Environment

Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Caruso Affiliated

On April 22, 1970, Denis Hayes stood on a stage in Central Park, stunned by the number of people who'd come to honor the planet.

Since 1970, April 22 has been a day to reflect on our impact on the environment, on broad and individual scales.

The enzyme has the potential to be improved even further.

The village of Kåfjord is still feeling the effects of World War II.

Warm temperatures mean that national parks are seeing plants emerge from winter earlier.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

This flower thrives in the hottest place on earth.

The Queen wants to create a network of protected forests spanning the globe.

The Water-Gate creates a flood barrier when the waters rise.

Bee populations are at risk, and this paper is made to help save them.

The cellulose in animal dung has already been processed, making paper manufacturers' jobs easier.

The tropical flora could one day be a common sight at higher latitudes.

They'll be softer, too, but still not painless if you step on one.

The state's invasive species population is out of control.

Cutting-edge tools that will help us understand the most unexplored regions on Earth are the focus of a new exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History.

What could go wrong?

Rachael Herman, Louisiana State University, © Stony Brook University

Scientists just discovered 1.5 million penguins living on a chain of remote Antarctic islands, thanks to satellite images of their telltale poop.

NOAA, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

They sport those floppy ears from the moment they hatch.

A new study found that breakfast sandwiches have a bigger carbon footprint than other between-the-bread options.

If you're spending all of your time at home with Netflix, you probably aren't driving too much.

The Atlanta-based team behind the Squirrel Census wants people to know more about their bushy-tailed neighbors.

An Organizer of Earth Day Looks Back on How It Began

How the Planet Has Changed Since the First Earth Day in 1970

Scientists Accidentally Make Plastic-Eating Bacteria Even More Efficient

Why Some Trees in Norway Are Missing Their Rings

A New NASA Map Shows Spring Is Coming Earlier Each Year

Rare Wildflower That Grows Only In Death Valley Is No Longer Endangered

Watch Queen Elizabeth II and Sir David Attenborough Chat About Trees in a New Nature Documentary

The Self-Deploying Flood Barrier That Could Keep Cities Dry Without Sandbags

This Paper Is Designed to Feed Bees

Cow Manure and Elephant Dung Could Be Used to Make the Paper of the Future

Palm Trees in Canada? It Could Happen, Thanks to Climate Change

LEGO Is Rolling Out Its First Sustainable, Plant-Based Blocks

Why Scientists Are Hunting Down Iguanas in Florida

7 Technologies That Are Revolutionizing Ocean Exploration

This Buzzed-About Modular Hive System Lets You Keep Your Bees Indoors

Poop Visible From Space Helped Scientists Find a Remote 'Supercolony' of Penguins

Watch the First-Ever Footage of a Baby Dumbo Octopus

Watch an Antarctic Minke Whale Feed in a First-of-Its-Kind Video

Here's How Much Traffic Congestion Costs the World's Biggest Cities

Dunkin' Donuts is Ditchin' Their Foam Cups

How Colorful Stripes of Wildflowers Could Reduce the Need for Pesticides

Your Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Sandwiches Have a Hefty Carbon Footprint

Good News: Being Lazy Can Be Good for the Environment

See a Squirrel? These Citizen Scientists Want to Know About It