Environment Articles

A new species of ragworm, likened to a living magic carpet, has been discovered in the methane seeps 30 miles (48 km) off the coast of Costa Rica. The rose-colored Pectinereis strickrotti (P. strickrotti) is one of 450 species found in the area since 2009. Forty-eight of them are new to science....

Every spring, many fish species migrate from the Vecht, a branch of the Rhine River, to the shallow waters of the Kromme Rijn River to spawn and reproduce. However, their journey often stops at the Weerdsluis lock in Utrecht, Netherlands. The manually operated lock, designed to maintain the canal's water levels, rarely opens in the spring months. But now, thanks to an interactive "fish doorbell," the marine animals are able to reach their destination with little or no disruption....

Earth Hour 2024 will occur on March 23 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time. The event, held annually toward the end of March, encourages individuals, communities, and businesses worldwide to turn off non-essential electric lights for one hour. The voluntary rolling blackouts are also observed by landmark structures such as the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building. They remind us of the urgent need to protect our planet....

Firefighters in Texas are battling a number of wildfires in the state's northernmost area called the Panhandle. The destructive blazes have scorched over a million acres, killed thousands of cattle, and charred crops. The fires have burned over 500 structures, melted lamp posts, and split power lines in half. Two residents have been killed, four firefighters injured, and thousands evacuated....

On February 27, 2024, biologists at San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences revealed that "Mirage," its resident titan arum, or corpse flower, had bloomed. The massive plants bloom once every seven to ten years. The flowers last just one to three days and emit a pungent odor reminiscent of rotting flesh. It is no wonder that titan arums are deemed the "world's stinkiest flower."...

California's Yosemite National Park is famous for its giant, ancient sequoia trees and impressive rock formations. They include El Capitan and Half Dome. But from mid to late February, the park's main attraction is Horsetail Fall, located at the edge of the eastern side of El Capitan. During this time, the setting Sun hits the seasonal waterfall at just the right angle, creating the illusion that it is on fire....

The world's largest iceberg is on the move after being stuck to the ocean floor for 37 years. A23a stretches almost 1,500 square miles (3,885 sq. km) wide, or about three times the size of New York City and its five boroughs. The massive slab of ice weighs over one trillion tons and stands 1,313 feet (400 m) tall. For comparison, the Empire State Building measures 1,250 feet (380 m) from top to bottom....

With heavy hearts, officials at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC, have bid farewell to its three resident giant pandas. Mei Xiang, 25, Tian Tian, 26, and their 3-year-old son, Xiao Qi Ji, left for China aboard a retrofitted Boeing 777 aircraft on November 8, 2023. Upon reaching Chengdu on November 9, 2023, the trio was whisked away to the Wolong Panda Center. After a 30-day quarantine, the mammals will be allowed to mingle with the 150 wild giant pandas at the nature reserve....

Plastic pollution gets a lot of attention. However, the ever-increasing pile of discarded electronics is not as well-publicized. In 2014, over 49 million tons of toxic "e-waste" ended up in landfills. This includes computers, smartphones, and televisions. If left unchecked, the number is expected to increase to 82 million tons by 2030. Envision Racing hopes to raise awareness about the urgent need to recycle and repurpose our gadgets with a racing car made entirely from e-waste....