Environment

For years, a silent, deadly danger lurked beneath the surface of Lake Nyos.

Lake Nyos was once known by locals as the “good” lake. But one night in 1986, it was responsible for one of the deadliest natural disasters in African history.

You can blame that glossy finish, which comes from a mysterious, potentially harmful chemical called BPA.

When the long-dormant Geldingardalsgos volcano erupted in Iceland this month, scientists took the opportunity to have a lava-fueled barbecue.

Those potato peels are ready for a glow-up.

IKEA is helping you cut down on food waste with 50 free chef-developed recipes for everything from banana peels to broccoli stems.

Global warming is changing the Arctic—and explorers of the past would barely recognize its green tundra, diminished glaciers, and ice-free seas. Our final episode looks at the North Pole’s many legacies.

A 5-year-old girl and her dad were the first people to see the walrus when it made a rare appearance on Ireland's shores.

Deserts either want to broil you alive or force you to put on layers. It's a fascinating ecological condition with a simple explanation.

Christian Frausto Bernal, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 2.0

The Marieta Islands in Mexico are home to Playa del Amor—a hidden beach uncovered by military test bombings in the 1900s.

Sea turtles in Israel are being saved by mayonnaise.

The popular condiment is good on sandwiches but even better for turtles. It's a major tool in an ecological disaster.

Slow clap for sea cucumbers, whose excretory achievements could help slow climate change damage to the Great Barrier Reef.

The Mexican startup Biofase has found a way to convert avocado pits into disposable utensils that are easier on the environment than the plastic kind.

Compostable and biodegradable mean different things.

Both kinds of products are good for the environment, but they have a few differences that are important to keep in mind.

In the summer of 2021, the cicadas of Brood X will emerge by the billions for the first time in 17 years.

The Alfred Wegener Institute research ship Polarstern reached the North Pole on August 19, 2020, during the year-long MOSAiC expedition to study climate change in the Arctic.

For most of history, the North Pole was the stuff of legends and wild theories. Now people run a marathon there every April. Here are more unexpected facts about the top of the world.

Click a button and tree.fm will play you recordings from the rainforests of South America, the temperate forests of Europe, and beyond.

A young beaver with all four feet firmly on the ground.

“It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a parachuting beaver!” —Something you probably thought you’d never say.

Wildfires have reached historic proportions this year.

The August Complex fire ravaging California is being called a "gigafire," and it's every bit as imposing and destructive as the name implies.

A look at the Global Safety Net's online map application.

Certain lands can store large quantities of carbon (though we also need to cut carbon emissions in the first place).

A group of inconsiderate campers recently received a package from Khao Yai National Park filled with their own trash and a note that said, "Please let us return these to you."

You can appreciate the foliage in states like New Hampshire, Vermont, and Colorado from your computer this autumn.

Killer whales might be lashing out in response to decades of disruption by humans.

Killer whales have repeatedly laid siege to boats, working in concert in what appear to be deliberate acts of aggression.

Homemade face masks can look cute, but feeling like you’re breathing in stale air isn’t exactly fun.

NPS/Cascades Carnivore Project, Flickr // CC BY 2.0

Special remote cameras have detected a rare nursing female wolverine and her two kits in Washington's Mount Rainier National Park.

Blood stars and Acadian redfish lurk near plates and a stove from the Portland.

The SS 'Portland' vanished into the Atlantic during a storm of the century, but we still don’t know exactly why it sank.

How a West African Lake Killed 1800 People—And How It Could Happen Again

Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Recycle Your Giant CVS Receipts

Watch Scientists in Iceland Cook Hot Dogs on Lava From an Active Volcano

Make the Most of Your Food Scraps With IKEA’s Free New Cookbook

The Quest for the North Pole, Episode 9: The North Pole Today

A Walrus Was Spotted In Ireland for the Very First Time After Falling Asleep on an Iceberg

Why Are Deserts So Hot During the Day and Cold at Night?

This Magical Hidden Beach in Mexico Was Uncovered by Military Bombs

How Mayo Is Being Used to Save Sea Turtles

Sea Cucumbers on One Coral Reef Drop Several Eiffel Towers’ Worth of Poop Each Year—and That’s a Good Thing

This Startup Makes Eco-Friendly Utensils Out of Discarded Avocado Pits

Compostable vs. Biodegradable: What's the Difference?

Billions of Brood X Cicadas Are Ready to Emerge After 17 Years Underground

11 Frosty Facts About the North Pole

This Online Tool Transports You to Forests Around the World

Watch: In 1948, Idaho Officials Sent 76 Beavers Parachuting Into Idaho’s Wilderness

What Exactly Is a Gigafire?

Which Places Should We Protect First to Stop Climate Change? This Interactive Map Tells You

Thailand National Park Officials Mailed Trash Back to Litterbugs

Take a Virtual Fall Foliage Tour With These Nature Webcams

Orca-Strated Attack: Killer Whales Are Crashing Into Boats, Seemingly On Purpose

LG’s New Wearable Air Purifier Is the Face Mask of the Future

Wolverine Family Spotted in Mount Rainier National Park for the First Time in a Century

New Expedition Will Explore the 1898 Shipwreck Known as ‘New England’s Titanic’—And You Can Livestream It