Stephen Schmidt

How I learned to stop worrying and love the mom

When it comes to the intricacies of pregnancy, sometimes truth can be stranger than fiction.

How I learned to stop worrying and love the mom
Soldiers of the Puerto Rico National Guard and volunteers of the Puerto Rico State Guard clear a road at Punta Santiago in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Scenes of utter devastation were found throughout the island after Hurricane Maria hit last September.

Report: FEMA wasn't ready for Hurricane Maria, destruction in Puerto Rico

Report: FEMA wasn't ready for Hurricane Maria, destruction in Puerto Rico
Elkhorn coral is one of the main varieties of coral that workers on the northern coast of Puerto Rico have been able to restore following damage done by Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Local NGOs repair Puerto Rico’s coral reefs in Maria’s aftermath

Local NGOs repair Puerto Rico’s coral reefs in Maria’s aftermath
Kenton Ganster, left, stands with his mother, Kathleen, with a drilling rig used for fracking visible in the background off of the Rachel Carson Trail north of Pittsburgh.

Drilling rigs used in fracking found along nature trail irk some hikers

Drilling rigs used in fracking found along nature trail irk some hikers

Book tells story 'most famous man most of us have never heard of'

Book tells story 'most famous man most of us have never heard of'
Under a new carbon offset program that is gaining popularity in Congress, oil and gas companies — and other manufacturers of products involving — fossil fuel would have to pay $40 for every ton of carbon emitted into the atmosphere.

New carbon offset program may have the bipartisan support it needs on Capitol Hill

After years of having difficulty passing legislation relating to greenhouse gas emissions, a group consisting of both Democrats and Republicans believe they have a plan that can make their constituents happy.

New carbon offset program may have the bipartisan support it needs on Capitol Hill
Since 2002, scientific data pointed to a slower decline of CFC-11, one of several chemical substances banned by the Montreal Protocol in 1987. The amount of CFC-11 found in the atmosphere has actually gone up during that time, prompting the United Nations

Scientists detected a spike in ozone-depleting chemicals. They'll use the Montreal Protocol to stop the pollution.

Those who have watched over the Montreal Protocol since its formation have never had to take significant measures to enforce it — until now.

Scientists detected a spike in ozone-depleting chemicals. They'll use the Montreal Protocol to stop the pollution.
Growing high tides have turned this photo — taken from Pompano Beach, Florida, after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 — into a regular occurrence along the U.S. coastlines.

New report forecasts a troubling picture of rising tides, frequent flooding on coasts

Some Americans think major flooding will not affect the country until decades from now. A recent report says major implications may be arriving much sooner.

New report forecasts a troubling picture of rising tides, frequent flooding on coasts
french soccer players at the world cup

French national soccer players of immigrant ancestry face harsher critics at the World Cup

The synergy that has propelled the French national team to the title game in the most recent World Cup in Russia has been colorblind — but French citizens and fans have not.

French national soccer players of immigrant ancestry face harsher critics at the World Cup
The overall catch from lobstering in Maine was down 16.4 percent in 2017 from the year before. Those who catch lobsters for a living in the state are hoping that downfall does not continue in 2018.

The feast-or-famine life of lobstering in Maine

The lobster industry has always been an up-and-down business, but a new book looks into how global warming is adding to that already uncertain rollercoaster.

The feast-or-famine life of lobstering in Maine
Snow is blown off of the calving front off of Thurston Island in western Antarctica in this photo, taken in November 2014. New findings show the western side of Antarctica to be more vulnerable to warming oceans — and increased ice loss — than first thoug

A scientist's response to Antarctic ice loss: 'We can act.'

When it came to figuring how much ice loss was taking place over the last five years in Antarctica, they knew it was a bad situation — but they did not realize it was this bad.

A scientist's response to Antarctic ice loss: 'We can act.'
Mastodons (this one on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles) are just a small part of the story of how humans first migrated to the Americas 15,000 years ago — or longer.

Retracing paths that people first traversed while migrating to the Americas

When it comes to the first people arriving in the Americas during the Ice Age from Asia, Craig Childs says it is a "blank space" in the collective memory of most Americans. His newest book fills up that space with firsthand adventures and exploration.

Retracing paths that people first traversed while migrating to the Americas
Protestors hold up signs at a rally against a proposed Kinder Morgan oil pipeline expansion on Burnaby Mountain in 2014 in British Columbia. In late May, the Canadian government announced it would fund an expansion project for the Kinder Morgan Trans Moun

With pipeline decision, Canada's Trudeau draws ire of environmental supporters

When Justin Trudeau was elected as the prime minister of Canada in 2015 he did so on a platform that pledged to reform the country's environmental laws. Recent news of the Canadian government agreeing to fund a sands oil pipeline extension has many who voted for him questioning his motives.

With pipeline decision, Canada's Trudeau draws ire of environmental supporters
 The Marshall Islands are made up of an archipelago of islands that sit not that far from the current sea level, as evidenced by this photo of the Jaluit Atoll Lagoon.

Documentary chronicles climate change through three children growing up in the Marshall Islands

The documentary is called "The Last Generation.” Facing rising sea levels that could one day submerge their entire country, the three children from the Marshall Islands featured in the project hope their people will live through any calamities caused by climate change.

Documentary chronicles climate change through three children growing up in the Marshall Islands
an aerial view of a tent camp for detained migrant children in the US

Family separation under ‘zero-tolerance’ policy could leave lasting trauma in children, pediatric doctor says

It has become a hot-button topic in American politics. But beyond the numbers of children being separated from their parents at the border are very real, long-term effects from toxic stress, one expert says.

Family separation under ‘zero-tolerance’ policy could leave lasting trauma in children, pediatric doctor says