreds of acres of wildfires have burned on Maui, driven by winds that were increased by Hurricane Dora. The fires have caused power outages, evacuations, road closures and destroyed buildings.

Norfolk, Va., is one of the cities most at risk from sea level rise. It's now working on a floodwall project which critics worry won't address key impacts of climate change or protect people equally.

Biden's declaration will provide federal funding for recovery. Hawaii's lieutenant governor says it could take years to rebuild the damaged infrastructure.

Ford's plans to produce electric vehicle batteries based on technology and licensing from China has become a flashpoint in the debate over relations between the two countries.

Researchers in Alabama are trying to toughen up baby oysters so they can better withstand predators. It's all part of an effort to restore oyster reefs around the world.

NPR's Steve Inskeep asks Mandy Gunasekara, Environmental Protection Agency's chief of staff in the Trump administration, about a Republican-led vision to cut the EPA's size and scope.

The new national monument that President Biden is designating in Arizona today comes after Native nations advocated for decades to protect the area

Leaders of the countries that make up the Amazon say it's time for the rich countries of the world to pay to protect the threatened rainforest. They are meeting Aug. 8 and 9 in Brazil.

There are a few weeks left of summer fun for kids at day camps and summer programs. Wildfire smoke has had a big impact curtailing summer activity at some camps.

On a trip back to her parents' native country, a writer rediscovers what makes it different. The urban design, and a culture that values longevity, make good health come al lot more naturally.

Authorities have been unable to find the bear that killed a woman near Yellowstone National Park late last month. The attack has renewed calls to take grizzlies off the endangered species list.

Germany's dense green spruce forests are being decimated by parasites and climate change. It's unclear if planting different kinds of trees would help stop the decline.

This spring's landmark deal to keep more water in the Colorado River will send farmers money to use less water. In the district that uses the most water, there is some deep skepticism.

In the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, the record temperatures this summer don't have Republicans heated as confidence in institutions takes a hit and President Biden has challenges ahead.

Hot summer temperatures can make you anxious and irritable and dull your thinking. Here's what researchers think is going on.

National parks and hiking trail networks around the country are facing dual pressures - crowds and changing weather. Preservationists in New Hampshire are painstakingly restoring one such trail.

Marine scientists say record ocean temperatures have sparked widespread coral bleaching in the Florida Keys. The extreme heat and bleaching have been deadly — killing all coral on one popular reef.

NPR's Lilly Quiroz brings us a postcard from Guatemala about Lake Atitlán, considered to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.

Jaguar plans to go fully electric by 2025, which means much quieter vehicles in its future. That's why a recording of the Jaguar's famous growl will be archived in the British Library.

A new project in Los Angeles is trying to cool the city by painting streets with a reflective coating to bounce away heat from the sun. Other cities like Phoenix are undertaking similar efforts.

This spring's landmark deal to keep more water in the Colorado River will send farmers money to use less water. In the district that uses that most water there is some deep skepticism.

Some of the impacts from climate change can happen suddenly. New research shows that a major ocean current in the Atlantic is at risk of collapsing. That could affect weather around the globe.

With PFAS, the forever chemicals, showing up in drinking water, researchers in Virginia want to know if they're building up in fish as well.

Good hiking trails can be hard to come by on the East Coast. That's why some people are working to expand the network of available trails by carving new public trails through private land.

A growing number of countries are calling to halt mining on the ocean floor. The topic will take center stage at thi annual assembly of the International Seabed Authority, which governs seabed mining.

Warmer temperatures, drought and disease are putting stress on native tree species in Minnesota. Some trees are dying, but researchers are finding ways to help others adapt to a warmer climate.

Scientists have used a gene-editing technique to make mosquitos allies in the fight against malaria. Environmentalists are troubled by the idea of genetically modifying wild animals.

Florida wants to start taking mountains of waste material from phosphate mining to use in road construction. The hitch: It's mildly radioactive, and environmental groups say it poses a health risk.

Emily Monosson says fungi and fungus-like pathogens are the most devastating disease agents on the planet, causing the extinction or near extinction of species of trees, bananas, bats, frogs and more.

The tallgrass prairie is an astonishing place to run, with rolling hills, bison herds, wildflowers and birds. We take a sunrise run in the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas.

With PFAS, the forever chemicals, showing up in drinking water, researchers in Virginia want to know if they're building up in fish as well.

NPR's Adrian Florido talks to Katey Lesneski, coordinator for the Mission: Iconic Reefs, about how the current heat wave hitting Florida is already affecting coral reefs.

Heavy precipitation caused epic flooding in the Central Valley earlier this year, causing catastrophic damage to homes and crops. Months later, the region is still recovering.

President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act invests $369 billion to address the climate crisis. But as the president focuses on the law's economic benefits, is his climate win getting lost?

A new study takes a comprehensive look at the plastic debris smothering reefs, where in the ocean it's more prevalent — and how to deal with the problem.

New York Times journalist Jeff Goodell warns a new climate regime is coming: "We don't really know what we're heading into and how chaotic this can get." His new book is The Heat Will Kill You First.

After massive precipitation, the long-dry Tulare Lake is back. That's been hard on crops and homes, but has allowed the Tachi Yokut Tribe to reconnect with the lake they once built their lives around.

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon dropped substantially in the first six months of this year, perhaps signaling a reversal after years of losses in the vast rainforest.

The Devils Hole pupfish's natural habitat is a single water-filled hole in a cave in the Nevada desert. Its numbers at one point dwindled to just 35 animals. How does it manage to survive?

The iconic spindly plants are under threat from a variety of factors, including climate change and development, and the California legislature is stepping in to help.

California lawmakers have agreed to create a conservation plan and a fund to help protect the western Joshua Tree, which faces extinction due to climate change.

There's a growing movement that calls for granting legal rights to natural entities like forests and rivers. Indigenous groups say it should definitely hold true for the Mississippi river and others.

A national survey shows U.S. beekeepers lost about half of their colonies in 2022. A beekeeper talks about the important role bees play in our food supply.

The Japanese Joro spider has made it's home in Georgia. Its big, beautiful, harmless to people, shy and rapidly growing in numbers. It's invasive, but it is not yet clear what harm it can cause.

The podcast Parched, from Colorado Public Radio, looks at the Colorado River, the people who rely on the river, and those who have ideas to save it.

Over three years, hundreds of volunteers will fan out across California to survey wild bees, with the goal of piecing together a picture of where they live and which species are in trouble.

As climate change is making extreme heat events more common, these bright-eyed and bushy-tailed critters are "splooting" to cope.

A researcher is documenting all the bird species at Acadia National Park, creating a baseline for changing populations.

Millions of Americas affected by wildfire smoke are focusing on the colors red, purple and maroon on the Air Quality Index charts. Red used to be the scariest color. Why did that change?

Conservatives attack financial firms that consider environmental, social and corporate governance issues. But companies in red states won't stop trying to operate more sustainably.

The massive fires in Canada's boreal forests are expected to worsen as the planet warms, but researchers say they're not unprecedented in scale and size.

The podcast Parched, looks at the drought that has plagued the southwestern U.S. for more than 20 years, how we got here and what we can do about it.

On both the East and West coasts, whales are at risk of being entangled and injured by ropes used by fishermen. Fishing grounds are being closed, but new technology could help avoid that.

Chemical manufacturing giant 3M will pay up ten billion dollars to help cities and towns test for and clean up toxic PFAS chemicals in public water supplies.

3M has reached a $10 billion settlement over "forever chemicals" in drinking water. NPR's Debbie Elliott talks with Scott Summy, an attorney for water systems that sued the chemical maker.

Monarch butterflies with more white spots on their mostly orange-and-black wings are more successful at long-distance migration. Some scientists think the spots may affect airflow around their wings.

Arizona is limiting development in the Phoenix metro area due to a lack of groundwater. But the development party isn't over.

The U.S. needs a lot more renewable energy to meet its climate goals. In some communities, the opposition to large solar projects comes from environmentalists themselves.

The 1984 gas leak in Bhopal, India, killed thousands. New research finds babies born to mothers who were pregnant at the time have suffered long-term impacts worse than those directly exposed.

A year ago, the Yellowstone River had its biggest flood in 500 years. Now, fishing guides have to learn a whole new river. Fishing sends more than $1 billion to Montana's economy.

Benzene is among the pollutants gas stoves emit into homes, Stanford University researchers show. The toxin is linked to a higher risk of leukemia and other blood cell cancers.

The wondrous findings of a global project to record the sound of ocean habitats threatened by climate change and pollution.

Georgia's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, is pledging to make his state the "electric mobility capital" of the country without embracing the climate realities that are helping drive the transition.

To prevent future droughts and restore groundwater in west Texas, the federal government is incentivizing landowners to replace trees with native grasses. Not everyone is on board with the idea.

One of the Philippines' most active volcanos is erupting — again. Over the weekend, Mount Mayon began oozing lava after weeks of increased seismic activity.

Each spring, alewife herrings return to spawn in New England rivers. In recent years, the removal of dams has led to a resurgence of the little fish that are a key part of the food chain.

The federal government has now spent more than $8.5 billion on water rights settlements with Native American tribes. Tribes have to give up a lot in return, and hundreds more have yet to settle.

The hazardous smoke that blanketed the Midwest and East Coast last week has largely cleared. But the massive wildfires in eastern Canada that generated the smoke are still very much alive.

There's a man-made island near Charleston that's now serving as a sanctuary for thousands of shorebirds. It's one beneficial way to use soil from dredging rivers.

Horseshoe crab blood is used to test vaccines around the world. But while Europe has approved a synthetic alternative, biomedical labs are bleeding more crabs from the Atlantic Coast.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant used a large reservoir for cooling water. Now that reservoir is rapidly draining.

Homeless shelters handed out masks and schools cancelled activities as Baltimore residents endured another day of smoky air from wildfires in Canada.

NPR's Ailsa Chang searches coastal California for wild bumblebees with conservation biologist Leif Richardson, one of the leaders of the California Bumble Bee Atlas.

As Canada and parts of the U.S. confront declines in air quality due to smoke from Canadian wildfires, NPR reporters in Asia, Latin America and Africa share their experiences.

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Mother Jones editor-in-chief Clara Jeffery about advice she's learned living under smoky skies after 22 years in San Francisco.

Population growth has long been a source of worry in India, which now has more people than China: 1.486 billion residents. But some experts are optimistic about the impact of this population boom.

A good chunk of the United States is dealing with smoke following a series of wildfires in Canada. Winds have carried the smoke across the Northeast and parts of the Midwest.

The Canadian wildfire season has started early and already broken records, with toxic smoke drifting south to the U.S. and many air quality alerts in place.

In springtime, a wildlife refuge in northern Vermont is a paradise of migratory birds where you can paddle through flooded maple forests.

A deal to raise the country's debt limit also includes changes to a bedrock environmental law and approves a controversial natural gas pipeline.

Thousands have been forced to evacuate an area of Canada's Nova Scotia region as wildfires take hold. This comes only weeks after a string of serious wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia.

California will need to remove about 100 million tons of heat-trapping gasses each year to meet its ambitious climate goals. A new startup stepped in and is attracting millions to support the effort.

From excessive hygiene to low-fiber diets, author Theresa MacPhail explores the deep-rooted causes of rising allergy rates in her new book Allergic.

Cruises to Antarctica, already popular, have grown dramatically in recent years. Scientists and advocacy groups say tighter regulation is needed to minimize the impact on wildlife and the environment.

There are winners and losers in the new landmark deal to avert a water shortage crisis on the Colorado River. But experts say it doesn't go far enough and no one should be celebrating.

To prevent flooding, communities often raise levees next to rivers higher and higher. Now, a new approach is about backing off, moving levees away from rivers to create floodplains.

U.S. consumers are showing an increased interest in prolonging the life of the things they own, rather than throwing them out. But some products are easier to fix than others.

In springtime, Vermont's Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge is a paradise of migratory birds where you can paddle through flooded maple forests.

In a major win for industry and developers, the Supreme Court is significantly limiting the number and type of U.S. waterways that get federal protection.

The U.S. Supreme Court placed new restrictions on the scope of the jurisdiction the Clean Water Act has over wetlands, ruling in favor of Idaho landowners who had challenged the law.

As California's massive winter snowpack melts, one industry is having a great year. Across the state, whitewater rafting is roaring back to life after years of debilitating drought.

Tribal governments manage significant wildlife habitat across the U.S., but they don't get the same tax revenue as states for conservation.

A new breakthrough deal for sharing the over-promised Colorado River has been reached by the seven states that share it.

Companies are building carbon dioxide pipelines as a possible climate solution. But after a pipeline rupture sent dozens to the hospital in a Mississippi town, there are questions about their safety.

NPR's Scott Simon considers Chicago's newest star, a snapping turtle nicknamed Chonkasaurus.

With a historic snowpack starting to melt, increasing flood concerns in central California, there's an effort under way to capture as much of the water as possible in underground aquifers.

Executive director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center, Colin Young, talks about a new report warning that the climate may breach 1.5 degrees of warming in 5 years.

The European Union will tax certain imports based on the amount of carbon dioxide companies emit making them. Experts say the move could lead other major economies to do the same.

Three companies say the carbon pipelines they want to build in the Midwest would remove carbon dioxide from ethanol plants and help fight climate change. Some farmers and residents are not so sure.

Butterflies likely split from nocturnal moths around 100 million years ago in present-day western North America or Central America, a new study of the winged insects finds.

Pandemic border rules known as Title 42 will end Thursday night. Rep. George Santos pleads not guilty to federal fraud charges. EPA proposes rules on pollution from gas and coal-fired power plants.

Coal and natural gas-fired power plants would have to dramatically reduce the climate-warming greenhouse gasses they emit under proposed federal rules.

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks with Finnish scientist Tero Mustonen about the state of his country's peatlands. Mustonen has received the Goldman Environmental Prize for his work.

From Montego Bay to Miami, sargassum is leaving stinky brown carpets over what was once prime tourist sand. But whether it gets ignored or removed, it comes with high health and environmental risks.

In Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden, Camille Dungy describes her years-long project to transform her weed-filled, water-hogging, monochromatic lawn into a pollinator's paradise.

Warmer temperatures are melting the state's historic snowpack. Already flooded communities downstream are scrambling to prepare for the surge.

Rising rivers are stranding endangered riparian brush rabbits in California. Wildlife officials are searching out and relocating hundreds of them to help protect the species.

A wet winter in California has helped many plants and animals, but some species are struggling. An effort is underway to relocate endangered rabbits to higher ground.

In upstate New York, spring is breathing new life into the woods. We go for a hike in the Adirondack Mountains.

The tiny disc-like critters are known as Velella velella, a name so nice you gotta say it twice.

The failed launch of SpaceX's Starship rocket from Boca Chica, Texas, last week did more than explode the world's largest ever rocket. It caused more environmental damage than expected.

California's year of endless storms has seeded superblooms of wildflowers and provided a boost to some of the state's endangered ecosystems.

NPR's Michel Martin talks to National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi about the order which makes it the mission of every federal agency to protect the environmental health of communities across the U.S.

Laser technology is being used to more accurately measure mountain snowpack — crucial information for farmers and water managers in drought-stricken areas like the Colorado River Basin.

As Western wildfires get more destructive, scientists are finding a far-off connection to shrinking ice on the Arctic Ocean.

Los Angeles County is piloting a two-year project to determine if technology such as the Interceptor 007 is successful in capturing waste from major coastal cities, and keeping it from the oceans.

Ten rivers across the country make one conservation group's list of most endangered rivers, including the Ohio River.

The island is facing one of its worst dry spells in a century, and both the agricultural and high-tech sectors are competing for scarce water resources.

A lot of products contain toxic PFAS. Some of these "forever chemicals" are ending up in sewage that is turned into fertilizer.

The massive ice sheet on Greenland is shrinking as the climate gets hotter, pouring fresh water into the Atlantic Ocean. That could be setting off a chain reaction that's altering ocean ecosystems.

Congress set aside $2.5 billion for victims of New Mexico's biggest wildfire, started by accident by the U.S. Forest Service. A year after the fire, distributing that money is still in the works.

NPR's Ailsa Chang and Keith Barry of Consumer Reports discuss whether now is a good time to buy a new electric vehicle, or whether it's best to wait.

A study of plastic trash hauled out of the Pacific Ocean found that most of it had been colonized by coastal life that was thriving right next to species that normally live in the open sea.

Lake Tahoe's water is clearer than it's been in decades. Why? NPR's Ayesha Rascoe gets the answer from Geoffrey Schladow, Director of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center.

NPR's Elissa Nadworny talks to a South Florida real estate broker about buying and selling houses in a market buffeted by increasing bouts of severe weather.

Spring has finally arrived in the mountains of eastern Washington. NPR's Brian Mann went for a trek in the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge north of Spokane.

Red flag warnings mean an increased risk of wildfires in the next 12 to 24 hours, so fire safety is extra important. How do they differ from fire weather watches? And what precautions should you take?

California's snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is well above average and all that snow is starting to melt. Communities are planning for flooding in a state already hit hard by winter rains and floods.

The White House is unveiling an emergency plan to keep America's two biggest reservoirs from falling too low to generate electricity or deliver drinking water.

The EPA is proposing tailpipe emission rules so strict that carmakers would need two-thirds of their sales to be zero-emission by 2032 to comply. And that seems to be precisely the goal.

The Biden administration announced an emergency plan to save lakes Mead and Powell from drying. It gives Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland authority to cut water use of the Colorado River.

A huge sinkhole that seemed stable for 15 years suddenly began expanding about a week ago, growing by several acres and leaving nearby residents terrified that it will take them and their homes.

A 2007 law requires new and remodeled federal buildings to stop using fossil fuels by 2030. But implementation stalled. The Department of Energy finally appears ready to put regulations in place.

More Midwestern farmers are planting off-season crops that help protect the soil and reduce fertilizer use. The next farm bill could make it easier to adopt this practice.

In 2019, Texas became one of the last coastal states to allow oyster farming. Now, the first farms have had their first harvests. (This piece originally aired April 3, 2023, on All Things Considered.)

At annual meetings this spring, shareholders will be pushing publicly-traded companies for information about how they're contributing to climate change, and what they're doing about the problem.

Climate scientists say this winter's storms in California are nothing compared to what's predicted in a warmer world. Some residents in one community question whether its time to leave.

NPR's Adrian Florido speaks with director Daniel Goldhaber and actor and cowriter Ariela Barer about environmental activism through sabotage in their heist film How To Blow Up a Pipeline.

Despite a wet winter, the drought crisis along the Colorado River remains dire and produce farmers along the California-Arizona border may be facing their first ever cuts to irrigation water.

Sales of super-efficient electric heat pumps are rising in the U.S. But what are heat pumps? And why do some call them a key climate solution?

The world's tropical rainforests are still getting hit hard by deforestation. Now, scientists are finding that's having an expected impact: causing droughts.

The world's worst cyclones hit Bangladesh. Floods are devastating. Yet death tolls are falling. The country's climate disaster strategies offer lessons for all coastal communities.

California has been deluged by storms this winter, but fixing the state's severe drought will take more than rain. The state had deeper problems in how it uses water.

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Richard Connor of UNESCO about Wednesday's report on the state of the world's water supply.

The Navajo Nation says the federal government isn't delivering water it's owed from the Colorado River. The case could affect how much water is available for non-tribal uses.

NPR's Pien Huang speaks with Gregory Ablavsky, professor at Stanford Law School, about a set of cases the Supreme Court will hear on Monday involving the water rights of the Navajo Nation.

In Denver, local indigenous groups are helping the city manage its bison herds.