Field: Ecosystems

Making plants grow on the Moon could be instrumental in helping gardens to grow greener on Earth in the face of climate change.

A tech startup in San Francisco is going to change how the world sees the weather.

Current scientific consensus is that life emerged from non-living molecules in a process called abiogenesis. But if life emerged once, why not more times?

Understanding Earth’s internal history can be used to target mineral reserves – not only diamonds, but also crucial minerals.

Nature-based solutions can be radical — think covering a highway with a park — but offer meaningful ways to address pollution.

There may be ways to enhance natural processes so the ocean pulls more carbon out of the atmosphere to help slow climate change.

Centralized power systems rely on large power plants and transmission grids, but microgrids are self-sufficient.

Researchers have found an effective new method for removing carbon dioxide from salt water in the ocean.

Singapore's green thumb developed from its recent history. Its small size meant that staying independent required protecting its resources.

The first global assessment of land reclamation found that people have added 900 square miles of land to Earth’s coasts this century.

Scientists have found diverse life forms dwelling in an abandoned, flooded uranium mine in Germany, creating an "alien" ecosystem.

Researchers found that extreme temperatures actually have a much larger effect on human activity than the previous estimations.

Jupiter's moon Io is thought to be inhospitable, but new data suggests life could exist underground, perhaps in lava tubes.

The state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is a great opportunity — but only if it goes far enough.

Rewilding organisations in Europe are reintroducing lost species including the Eurasian lynx and Marsican brown bear.

A newly discovered species of bacteria is so large that it can be seen with the naked eye. It also contains a DNA-containing nucleus.

Australian researchers have developed a gene drive that renders female mice infertile, opening the door to a new type of pest control.

Many large mammals in Europe were close to extinction. New data shows us that the continent’s mammal populations are flourishing again.

On the Antarctic Peninsula, so-called snow algae are turning the snow green, which could lay the groundwork for a whole new ecosystem.

The majority of oceanic plastic waste comes from rivers and coasts. Floating fences may help stop it at the source.

The Loop Current, a fueler of monster storms, is looking a lot like it did in 2005, the year of hurricane Katrina.

Researchers discovered that the way fungi independently gained the ability to produce psilocybin is because of horizontal gene transfer.

Which countries and rivers emit the most plastic to the ocean? What does this mean for solutions to tackle plastic pollution?

Acid mine drainage turns thousands of creeks orange in Appalachia. True Pigments is pulling that pollution to create paint pigments.

Texas scientists have created an enzyme that could keep billions of pounds of plastic out of landfills.

On Pangaea Proxima, the supercontinent of the future, Cape Town and Mexico City are just a day’s drive apart.

The global tiger population is finally increasing after more than a century of gradual decline, a new study from WWF reveals.

These discoveries help scientists better understand not only the evolutionary history of viruses but also the evolution of life on Earth.

A census of the one-horned rhino population at Kaziranga National Park found that the vulnerable species is on the rise.

The giant bee was first discovered in 1859, but since has only officially sighted once. Now, researchers have found a specimen alive and well.

The panels are mounted high enough for crops to be grown underneath, sheltering them from the sun and allowing rainwater harvesting.

Sound recordings remind us that these beings are invaluable, and that humans have a duty to preserve them.

To fight an invasive fish threatening Australia’s critically endangered freshwater natives, researchers are looking to robotic predators — and the “ecology of fear” they create.

OneZoom is an interactive “tree of life” that lets you explore the evolutionary connections between more than two million species.

Reef restoration researchers found that fish were more inclined to settle near new reefs if they sounded like they were already thriving.

A conservationist suggests relocating sea otters to Northern California to eat the sea urchins destroying the coast’s vital kelp forests.

To rid an indigenous tribe’s land of toxic forever chemicals, scientists are having hemp plants pull the contaminants straight from the soil.

Animal conservationists plan to attempt the largest elephant rewilding ever, flying an entire herd from a U.K. zoo to Kenya to be released.

A group of European researchers have hiked the Alps to look into the phenomenon of pink snow. They have now sequenced the DNA from the algae that is the hallmark of the rosey color.

Researchers have developed a machine-learning platform that can rapidly process ocean color from satellite images — giving data on ocean health.

A new smartphone game will allow players to adopt an endangered animal in the digital world while simultaneously protecting one in the real world.

Researchers used computer models to evaluate wetland restoration scenarios and found that strategic wetland placement is the key to cleaning up water pollution.

Researchers are using new image processing techniques designed for drones to study declassified, Cold War spy satellite photos for ecological change.

China is using cloud seeding to create rain where and when it’s needed. Will it try to use geoengineering to combat climate change next?

NatureXR, a new collective, is the first to build 3D model trees, then have scientists certify them as "real” for virtual reality.

The ICARUS project looks to use the International Space Station and special bio-loggers to begin tracking animals from space.

Researchers are developing options from the domestic to the deific to allow humans and bats to live together in...

The once struggling New York Harbor whale population is now rebounding with water clean-up initiatives and these faithful citizen scientists’ efforts.

“Ecoacoustics” is an emerging field of research. Instead of chasing down isolated animal sounds, researchers are using all of the acoustic properties of a location to answer ecological questions.

Reforestation projects could be just what we need to turn the tide of climate change, and this Mexican village is setting an example for all to follow.

Coral reefs are the foundation of ocean life, and yet 50% of them have been lost. Here’s why coral reefs are dying and what one group is doing to stop it.