Tropical Storm Isaias is now the first Atlantic hurricane of 2026 — and it’s spinning toward the southeastern U.S. (Image credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)Continue Reading
Scientists accidentally discovered a microscopic organism with a genetic code that breaks a rule researchers thought was nearly universal. While testing a new DNA sequencing technique, they examined a previously unknown protist collected from a freshwater pond at Oxford University. To their surprise, the organism uses two genetic signals thatContinue Reading
A local fight in Indiana shows that even streamlined permitting can’t overcome deep community resistance to solar development. By Dan Gearino In Montgomery County, Indiana, utility-scale solar projects appear on an official list of undesirable land uses that also includes “adult-oriented businesses.”Continue Reading
The collaboration ShadeLA is promoting a broadening of the approach to shade in the region to include pop-up canopies and tents to fill the spaces where trees aren’t growing.Continue Reading
Water testing across several locations continues to show diesel-range hydrocarbons flushing into Piscataway Creek even after the base says it halted the leak. By Aman Azhar Maryland environmental regulators say jet fuel continues to seep into Piscataway Creek from Joint Base Andrews more than six months after the spill wasContinue Reading
NPR’s Steve Inskeep talks with former NOAA official Carolyn Gruber about vulnerabilities in the infrastructure of coastal cities during extreme weather events.Continue Reading
Earth’s center of mass is constantly on the move, shifting by a few millimeters as enormous amounts of water, ice, and even air migrate around the planet with the seasons. NASA scientists have developed a more precise way to track these tiny swings using laser-ranging satellites, GPS data, and measurementsContinue Reading
The global building boom of power-hungry data centers is straining electrical grids, causing greater reliance on energy from polluting fossil fuels. Christina Delimitrou, a newly tenured associate professor at MIT, is fighting this environmental threat by rethinking how the computer servers and networking equipment inside those data centers operate. SheContinue Reading
In the last decade, scientists have shown that fusion energy can work, as a physical process. Next question: Can it work economically? A study co-authored by MIT professors Dennis Whyte and Andrew W. Lo proposes a framework for understanding what’s needed to make fusion energy commercially viable in the marketplace.Continue Reading
Joe Romm was a prolific writer who never hesitated to take on climate change deniers and the fossil-fuel industry — or even ostensible allies.Continue Reading
Switzerland has lost almost 20 percent of its ice within just five years. One surprising consequence of this melting is that ancient artifacts once frozen in the glaciers are now revealing themselves. Our climate reporter Raymond Zhong takes us on a search for ancient objects.Continue Reading
Extreme heat, drought and ozone from fire emissions are devastating the Amazon and other rainforests, new research shows. By Bob Berwyn Ozone pollution from fires, along with extreme heat and drought, is further weakening the Amazon rainforest’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide, new research shows. Continue Reading
Until recently, when a Massachusetts shellfish warden needed to know how much rain had fallen overnight before deciding whether to close a shellfishing area, the process might look something like this: call a local resident who happened to own a rain gauge, ask for the measurement, write it down, andContinue Reading