Environment

The invasive Joro spider is venomous and as big as your palm, but its taste for stink bugs means it could do more good than harm.

These lightning bugs know how to coordinate.

The busy 2010 Atlantic hurricane season shows Hurricane Karl west of the Yucatan Peninsula, Hurricane Igor east of Puerto Rico, and Hurricane Julia in mid-Atlantic.

The hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30 each year. Here’s what you need to know about these destructive storms.

Take a look at the origins of Fat Bear Week, an annual celebration of the brown bears at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Reserve.

An aerial view of the rust-colored Kutuk River in Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska. Thawing permafrost is exposing minerals to weathering, increasing the acidity of the water, which releases metals like iron, zinc and copper.

A new study shows that rusty discoloration in Alaska’s otherwise pristine streams and rivers is likely due to melting permafrost—and that’s a problem for Arctic animals and people.

Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, at sunset, c26th century BC.

A recent study claims that the pyramids of Giza were constructed alongside an almost 40-mile long artery of the Nile river that no longer exists today.

Don't let this sweet face fool you: Arctic foxes eat anything that moves.

Adorable Arctic foxes will eat anything they can catch on the snowy tundra.

Smokey Bear with Girl Scouts in front of the U.S. Capitol.

Smokey Bear’s first ad slogan wasn’t quite as catchy as “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”

Raccoons are smart, dextrous, and in your garbage cans.

Whether they’re scaling skyscrapers or digging through your trash, raccoons are fascinating. Discover more about their habits, diet, and intelligence.

Here’s what we know about these fascinating Arctic whales, including their life cycle, habits, and unique spiraled tusks.

The Fountain of Youth, painted in 1546 by German artist Lucas Cranach the Elder.

Punta Gorda locals have been swearing by the mystical properties of a radioactive water fountain for a century.

Sunrise on the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park.

There are sparkling glacial lakes, breathtaking sunsets, and mountains disappearing into clouds in this high-def tribute to Grand Teton National Park.

Mother Nature can be scary, as these films full of homicidal bunnies, pissed-off piranhas, and one mutated bear prove.

A photo of the Bayou Corne sinkhole taken shortly after it appeared on August 3, 2012.

The residents of Bayou Corne, Louisiana, woke up one morning in 2012 and found a gigantic sinkhole devouring their town.

From record-breaking plants and incredible animal news to space superlatives and the awesome power of Taylor Swift fans, here’s the long list of things we learned in 2023.

The bigger the goldfish, the bigger the problem.

The Great Lakes are being overrun by jacked goldfish. Scientists are worried they could cause long-term damage to the ecosystem.

The ATOMIK grain spirit features a wild boar on its label, which the distillers say is a symbol of nature’s resilience.

Sales of the ATOMIK vodka-like spirit support Ukraine’s recovery from the world’s worst nuclear disaster and from the current war.

Watch up close as one Cape sundew plant uses its tentacles to trap and entomb an insect.

There's no shame in dragging it to the car on a tarp.

Here's how to get a national forest Christmas tree permit.

A group of volunteers separates trash they’ve collected from the sea.

Gyrecraft, a project from the design firm Studio Swine, shows how one person’s ocean trash is another’s sustainable art.

There's much more to the Wyoming landmark than what you saw in ’Close Encounters of the Third Kind.’

The best sleeping bag is one you can walk around in, and VOITED’s Slumber Jacket proves it.

About 11 percent of the Earth’s surface is perpetually frozen, though that will surely change as global warming continues.

Looking for something to do with your rotting Jack-O'-Lanterns? Here are some tips for recycling, upcycling, and responsibly disposing of old Halloween pumpkins.

Meet the Joro Spider: The ‘Flying’ Arachnid That Could Soon Invade the Northeast

Watch: A Gorgeous Sea of Fireflies Synchronizes With LED Lights

12 Powerful Facts About Hurricanes

A Hefty History of Fat Bear Week

Alaska’s Rivers Are Turning Orange, and Yeah, It’s Probably Climate Change

Egypt’s Giza Pyramids Might Have Been Built Next To A Now-Vanished River

What Do Arctic Foxes Eat?

How Smokey Bear Helped Win World War II

10 Clever Facts About Raccoons

9 Pointed Facts About Narwhals

Florida’s “Fountain of Youth” Could Be a Radioactive Water Spigot, Some Locals Claim

Watch a Stunning Time-Lapse of Grand Teton National Park

11 “Eco-Horror” Movies that Shocked the 1970s

When a Lake Swallowed the Earth: The Story of the Louisiana Sinkhole

100 Things We Learned in 2023

Tiny Goldfish Are Ballooning Into Football-Sized Predators in the Wild

From Disaster to Distillery: A New (Non-Radioactive) Vodka is Being Made in Chernobyl

Watch This Carnivorous Plant Consume an Unlucky Insect

These U.S. National Forests Let You Chop Down a Christmas Tree for $10 or Less

Watch as Ocean Trash is Turned Into Sustainable Art

7 Majestic Facts About Devils Tower

This Eco-Friendly, Wearable Sleeping Bag Will Keep You Cozy on Chilly Nights

10 Chilling Facts About Permafrost

4 Eco-Friendly Ways to Dispose of Halloween Pumpkins