Archive
Explore Anthropocene’s story archive by clicking on the topics below or entering your own search terms.
Researchers recycle rice husks into a wonder material that removes toxic dyes from water
A biochar filter made from discarded husks hints at a broader shift: treating agricultural byproducts not as garbage, but as raw material for environmental repair.
Which age group has the most climate-intensive diet?
A 20-year study of diets in 149 countries finds that teenagers have the heaviest individual carbon footprints from food, even as aging populations drive the largest overall increase in emissions.
Everyone’s afraid of mountain lions. The data says be afraid of deer instead.
A five-year study finds the big cats you avoid on trails are quietly preventing the collisions that actually kill people.
A majority of Americans don’t actually fit either climate camp
An analysis of 20 years of polling data shows how age, education and income—in addition to political affiliation—shape views on climate policy
A spritz of nanoparticles could save tomatoes from salty soil
Scientists sprayed stressed tomato plants with a combination of manganese and an ingredient from crustacean shells with striking effects for tomato survival.
MIT researchers have designed a recyclable alternative to spandex
This new polyethylene yarn matches spandex’s stretch—and unlike spandex, it can be melted down and re-spun repeatedly.
How to save giant Sequoias: Burn the forest around it first
New research quantifies, for the first time, how much prescribed fire reduces mortality in the world’s largest trees.
Do small climate habits help or hurt the bigger cause? What a 4-year study found.
Researchers tracked nearly 2,800 people’s habits, protests, and policy views to test whether small green acts help or hurt the bigger fight. Neither, it turns out.
Researchers use hemp, rock dust and biochar to scrub forever chemicals from farm soils
A Yale study finds that combining three low-cost interventions could bring contaminated soils below safety thresholds within a decade, at a fraction of conventional cleanup costs.
Battery-like device sucks carbon dioxide out of thin air
Using electricity and seawater chemistry would be more economical and efficient than today’s direct air capture technologies
