Environment

Environment

Recycling rare earth elements is hard. Science is trying to make it easier

As demand grows, scientists are inventing new — and greener — ways to recycle rare earth elements.

Environment

Rare earth elements could be pulled from coal waste

The scheme would provide valuable rare earth metals and help clean up coal mining’s dirty legacy.

Climate

Cyclones in the Arctic are becoming more intense and frequent

Over the last 70 years, boreal storms have steadily grown stronger. And climate change may make them worse, threatening both people and sea ice.

Earth

Rare earth mining may be key to our renewable energy future. But at what cost?

We take you inside Mountain Pass, the only rare earth mine in the United States.

Climate

2022’s biggest climate change bill pushes clean energy

Experts weigh in on the pros and cons of the United States’ first major climate change legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, signed this year.

Animals

Dry pet food may be more environmentally friendly than wet food

The environmental cost of wet pet food is higher than dry food, scientists say. That may be because wet food gets most of its calories from animals.

Health & Medicine

Pollution mucks up the lungs’ immune defenses over time

A study of immune tissue in the lungs reports that particulate matter buildup from air pollution may impair respiratory immunity in older adults.

Animals

These devices use an electric field to scare sharks from fishing hooks

SharkGuard gadgets work by harnessing sharks’ ability to detect electric fields. That could save the animals’ lives, a study suggests.

Climate

Wind turbines could help capture carbon dioxide while providing power

Turbulent wakes from wind turbines can concentrate CO₂ from cities and factories, making it easier to remove the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.

Earth

Landslides shaped a hidden landscape within Yellowstone

Scientists have used lasers to get a detailed view of the national park’s topography, and they’ve spotted more than a thousand landslides.

Environment

Heat waves in U.S. rivers are on the rise. Here’s why that’s a problem

In recent years, heat waves in U.S. rivers have gotten more frequent, causing trouble for fish, plants and water quality.

Animals

Tree-climbing carnivores called fishers are back in Washington’s forests

Thanks to a 14-year reintroduction effort, fishers, or “tree wolverines,” are once again climbing and hunting in Washington’s forests after fur trapping and habitat loss wiped them out.