Environmental Science

Many people think that beautiful, blazing sunsets are one upside to living with the smog that hangs over polluted cities. Are they right? Does smog actually enhance sunsets?

By Julia Layton

L.A. and ancient Rome have more in common than a culture of excess. Both cities turned to complex systems of siphons and aqueducts to solve their water problems.

By Julia Layton

Depending on who you ask, urban sprawl is either the best thing that ever happened to growing families -- or the downfall of civilization and the environment as we know it. Learn about the history and consequences of this American phenomenon.

By Alia Hoyt

Scientists believe that water pressure kept many dinosaurs from swimming. But does that mean that none of these massive animals took a prehistoric skinny-dip?

By Tracy V. Wilson

There's no transdermal patch to help the United States end its addiction to oil. As gas prices rise and pollution spreads, can anything break our gasoholic tendencies?

By Jennifer Horton

A high demand for lumber and paper can lead to deforestation, which can deplete forests, threaten wildlife and contribute to global warming. That's where the Forest Stewardship Council certification comes in.

By Jane McGrath

Are multipurpose plastic bags or those throwback brown paper bags more environmentally friendly? That question could leave you speechless on your next trip to the grocery store.

By Jane McGrath

For those who reduce, reuse and recycle to the beat of their own drum, here are some of the wackier ways to help better the environment and lessen carbon footprints.

By Jennifer Horton & Patrick J. Kiger

For all of its cleanliness, wind power has long been linked to the grisly deaths of birds. Why did one range in California earn turbines the name "bird-o-matics"?

By Julia Layton

Some people believe that dinosaurs were relatives of today's birds. But, you might ask, if that's so, why didn't they have feathers? Funny you should ask.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Ever wondered where all that rain goes after a storm? Most of it is absorbed by soil and plants, while watersheds carry the rest into nearby lakes and rivers.

By Tiffany Connors

When vying for its Olympic bid, Beijing promised that it could stage a green games. So what makes an international event "green," and what's Beijing doing to prepare for its debut?

By Julia Layton

The outer continental shelf of the United States could hold a sizeable amount of oil. But is it enough to make a difference in the price of oil?

By Jennifer Horton

It's not a trick; before you are a number of reptilian footprints in the rock. They're dinosaur tracks, preserved for thousands of years. But how did they possibly get there?

By Tracy V. Wilson

As alternative energy sources sputter to take off on Earth, scientists are turning an eye toward space. What are the most promising celestial options, and when could they be in use?

By Jennifer Horton

Many oil companies claim to have cleaned up their act. But are they clean enough to set up shop on federal land? What are the risks of opening our preserved wilderness?

By Jennifer Horton

Early explorers drove flags into the ground to claim territories. But no one bothered to float a flag in the oceans. For the most part, we peaceably shared the oceans until we realized what valuable goods could be found in their dark and murky depths.

By Josh Clark

Everyone knows that once a bone has fossilized, it's hard as a rock, right? So how did scientists find soft tissue inside a broken dinosaur bone?

By Tracy V. Wilson

Dinosaur eggs and the embryos inside can teach us a lot about dinosaur reproduction and behavior. But how do scientists get the rocky embryos out from the equally rocky shells?

By Tracy V. Wilson

It's colorless, odorless and definitely life-sustaining, but is it invisible to the naked eye? Not usually. So what's going on with everyone's favorite liquid?

By Robert Lamb

What if you could scrub out carbon dioxide emissions before they ever dirtied the atmosphere? This exciting technology could do just that, but will the benefits outweigh the costs?

By Jennifer Horton

Some scientists think that the ocean is a potentially enormous storage ground for carbon dioxide. Could thousands of aquatic tubes help sequester carbon, or is it all just a pipe dream?

By Jennifer Horton

If, in a few years, you begin to see scores of blimps floating overhead, don't be alarmed. They're MARS turbines, and they could be an aerial solution to the energy problem.

By Jennifer Horton

Are wind farms and other renewable energy sources the closest we can come to free energy? Isn't there some crackpot invention out there that you can set up in your backyard?

By Jessika Toothman

Environmentalists have found a way to harness the military precision of missile-tracking technology for a decidedly nonviolent mission: replanting forests. So what do C-130 aircraft have to do with reforestation?

By Jennifer Horton