China's Blue Mirage
Fish farming in Xinjiang is sold as proof that technology can overcome geography. The reality is a desert seafood boom built on political control and...
Observations from the Little Bunker
A systematic observation of climate change, extreme weather events, and their cascading effects on society
Latest Environmental Observations
Cop31 host urges wealthy countries to spend 'much more' on climate than defence
‘The climate issue is the security issue,’ says Turkish minister at Pacific pre-Cop summit in FijiWealthy countries should spend far more on dealing with the...
AI and the climate crisis pose existential risks. The law offers a way to reduce them | Robert Reich
Liability lawsuits have held tobacco, oil and pharma companies to account in the past. AI investors won’t ignore this threatThe most basic function of government...
Longitudinal adaptations in neural and behavioral systems following hearing restoration using cochlear implants
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 40, October 2026. SignificanceSuccessful cochlear implant (CI) use requires more than hearing sounds; it also...
Three decades of urban densification reduced winter direct sunlight access across China's old urban cores
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 40, October 2026. SignificanceUrban densification supports compact and sustainable growth, but its hidden sunlight-access consequences...
Cnidarian mechanosensory cells as ancestors of vertebrate hair cells: Molecular targeting of an ancient mechanotransduction complex
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 40, October 2026. SignificanceTransmembrane channel-like (TMC) proteins are a family of ion channels and scramblases...
Will the world end next month? <cite>Science</cite> said so, in 1960
Researchers concluded that doomsday will fall on 13 November—but not for the reasons we might expect today
South Baltimore Residents Grapple With Contradictory Incinerator Decisions
Residents expressed confusion and frustration as regulators shut down one incinerator and considered extending the lifespan of another.By Aman AzharAround 100 Baltimore residents packed a...
IPCC's Sixty-Fifth Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
GENEVA, Oct 8– The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will be holding its Sixty-Fifth Plenary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 12 to 16...
The Louisiana wind industry's plan for survival: Outlast Trump
Louisiana’s offshore wind industry has a date circled on the calendar: January 21, 2029 — the first day after President Donald Trump is scheduled to...
'Digger' has a lot of haters. Here's why they're wrong.
Last week, this magazine published a review of Digger, the new climate change allegory from Mexican provocateur Alejandro Iñárritu. In it, my colleague Jake Bittle...
Climate-amplified wildland–urban interface disasters create persistent internal metal mixtures associated with pulmonary impairment
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 40, October 2026. SignificanceWildland–urban interface (WUI) disasters create a different exposure problem than wildfires dominated...
A role for heavy chain-modification in protecting hyaluronan from free radical fragmentation during inflammation
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 40, October 2026. SignificanceThe glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan (HA) is a major component of the extracellular matrix...
Two teams map development of mammal embryos, cell by cell
Using genome editing to trace cell lineages, researchers capture the early history of the mouse embryo in unprecedented detail
Audacious space heist aims to bring home bits of mysterious martian moon
Samples from Japan’s MMX mission could reveal how Phobos formed—and may contain pieces of Mars
Tories overstate net zero cost by nearly £500bn in apparent spreadsheet error
Exclusive: Badenoch’s flagship conference policy document cites £957bn estimate, twice the total in climate advisers’ dataKemi Badenoch’s flagship party conference policy document overestimated the cost...
How California is bracing for a winter of floods, fires and extreme storms all at once
The strongest El Niño recorded is expected to bring a cascade of hazards to a state still facing wildfire and heat risks, while budget cuts...
Factcheck: UK Conservatives double the 'cost of net-zero' after spreadsheet blunder
A booklet published by the UK’s opposition Conservative party includes a ‘cost of net-zero’ that appears to have been doubled by a spreadsheet error. The...
Projected effects of removing school-entry vaccination requirements on measles transmission in Florida
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 40, October 2026. SignificanceFlorida’s proposal to remove school vaccine mandates arrives at a moment when...
Large-scale semidefinite programming with graphics processing units
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 40, October 2026. SignificanceMany scientific and engineering fields, including optimization, machine learning, and quantum computing,...
NIH revives network to study emerging diseases—but its new restrictions baffle scientists
Ban on hunting for new viruses in wildlife is at odds with program’s mission, researchers say
NIH ends 2026 with a boost for early-career researchers, but new awards are down overall
The agency spent its full budget, but left many applicants out of luck
Launch of Africa Energy Bank delayed again in blow to oil and gas hopes
The launch of the Africa Energy Bank (AEB) has been put back yet again, raising doubts about the institution’s future ability to finance fossil fuel...
Cassiterite U–Pb geochronology: A framework for tin provenance in the Bronze Age world
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 40, October 2026. SignificanceTin was as strategic to Bronze Age societies as crude oil is...
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