Environment

Plants

More than 9,000 tree species may be waiting to be discovered

Scientists estimated how many tree species are on Earth, an important step for forest conservation and protecting biodiversity.

Environment

‘Mining’ cryptocurrencies pollutes the real world

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies exist only online. Yet the environmental impacts of their networks affect the real world.

Environment

How we choose to pay has hidden costs for the planet

Whether cash or credit, phone apps or digital currencies — all forms of payment have behind-the-scenes costs. And these can vary dramatically.

Environment

Bees and butterflies struggle to find flowers in polluted air

Emissions from cars and trucks make it harder for insects to find flowers. That in turn reduces flower visits and pollination, a new study finds.

Environment

Widely used pesticides may threaten Earth’s ozone layer

Data show a major class of long-used “eco-friendly” copper chemicals unexpectedly react with soil, making gases harmful to Earth’s protective ozone layer.

Environment

Scientists Say: Pollution

Pollution is any substance or form of energy released into the environment that is harmful to people or other living creatures.

Environment

Clothes dryers may be a major source of airborne microplastics

Scientists thought washing machines were a leading contributor of microplastics. Now it appears dryers may be an even bigger problem.

Physics

Explainer: Gravity and microgravity

The force of gravity holds us on the ground, keeps planets in orbit and extends throughout space. A very weak gravitational pull is called microgravity.

Animals

Living mysteries: Why teeny-weeny tardigrades are tough as nails

Tardigrades often live in cool, damp moss. Their cushy life has somehow prepared them to survive the lethal radiation of outer space.

Environment

Recycling a climate-warming gas could make ‘greener’ farmed fish

Instead of warming the climate, methane gas can be collected to help farmers. Along the way, it may also save some fish.

Materials Science

This glitter gets its color from plants, not a synthetic plastic

In the new material, tiny arrangements of cellulose reflect light in specific ways to create vibrant hues in an environmentally friendly glitter.

Environment

A new way to make plastics could keep them from littering the seas

Borrowing from genetics, scientists are creating plastics that will degrade. They can even choose how quickly these materials break down.