Geography

An iceberg melts in Kulusuk, Greenland near the Arctic Circle, Aug, 16, 2005. A new report finds permafrost in the Arctic is thawing faster than ever before.

Critical permafrost research in Russia disrupted by war in Ukraine

Environment

Most of the world’s permafrost lies in Russia. Critical research looks at how melting permafrost contributes to global warming. But sanctions against Russia this year have disrupted field work and threatened collaborations among scientists.

A brown fox sits in the grass

One arctic fox’s incredible journey from Norway to Canada

Environment
Researchers aboard the Nathanial B. Palmer gather on the ship’s bridge to view one of the first icebergs they encountered.

Antarctica Dispatch 3: The ship’s first encounters with icebergs

Three crew members are shown in a room with a green floor all leaning in order to stay balanced.

Antarctica Dispatch 2: Crossing the Drake Passage

A large concrete sphere sits on a brown hill overlooking a slate blue sea.

In Iceland, a shifting sculpture for a changing Arctic  

The Big Melt
Alexandra Tauber talks to a countryside artisan in Paraguay.

The story behind why Paraguay followed the US and moved its embassy to Jerusalem

Conflict & Justice

Jews who fled Europe after WWII are still influencing Paraguay and the country’s relationship with Israel today.

Josh Katz’s Dialect Quiz Show

Arts, Culture & Media

Statistician and NY Times graphics editor Josh Katz joins us in studio for a game show based on his book, “Speaking American.”

A view of tundra landscape in the Rocky Mountains — 11,000 feet from sea level.

In the dead of winter, plants are already starting to prepare for spring — underground

Science

In the Arctic, there is five times more root biomass under the ground than above it, scientists say

berlinphoto

Think you know how to pronounce Berlin, New Hampshire? Think again.

Culture

A small town in New Hampshire has a familiar name — Berlin — but with an odd pronunciation. A World in Words producer set out to figure out why.

A Nepalese army personnel stands in front of a collapsed temple in Bhaktapur, Nepal a day after the April 25 earthquake rocked the country. The quake devastated the heavily crowded Kathmandu valley, killing thousands and triggering a deadly avalanche on M

Earthquakes create as well as destroy

Environment

This week’s events in Nepal area grim reminder of the power of earthquakes to destroy. But at such a moment it’s also worth remembering how they create.