The latest United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) concluded in November without a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels and without significant progress in strengthening national pledges to reduce climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions. In aggregate, today’s climate policies remain far too unambitious to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of capping global warming atContinue Reading
Spiders and insects may not be fan favorites, but they are vital to the health of ecosystems—and scientists barely know how they’re doing. Researchers found that nearly 90% of North America’s insect and arachnid species have no conservation status, leaving their fate largely unknown. Even more striking, most states don’tContinue Reading
Republican lawmakers are advancing legislation that would shield major polluters from legal accountability for climate change harms. By Dana Drugmand Republican lawmakers in multiple states and Congress are advancing proposals to shield polluters from climate accountability and prevent any type of liability for climate change harms—even as these harms andContinue Reading
Millions of people in the Persian Gulf depend on desalination plants for their water, but recent fighting has highlighted the system’s vulnerability.Continue Reading
The past 11 years have been the warmest in the modern era, while oceans continue to heat up, too, says the UN weather agency.Continue Reading
Aging fields and volatile markets make drilling a tough sell, even with a path cleared for permitting.Continue Reading
Hair may grow in a completely different way than scientists once believed. Instead of being pushed out from the root, new research shows that moving cells inside the follicle actually pull the hair upward like a microscopic motor. Advanced 3D imaging revealed a spiral movement of cells that generates thisContinue Reading
Explore Hubble … Hubble Social Media Hubble’s Messier Marathon 2026 Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact onContinue Reading
Indian tribes in western Washington warn salmon ecosystems are being destroyed faster than they can be restored. By Johnny Sturgeon Spanning seven U.S. states and one Canadian province, the Columbia River Basin was once the largest salmon-producing river system in the world. Yet, with four of the 16 salmon andContinue Reading
A class-action lawsuit has been filed after part of a decades-old sewer line in Maryland collapsed in January, sending raw sewage into the Potomac River. After weather delays, repair work has resumed. (Image credit: Cliff Owen)Continue Reading
The Mexico City Initiative at MIT, led by the Institute’s Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism (LCAU), has conceived and modeled an impressive array of solutions for challenges facing urban areas in Mexico and beyond. Faculty and students have designed the repurposing of a vintage roller coaster as aContinue Reading
The world’s most common construction material has a secret. Cement, the “glue” that holds concrete together, gradually “breathes in” and stores millions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air over the lifetimes of buildings and infrastructure. A new study from the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub quantifies this process,Continue Reading
The state concluded there is “no current cause for concern.” Experts worried about the long-term impacts of fracking waste say more research is required. By Kiley Bense A decade ago, Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection published a study on radioactivity in the oil and gas industry, motivated by fears thatContinue Reading