nature

Not so long ago, cities were starved for trees. That inspired a fight against urban warming

By Sonja Dümpelmann, The Conversation

Sixty years ago, urban tree planters stood on the front lines of fighting climate change.

300 million years ago, our ancestors walked tall. This robot shows you how

By Vicky Stein

The fictional Sherlock Holmes could read footprints — in soil, snow, carpet, dust and even blood. Researchers today are similarly using tracks caught in stone — plus a robot — to recreate a creature that lived 300 million years ago.

As polar bear attacks increase in warming Arctic, Inuits and scientists search for solutions

By Gloria Dickie, Yale Environment 360

With sea ice reduced, polar bear attacks are rising. Concerned Inuit communities want to increase hunting quotas, but researchers are testing new technologies they hope will reduce these often deadly confrontations.

If you’re adopting pets this holiday, keep kittens in mind

By Gabriela Quirós, KQED Science

Every year, hundreds of thousands of kittens end up in animal shelters, in need of permanent homes. So researchers and shelters are trying to figure out ways to make it easier.

When these frogs move to cities, they change the way they flirt

By Vicky Stein

As more humans move into concrete jungles, other animals, like túngara frogs, are joining them — and adjusting their behaviors along the way.

Years after his death, Lonesome George’s genome offers clues to long life

By Vicky Stein

Lonesome George, a wizened Galapagos giant tortoise, was the last of his kind. Now, researchers are using the iconic tortoise’s genetic material to better understand what it takes to live a long life.

What if we could put our plastic trash to good use?

By Jamie Leventhal

Humans produce 420 million tons of plastic annually, most of which lands in the environment. With these two innovations, plastic could have a useful second life.