Lands & Waters: Science

The Song of the Cicada

Out of the pandemic, into a valley of insects

By Holly Haworth June 17, 2021

In this story: science, animals, insects, appalachia

Image of a cicada with ruby red eyes on a hand in front of green grass

The Spirit Bear

A secret creature comes to the forefront

By Heather Smith July 3, 2021

In this story: animals, science

A white black bear lies in a lush green forest eating a fleshy salmon.

Field-Tripping Adults Chase Megalodon in Monterey Bay

How I traveled through time during the pandemic

By Katie O'Reilly June 23, 2021

In this story: hiking, science

Wayne Thompson, who has a gray beard and is wearing a beanie and a backpack, looks off in the distance.

Tear Gas, Meet Environmental Law

How the Trump administration may have (accidentally!) broken decades of scientific secrecy

By Heather Smith May 27, 2021

In this story: science, activism, politics, environmental justice, racial justice

A cloud of tear gas silhouetting human figures against a night sky in downtown Portland, OR

Another Gray Whale Washed Up on Shore. Now What?

What a whale’s death means, in bones and baleen

By Kate Golden May 20, 2021

In this story: science, wildlife, oceans, animals

A deceased gray whale lies on a white sand beach, with blue waves in the background.

Who Wants More ATVs?

Californians are paying for a controversial plan to woo off-road vehicles

By Anrica Deb April 29, 2021

In this story: science, public lands, state forests, national parks

ATV driven by a guy in a helmet, kicking up an enormous plume of dust.

Beavers Are Firefighters Who Work for Free

Is it time to rethink beaver relocation bans?

By Lucy Sherriff May 4, 2021

In this story: science, indigenous communities, wildlife, animals, politics

Beaver standing in a stream, facing the camera, little paws in the air and looking impossibly adorable.

N 64° 35.378', W 16° 44.691'

A honeymoon on a glacier, and a message to the future

By Andri Snaer Magnason May 23, 2021

In this story: climate change, science, adventure

Black and white photo of a man and a woman standing on a glacier in the 1950s, looking dashing.

The Other COVID Nurses

The epic task of rehabilitating wildlife during a plague

By Lauren Owens Lambert and Liz Devitt April 14, 2021

In this story: science, wildlife, animals

How Biodiversity Can Prevent Pandemics

It's about which species, not how many

By Aaron Mok April 12, 2021

In this story: science, animals, health, wildlife

Adult and baby rhinos standing together in front of a pond, in front of a horizon of distant trees and a bright blue sky