In a first, probiotics helped real coral survive a real heatwave
Past studies of coral probiotics stayed in the lab. This one tested them on wild coral in the Red Sea during an actual marine heatwave—and the microbes held up.
Sep 2026 9
Warren Cornwall
Warren Cornwall is a freelance journalist based in Bellingham, Washington His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe Magazine, and the Seattle Times. He is a contributing correspondent for Science.
Sep 2026 2
Even the sound equivalent of a library can detract from the health benefits of listening to nature.
In a new study, people who listened to audio recordings of birds singing report getting less benefit when paired with even quiet traffic sounds.
Aug 2026 26
To fight wildfires and climate change, scientists say: Don’t burn debris, bury it.
A new study finds that burying logging debris, instead of burning it, could store far more carbon and generate billions in revenue for forest-thinning projects.
Aug 2026 19
Ancient buffalo DNA lays out a roadmap to rehabilitating healthy herds
Genetic analysis of bison dating back 20,000 years shows how the 19th-century slaughter reshaped the species—and how today’s herds could recover.
Aug 2026 12
As the world warms, butterflies are relocating at an astonishing scale
A sweeping new study of 1,758 butterfly species across 105 countries found many tropical species are expanding their ranges, while temperate ones are contracting—with climate change a major driver.
Aug 2026 5
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.
Jul 2026 29
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.
Jul 2026 15
This tiny bottle cap traveled 1,500 kilometers. It had 307 hitchhikers aboard.
Scientists cracked the case of a single plastic cap using isotope chemistry and ocean current models, revealing how trash is turning into rafts for invasive species.
Jul 2026 8
Recycling that rescues dolphins
Tying plastic bottles to gillnets cut dolphin deaths by nearly 90% in a new study, without reducing the fish catch.
Jul 2026 1
When war came to Chornobyl, the animals didn’t all run away.
A new study offers rare evidence of how armed conflict reshapes wildlife behavior, with a few species moving toward human settlements rather than fleeing them—upending assumptions about animals in war zones.
