Nature & Wildlife
The continental United States and many global regions experienced their hottest summer on record in 2026, driven by human-caused climate change and an intensifying El Nino, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climate Report published on September 9, 2026. Average temperatures were roughly 3 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century baseline.
Nature & Wildlife
One of the scariest movies I have ever seen is the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead. In 1985, it was followed by the flick Return of the Living Dead. That movie created the pop-culture trope that zombies specifically crave and shout for brains.
Conservation
Wildfires are complicated. On one hand, they can be extremely destructive forces. On the other, they are natural events that certain animals and plants have evolved to depend on for ecological balance. And then, you have to add climate change into the equation.
Nature & Wildlife
“Life finds a way.” That’s a now-famous statement from Dr. Ian Malcolm, a fictional character played by actor Jeff Goldblum in the 1993 movie Jurassic Park.
Travel Tips
Mountains, seashores, grasslands, wetlands, coral reefs and glaciers. Our national parks protect a multitude of terrains for every taste. And with more than 400 national park units across the country to explore, it can be daunting to choose which one you want to visit the soonest. Luckily, you have help.
Nature & Wildlife
Right now, as you’re probably finalizing your plans for the end-of-the-year holidays, there are some new developments in travel—and family get-togethers—that I think you might find interesting.
Nature & Wildlife
Animals and plants are remarkably resilient in the face of environmental changes. Their creative adaptations and strategies for surviving in ever-altering conditions include going dormant, developing drought tolerance, adjusting migrations, switching to nocturnal activity, forming a salinity tolerance and making social partnerships.
Conservation
Virtual reality (VR)—a technology that simulates a three-dimensional (3D) environment, allowing users to interact with a computer-generated world as if they were physically present—can create dynamic, immersive and personalized experiences.
Conservation
While wildfires and controlled burns (also known as prescribed burns) are both fires, they differ significantly in their impacts, management and origins. Wildfires are unplanned and unrestrained, often caused by natural events like lightning or human error—such as unattended campfires or discarded cigarettes—and they can cause extensive damage.
Nature & Wildlife
Fourth of July fireworks can release harmful pollutants into the air you breathe. There are, however, other, healthier alternatives.
News & More
July 22, 2024, was the hottest day on record, according to a recent NASA analysis of global daily temperature data. And 2024 has now officially taken over the title of hottest year on record from the former titleholder, 2023.
Conservation
Drawing on her life as an Indigenous scientist, author Robin Wall Kimmerer in her now iconic 2015 book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants intertwines the knowledge she gained during her Potawatomi upbringing with the education she later received as a scientist—specifically, a plant biologist.
