ENVIRONMENT

Finnish Company Debuts 'World's First' Flushable Wooden Toilet

Made from 80 percent wood chips, the composite toilet from Woodio is waterproof and splinter-free.

Woolly mammoths may have existed alongside humans for millennia, according to one study.

How Mammoth Poop Is Changing What We Know About Their Extinction

When did woolly mammoths go extinct? Their fossilized bones say one thing, but their poop paints a messier picture.

A black bear cub stunting for the camera.

Dream Job Alert: New Mexico Is Looking for “Professional Bear Huggers”

Conservation officers for New Mexico’s Department of Game and Fish may get to cuddle a bear cub every once in a while.

10 Amazing Facts About Cherry Blossoms

Cherry blossom season is a major tourist draw for any city that’s lucky enough to grow ornamental cherry trees.

Scientists May Have Finally Figured Out Why So Much Smog Forms in New Delhi

The wintertime haze has become a serious health threat to residents. Scientists think they now know the cause.

Snow geese, sandhill cranes, and ducks make New Mexico's Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge their fall and winter home.

9 Astounding Facts About Bird Migration

Long-distance bird migration is one of the natural world’s most inspiring phenomena—and how we learned about it is just as fascinating.

6 Severe Weather Terms to Know Ahead of Spring Storms

Knowing the difference between these common terms can bolster your safety in severe weather.

Like olive oil? You’d better not like it that much. Stuff’s getting expensive.

Olive Oil May Be the Next Grocery Item to Give You Sticker Shock

Heat waves and reduced yields in Europe will probably cause olive oil prices to explode in the coming months.

11 Facts About the Animals of Chernobyl

Researchers thought the site of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster was unable to support life. But a bunch of wolves, deer, wild boars, bears, and foxes disagreed.

8 of the Biggest Tsunamis in History

The biggest tsunami ever recorded reached 1720 feet high—which is taller than the Willis Tower in Chicago.

Shark-Related Tourism Is Now Banned in Mexico’s Cage-Diving Capital

Shark-related tourist activities are now illegal in Mexico’s Isla Guadalupe Biosphere Reserve—a hotspot for great whites.

An eastern hellbender, North America's largest salamander.

Raisin' Hellbenders: How Scientists Are Saving North America's Largest Salamander

A team of dedicated scientists is raising eastern hellbenders and releasing them into rivers, helping these ample amphibians to survive.

Blow Hard: 11 of the Biggest Volcanic Eruptions of All Time

Volcanoes do more than just spew lava. They can usher in revolutions, inspire great works of literature, or even convince people they're seeing ghosts.

What Kind of Fish Is Dory From Finding Nemo?

Before 2003's 'Finding Nemo,' 'Dory fish' were best known by another name. Actually, several other names.

Green burial options are kinder to the environment.

8 Eco-Friendly Options for Your Body After Death

You drive an electric vehicle. You recycle. You're a vegetarian. Do your final wishes reflect your eco-friendly lifestyle?

Cane toads: Australia's invasive amphibians.

10 Big Facts About Cane Toads

What is likely the world's largest cane toad—dubbed Toadzilla—weighed just shy of six pounds when it was found in Australia.

'Nature's Pitfall' by Samantha Stephens.

See 11 Stunning Images From the 4th Annual Close-Up Photographer of the Year Competition

Slime mold definitely had a moment—but it’s hard to beat two dead salamanders floating in a carnivorous plant.

Megafauna like woolly mammoths dominated during the ice age.

20 Cool Facts About the Ice Age

From what causes ice ages and how many we’ve had, to the species that thrived and the ones that died, here’s what you need to know.

How Long It Really Takes Your Cloth Grocery Bags to Become More Sustainable Than Plastic

Reusable cloth grocery bags are hailed as a sustainable alternative to plastic, but the truth is more complicated.

The 5 Days You Can Get Free Admission to National Parks in 2023

Want to commune with nature? Here's how to do it while saving a few bucks.

Peaches and other stone fruits are often sprayed with pesticides.

The 10 Dirtiest Foods in the Produce Aisle, According to an Environmental Watchdog Group

There’s no such thing as eating too many fruits and vegetables, but you'll want to give these a good rinse first.

How the Quest for Wild Chocolate Could Help Save the Amazon Rainforest

To harvest wild chocolate from the Amazon, cacao hunters have to avoid cocaine smugglers, flash floods, and giant anacondas.

Dobby gains his freedom in 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' (2002).

Conservationists Ask People to Stop Leaving Socks at Dobby’s Seaside Grave in Wales

The harbor porpoises that live near Dobby’s Pembrokeshire grave site don’t love socks as much as the Harry Potter house elf did.

A humpback whale feeds off the coast of California.

Whales Could Be Eating 10 Million Pieces of Microplastic a Day

The research sheds new light on just how badly microplastic pollution is affecting nature's biggest living creatures.

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