Science

A buffalo grazes on the drenched land in the Cardamom Mountains, southwest Cambodia.

‘It’s a lose-lose situation’: Carbon ‘offset’ project in Cambodia accused of human rights violations

Companies around the world try to make up for their carbon emission by purchasing "offsets," financing projects intended to preserve forests or otherwise compensate for their emissions. In Cambodia, Human Rights Watch recently issued a report about violations against Indigenous people in a carbon offset program in the Cardamom mountains. 

‘It’s a lose-lose situation’: Carbon ‘offset’ project in Cambodia accused of human rights violations
A view of the process on a montior as lab staff use a microscope stand and articulated hand controls to extract cells from 1-7 day old embryos that are then checked for viability at the Aspire Houston Fertility Institute in vitro fertilization lab in Hous

Why an international court struck down Costa Rica’s IVF ban

Why an international court struck down Costa Rica’s IVF ban
Air quality levels have been bad in Accra since December as harmattan season kicks in across Ghana. The data coming in shows the situation is not improving.

Hazy skies over Accra: Harsh harmattan season in Ghana leads to health hazards, poor air quality

Hazy skies over Accra: Harsh harmattan season in Ghana leads to health hazards, poor air quality
a multiple-exposure photo of insects flying around a light

The surprising reason why insects circle lights at night: They lose track of the sky

The surprising reason why insects circle lights at night: They lose track of the sky
Uganda Women Birders tackles limiting gender taboos by giving women the experience and resources they need to prove they can do the job.

‘Birds are everywhere!’ Women bird guides in Uganda set a global example

‘Birds are everywhere!’ Women bird guides in Uganda set a global example
Sea-level rise and storms made stronger by climate change threaten communities across coastal Bangladesh.

‘They forgot about me’: People with disabilities in Bangladesh face increased risk during natural disasters

Millions of people have migrated from villages in coastal Bangladesh to escape climate-related disasters, but people with disabilities often stay behind. This puts their lives in even greater danger as weather conditions become more severe, advocates say.

‘They forgot about me’: People with disabilities in Bangladesh face increased risk during natural disasters
Two young Panamanians view the solar eclipse.

'The cosmovision of our ancestors': Panama witnesses first solar eclipse in 25 years

Saturday’s solar eclipse cut across the western United States, dipping down into parts of Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Brazil. It was Panama’s first eclipse in 25 years and it came at an auspicious time when scientists are promoting an interest in astronomy. 

'The cosmovision of our ancestors': Panama witnesses first solar eclipse in 25 years
cows in the wild

Rewilding in Spain brings back ancient bovine

Rewilding Spain has reintroduced “back-bred” cattle from nearly 10,000 years ago. They hope the aurochs roaming here once again benefits the environment as well as the economy.

Rewilding in Spain brings back ancient bovine
A fox stands along a street in the Central London, Wednesday, March. 1, 2023. 

London's foxes: Pesky pests or celebrated survivors?

Foxes have played a role London's landscape for a century. But they're being increasingly seen as pests, who raid trash cans and cause fear and annoyance. Reporter Rebecca Rosman talks to a photographer and a historian who want to celebrate the foxes of London.

London's foxes: Pesky pests or celebrated survivors?
The waters off South Caicos island, 2023.

Dozens of messages in bottles tossed by a Nantucket fisherman are found around the world

Fisherman Pennel Ames tossed hundreds of messages in bottles into the ocean off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, asking anyone who found them to write back to him. Two decades later, people are still finding them around the world.

Dozens of messages in bottles tossed by a Nantucket fisherman are found around the world
On the outer edge of a bog in Kohlhütte nature reserve, the land is drier than it used to be. Once, this dirt would have been more like thick mud.

In Germany’s Black Forest and beyond, a quiet loss of biodiversity

A recent survey indicates much less species growth in Germany’s Black Forest. Two plant species have gone extinct, and several more will likely disappear in the next 15 years.

In Germany’s Black Forest and beyond, a quiet loss of biodiversity
Urchin perch on live coral (left) with fossil coral, the foundation of the live reef, in the foreground, live reef in the background.

Galapagos discovery offers clues to climate impact on deep-sea corals

Scientists say research into newly found reefs could lead to important conservation efforts

Galapagos discovery offers clues to climate impact on deep-sea corals
Akureyri is one of the few places in Iceland with forest.

This small Icelandic city thinks big about going green

The small town of Akureyri, in Iceland, has set itself a big goal: to become the world’s first carbon-neutral city by 2030. It hopes that going green can serve as a model for other places.

This small Icelandic city thinks big about going green
woman at computer

‘Out of reach’: Over 40 academic editors leave global publishing company they say overcharged to publish their work

​​​​​​University professors and researchers depend on getting published. So it was considered a bold move when the editors of two prestigious brain journals resigned en masse this month after the publisher refused to lower the fees it charges academics to publish their work.

‘Out of reach’: Over 40 academic editors leave global publishing company they say overcharged to publish their work
Syed Sajjad Ali inspects tomatoes planted inside a Kheyti greenhouse.

This greenhouse innovation helps farmers in India cope with climate change

The “greenhouse-in-a-box” is part of a solution designed to help smallholder farmers cope with the vagaries of a changing climate. The design, essentially a low-cost, scaled-down version of a standard greenhouse, is the brainchild of an Indian startup called Kheyti.

This greenhouse innovation helps farmers in India cope with climate change