1183 stories
Our impacts on the natural world can be very large—and often detrimental. This manifests in various ways, including in biodiversity loss, climate change, habitat destruction and pollution. These changes can have cascading effects on ecosystems and human societies, leading to a range of challenges.
Part of the reason that I’m so enthralled with Antarctica is because it’s one of the rare places on Earth that has never had an Indigenous population; in other words, there are no native human Antarcticans. Of course, animals other than us have lived there for eons. Perhaps, the best known and most abundant are penguins.
What if all the biodiversity on Earth followed a surprisingly simple pattern? There is a universal rule that applies to everything from dragonflies to forests.
More than 1,500 species of wildflowers color the Alaskan landscape. Bursting forth from lush valleys and alpine meadows during the northern summer, the flora blooms from mid-June into August. Experience Alaska’s summer splendor as we survey a tapestry of mixed forest, glacier-fed lakes and rivers, ice-crowned peaks and wondrous wildflower meadows.
Victoria Falls: The Eden of Africa Scottish explorer David Livingstone first recorded Victoria Falls in 1855, writing that he was struck by “scenes so lovely they must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.” Rising spray creates shimmering rainbows and sustains a lush rainforest microclimate along the basalt canyon walls.
Like sharks, wolves have an unfair reputation for being villains. Children grow up reading fairy tales about the “big bad wolf.” But in reality, these animals are generally not harmful to humans, as they shy away and avoid any interactions with us.
Explore Borneo’s rainforest, home to rare wildlife like orangutans, proboscis monkeys, sun bears, pygmy elephants and even the ninja slug!
Deep in the heart of Borneo’s rainforests, some of the world’s most remarkable wildlife still thrives.
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are often in the news as the “poster animals” of climate change, but outside of the fact that they are big, look white (yes, that “look” part is important!), and their habitat is in severe danger, what else do most people really know about them?
The largest bear in the world and the Arctic’s top predator, polar bears are a majestic symbol of endurance. The polar bear can be found wandering the Arctic in Canada, America, Russia, Norway and Greenland.
Recently, several scientists from the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute have had close encounters with nonhuman, intelligent beings. These creatures blew bubble rings toward them, in what could be a sophisticated form of nonverbal communication. The nonhuman beings, however, were not from another planet.
Encountering sea turtles in their natural habitats is an extraordinary privilege. These graceful marine reptiles—currently classified as endangered—face threats ranging from the overharvesting of their eggs and hunting to entanglement in fishing nets, ocean plastic pollution, and the loss of crucial nesting habitats.
