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Al Hoota Cave
Al Hamra, Oman

Al Hoota Cave

The biggest cave system in the Arabian Peninsula is home to a rare variety of blind fish.
Many-armed sunflower sea stars are fast-moving and can grow to the diameter of a bicycle tire, making them formidable hunters.
science

Baby Sea Stars Are Voracious Predators That Might Just Save an Ecosystem

Along the Pacific Coast, fast and furious sunflower sea stars are vicious hunters as adults—and they're even hungrier when young.
Roxanne Hoorn February 27, 2024
dinosaurs

The Secrets of the Sea Hidden High in the Andes

Colombia's paleontologists uncover rich fossil deposits that could change what we know about ancient oceans.
Santiago Flórez January 29, 2024
In the American West, preventing wildfires is becoming all the more crucial. Meet one of the helpers.
nasa

Why NASA Is Watching Where Idaho’s Parachuting Beavers Landed

The mini-paratroopers have a new role to play today.
Danielle Hallock January 25, 2024
A school of grunts on a sunken World War II German submarine in the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina.
science

From Shark 'Rest Stops' to Living Reefs, Shipwrecks Teem With Life

When vessels such as the WWII tanker E.M. Clark sink, they begin a second life as habitat for a diverse ecosystem.
Avery Paxton January 15, 2024
Lassen Peak dusted from a fall snow storm and framed by trees affected by the 2021 Dixie Fire.
national parks

Lassen Volcanic National Park Bounces Back After California's Largest Single Fire

In 2021, the Dixie Fire burned much of the park. Now, Lassen's recovery offers surprising lessons on resilience.
Dani Anguiano January 8, 2024
Monterey, California

Into The Deep/En lo Profundo Exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium

Enormous crabs, bioluminescent jellies, and other amazing creatures from the ocean’s depths—some of which are in an aquarium for the first time ever.
The parasitic plant <em>Sapria himalayana</em>, also known as the jeweled corpse flower, was one of several rare species found in the Siang Valley by ATREE botanists.
science

The Biodiversity of India's Siang Valley Rediscovered After an Infamous Colonial Expedition

A red velvet worm, jeweled corpse flower, and other rare species were found while retracing the route of the bloody 1911-12 Abor Expedition.
Deepa Padmanaban December 12, 2023
The sperm whale population around Dominica is one of the most closely studied in the world.
science

Dominica's Sperm Whales Have a Surprising Superpower: Poop

Around the Caribbean island nation, local cetaceans have some unique traits, including doubling down on defecation.
Ashley Stimpson November 27, 2023
Montezuma Well.
ruins

What’s Beneath the Bubbling Sand at the Bottom of the Montezuma Well?

A dive to the bottom of this ancient sinkhole reveals bubbling sand, thick like Silly Putty. Is there another pond beneath it?
The Podcast Team June 3, 2025
After you die, bacteria harvest your body for the nutrients that help push daisies.
science

When You Die, Your Necrobiome Recycles You

An environmental microbiologist explains why an individual's death is a new lease on life for an entire ecosystem.
Jennifer DeBruyn October 16, 2023
Wisconsin's Wolf River, which flows through the Menominee Indian Reservation, where Indigenous traditions guide sustainable forestry.
forests

In Wisconsin, the Menominee Tribe's Sustainable Forestry Is Visible From Space

The Menominee Tribe's tradition of doing "what's best for the forest" has become a global model for sustainability.
Fred Pearce September 11, 2023
Georgetown, South Carolina

Hobcaw Barony

This former hunting grounds that once attracted U.S. presidents and other luminaries. Now it’s a privately owned research reserve dedicated to environmental sciences.
Monteverde, Costa Rica

Reserva Curi Cancha

This wildlife refuge is home to more than 200 species of birds, as well as monkeys, lizards, and other wildlife.
science

The Chernobyl Disaster Created an Unexpected Predator Paradise

In a corner of Belarus, wolves and lynx thrive as a new and surprising ecosystem evolves in the wake of disaster.
Wojciech Mikołuszko August 30, 2023
Wild bluebells, native to the area, are thriving once more on Eoghan Daltun's land on Ireland's Beara Peninsula.
forests

Rewilding His Corner of Ireland's Beara Peninsula Is One Man's Labor of Love

Eoghan Daltun has spent 14 years creating a showcase of native biodiversity.
Rory Carroll August 21, 2023
Fifty years ago, only four Mauritius kestrels remained alive, making the bird the world’s rarest raptor. After a labor-intensive recovery, the species’ numbers are falling again.
islands

The World's Rarest Raptor Hangs On Thanks to an Invasive Species

The Mauritius kestrel benefits from a plant that's harming the island's ecosystem, complicating conservation efforts.
Ryan Truscott July 24, 2023
Silhouettes of bats flying around the Phoenix Bat Cave.
List

21 Places to Get Closer to Bats

Often misunderstood creatures, bats are vital members of their home ecosystems.
Jonathan Carey July 14, 2023