Environment

As temperatures plunged throughout the U.S. during Storm Fern last month, one family found the silver — or, should we say, rainbow — lining. When heavy snow fell across Pennsylvania, Ashley Barron decided to embrace the freeze by creating a multicolored igloo with her family out of 342 blocks of ice.

Polar bears play a uniquely crucial role in the Arctic ecosystem — and thankfully, one population in particular may be in better physical health than 25 years ago. A new study suggests that despite sea ice losses caused by climate change around the Norwegian island of Svalbard, the mammals’ fat reserves have increased.

A rare drawing of a lioness by 17th-century Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn is headed to the auction block, with a profound mission behind its sale. All proceeds — an estimated $20 million — will benefit global wild cat conservation group Panthera.

According to legend, if the groundhog sees his shadow on February 2nd, there will be six more weeks of winter; if not, an early spring is predicted. Of course groundhogs — also known as woodchucks — don’t emerge at this time just to be furry weather predictors. So what’s the real reason? Research into groundhog biology shows they have other priorities in early February than mingling with the people of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

Many of us consider the snowmen we build in the park to be works of art (and they absolutely are), but the talented contestants in the International Snow Sculpture Championships take icy creations to another level — literally. Following 94 hours of nonstop carving at the Riverwalk Center Plaza in Breckenridge, Colorado, the 2026 winners […]

If you were a gerbil or a small bird in the deserts of southern Africa, you’d likely spend your nocturnal hours fearing the African black-footed cat — or the Felis nigripes, if we’re being technical — a vicious killer with night vision and incredible hearing abilities, capable of targeting its prey with exceptional accuracy. But […]

What happens to Christmas trees after the holiday festivities are over? Countless are tossed in the trash each year, and many wind up slowly decomposing in landfills, releasing harmful methane as they do. But along northwest England’s Fylde Coast, wildlife volunteers have come up with a novel way of repurposing their evergreens: using them to battle coastal erosion.

A shy fish, fuzzy plant in the sunflower family, and bird that blends in with volcanic rock were among the 72 animal, plant, and fungi species newly identified by the California Academy of Sciences in 2025. The result of a collaboration between over a dozen Academy scientists and international contributors, the list spans six continents […]

The idea began in California’s Sierra Nevada, a towering spine of rock and ice where rising temperatures and the decline of snowpack are transforming ecosystems, sometimes with catastrophic consequences for wildlife. The prairie-doglike Belding’s ground squirrel (Urocitellus beldingi) had been struggling there as the mountain meadows it relies on dry out in years with less snowmelt and more unpredictable weather. At lower elevations, the foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) was also being hit hard by rising temperatures, because it needs cool, shaded streams to breed and survive.

There are countless end-of-year roundups and best-of lists that come along in December, but none are quite as delightful as the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards. This year’s winning photos were announced at a ceremony in London last night, and all the funny finalists will be on display at the city’s OXO Gallery from Dec. 10-14. […]

Regular rainbows are already beautiful enough to make us stop and stare in the street — but the above image of a full-circle one is so striking, it was named the overall winner of the Royal Meteorological Society’s 2025 Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year Competition. Now in its 10th year, the annual contest illuminates the most stunning weather and climate images taken by amateur and professional photographers around the globe, all in the name of raising awareness about climate change.

Over the summer, we reported on an incredibly adorable conservation endeavor: the beluga boat cam, showcasing the playful white whales making their yearly migration to warmer waters. Now in autumn, we’re sharing another livestream initiative you’ll want to watch. In partnership with Explore.org, Polar Bears International — the nonprofit behind the beluga cam — runs […]