Earth Optimism

After female penguins lay eggs, parents take turns warming the nest during the roughly 43-day incubation period.

How Scientists’ Tender Loving Care Could Save This Endangered Penguin Species

From fish smoothies to oral antibiotics, researchers are taking matters into their own hands in a radical effort to save New Zealand’s yellow-eyed penguins

Kids cool down at an animal-themed splash pad at Zoo Miami. Mist stations also help visitors avoid overheating on sweltering days.

In Miami, the Nation’s First Chief Heat Officer Charts a Course for Surviving on a Warming Planet

By building a broad coalition of partners across the political spectrum, the Florida metropolis is doing all that it can to keep the city cool

North Atlantic right whales face threats of entanglement in fishing gear and injuries caused by ships.

North Atlantic Right Whale Numbers May Be Stabilizing at Last

After a decade of decline, the latest population estimate is good news—but conservationists say we "have a long ways to go" to safeguard the marine mammals

An Azores bullfinch feeds on the buds of a native tree on São Miguel Island in the Azores.

One of Europe’s Most Endangered Birds Is Bouncing Back

Twenty years of habitat restoration has helped the once critically endangered Azores bullfinch

A pod of ancient Nacional cacao offers hope for reforesting Ecuador’s Pacific coast, which by some estimates has lost 98 percent of its original forest cover over the past century.

The Quest to Save the World’s Most Coveted Chocolate

For these ambitious scientists in the rainforests of Ecuador, helping the environment has never tasted so sweet

A team including research scientists at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute became the first in the world to successfully cryopreserve coral using a technique called isochronic vitrification.

Scientists Cryopreserve and Revive Coral Fragments in a World First for Conservation

The new freezing technique could reinvigorate corals suffering from warming oceans—or even preserve human organs in the future

One of the adult ospreys in the breeding pair

Ospreys Breed in Ireland for the First Time in More Than 200 Years

The birds were driven to local extinction in the 18th century, but the new chicks provide hope for a comeback amid reintroduction efforts

Aerial photo of the Tiputini Processing Center of state-owned Petroecuador in Yasuni National Park, northeastern Ecuador. 

Ecuadorean Voters Reject Oil Drilling in the Amazon's Yasuní National Park

The section of rainforest is one of the most biodiverse areas in the world and home to several Indigenous communities

A wolf spotted in the Sequoia National Forest

New Pack of Endangered Gray Wolves Discovered in California

The pack, which consists of a mother and her four offspring, is now the state’s southernmost wolf group

In Montana, a group of 16 young people are suing the state for violating their constitutional right to a "clean and healthful environment."

Montana Youths Win Key Climate Lawsuit on Their Right to a 'Clean and Healthful Environment'

The ruling could set a groundbreaking precedent in answering the question: Does the government need to protect its citizens from climate change?

The chicks were both born in early May and should take their first flights later this year.

Two Baby Condors At Pinnacles National Park Are Healthy, 'Adorable Fluffballs'

The nestlings provide some good news for California condors, which faced a major setback from bird flu earlier this year

A researcher holds two White's seahorses before releasing them into Sydney Harbor.

Scientists Release Record-Breaking Number of Baby Seahorses Into Sydney Harbor

The team installed eight new “seahorse hotels,” which will provide much-needed homes for the endangered animals

A bandicoot uses its nose to sniff out subterranean insects, leaving behind shallow holes known as “snout pokes.”

The Unlikely Survival Story of Australia's Bandicoots

The defenseless marsupial was nearly wiped out by invasive species. Now rescuers are pinning hopes on a remnant island population

The tiny device generates electricity from the air in a way that resembles how clouds make the electricity we see in lightning bolts.

This New Device Generates Electricity From Thin Air

Nearly any material covered with tiny holes can derive energy from humidity, per a new study, opening doors to more sustainable power

The Colorado River's Glen Canyon Dam, which creates Lake Powell.

States Propose Landmark Deal to Conserve the Colorado River

The water cuts suggested by California, Arizona and Nevada are not as ambitious as those proposed by the federal government, but they will buy time

Before they made their big flight to the South Pacific, the snails were adorned with dots of red, UV-reflective paint to help conservationists find them in the dark.

Scientists Reintroduce 5,000 Snails to French Polynesian Islands

The project's organizers say it's the largest-ever release of creatures that are extinct in the wild

The lioness, photographed by a trail camera in February, is likely around five years old.

First Lion Spotted in Chad National Park in 20 Years Is 'Beautiful' and 'Healthy'

A trail camera snapped a photograph of the lounging big cat, giving wildlife officials renewed hope about the species' recovery in West and Central Africa

The submersible Alvin collects samples from rocky outcrop in the newly discovered coral reef.

See the Pristine Coral Reefs Found off the Galápagos Islands

These ancient deep-sea reefs have barely been affected by humans and can provide a way to measure the impact of climate change on corals

Electric cars from Tesla, photographed in 2018

EPA Proposes Tightest-Ever Emissions Limits for Cars

If approved, the rules could lead to electric vehicles comprising 67 percent of new car sales by 2032

A person clears snow off their car in February 2023 after a snowstorm in Provo, Utah.

Utah Shatters Snowpack Records, but Its Drought Remains

Unprecedented winter storms may provide temporary relief for the state's water problems

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