Environmental Science

Though certain parks or preserves have gotten the International Dark Sky Place designation before, this remote South Pacific island became the first entire country to be so honored.

By Nathan Chandler

Earth is a complex place, and its climate follows suit. That may explain why many of us are still confused about climate change. Think you can tell the facts from myths? Find out with this quiz.

By Mark Mancini

Each year, Earth sees two equinoxes and two solstices. But how much do you actually know about these events? Take the quiz and find out!

By Alia Hoyt

Water surrounds us, falling from the sky and pouring from faucets, and yet many of us never ask where it comes from. The answer stretches way back — before tides and thunderclouds to the big bang.

By Jonathan Atteberry & Ian O'Neill, Ph.D.

To honor their prehistoric pasts, most U.S. states have designated official state fossils, ranging from trilobites to dinosaurs. Take our quiz to learn more!

By Mark Mancini

Green, clean energy sounds good at first: Harness the power of the wind to run our creature comforts. But could the sounds people hear (and don't hear) from wind turbines endanger their health?

By Julia Layton & Austin Henderson

But that doesn't mean they worshipped them.

By Dave Roos

After 2035 it will be extremely unlikely we can stop Earth's temperature from rising enough to kick off a dangerous medley of global disasters.

By Laurie L. Dove

All that seashell collecting you've been doing actually hurts the environment.

By Mark Mancini

Blue whales are the largest mammal ever known to exist on Earth. So what makes these creatures so huge?

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

Ocean water is not actually blue, but appears in different shades for many reasons.

By Amanda Onion

Water covers about 71 percent of Earth's surface, but do you know the difference between an ocean and a sea? And which ocean is the smallest?

By Amanda Onion

Bird death is a critique among those who oppose wind turbines. The data from multiple studies doesn't back that up.

By Jesslyn Shields

Salt used in the winter to deice roadways is having an impact on hundreds of lakes across the region.

By Jesslyn Shields

Decades after the massive conflict, reminders of battles linger in pristine Pacific waters.

By Christopher Hassiotis

The ocean’s depths are one of the most mysterious areas on the planet – and the inhabitants of this murky domain are stranger than anything you’ll find on land.

If you've ever been pulled underwater at the beach and came up sputtering with a mouthful of salt water, you might wonder where the ocean picked up that briny flavor. Read on to learn just where all that salt comes from.

By Bambi Turner

Decades of fossil discoveries have revealed much about the extinct members of our hominid family tree, but we're far from having all the answers. What have we learned from some of these fascinating finds?

By Jane McGrath

Over the years, many theories have been advanced about why the once-mighty Mayan civilization fell. But a newer one is getting attention: Was it because of climate change?

By Patrick J. Kiger

With the world's population expanding and its arable land shrinking, how in the world are we going to have enough food to feed everyone? Here are five ways.

By Becky Striepe

Wind farms are touted for their ability to capture a clean, renewable energy source. Is producing wind energy as beneficial as it seems, or are there any downsides?

By Lance Looper

Energy has been on everybody's minds lately, probably because our society is in a transition period, trying to move from polluting sources to cleaner ones.

Coal dominates the power industry in the U.S., producing nearly half of all electricity consumed in the country.

By Rachel Cernansky, Planet Green

Environmental awareness is at an all-time high. We've moved beyond the message that littering is bad -- today we have Web sites, television programs, documentaries and books examining our impact upon the environment.

By Jonathan Strickland

For most of the developed world, a flick of a switch brings the lights, television, computer, and dozens of other gadgets and appliances to life without question.

By David DeFranza, Planet Green