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Berlin, Germany

Nightcaps

A series of sculptures, “sitting” directly on top of Berlin's existing street lamps, addressing the overlooked topic of urban light pollution.
In 2024, the water of the Seine was deemed safe for swimming for the first time in a century. Cleanup efforts may be helping aquatic animals.
science

Found in the Seine: DNA From a Nearly Extinct Mussel

Scientists taking samples from the Parisian river didn't expect to find traces of shellfish that had all but disappeared from France.
Kim Willsher February 10, 2025
St. Louis, Michigan

Toxic Town Marker

This marker tells the story of a town’s toxic past.
rivers

Brooklyn’s ‘River Hag’ Searches for Life in One of America's Most Toxic Waterways

Greenpoint's Newtown Creek was the site of one of the worst oil spills in U.S. history.
Diana Hubbell February 2, 2024
High salinity—and the microorganisms that thrive in it—turn part of Utah's Great Salt Lake pink.
science

Wonder Is Everywhere: A Lost Color, a Rare Giant Rat, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.
April White December 22, 2023
Fireflies glow along Japan's Hino River some 450 miles west of Tokyo.
insects

How A ‘Firefly Course’ Is Saving Japan’s Favorite Glowing Insect

At the Moriyama City Firefly Forest Museum, nurturing Genji fireflies comes with homework.
Shoshi Parks July 25, 2023
Horse Cave, Kentucky

Hidden River Cave

Once one of the most polluted caves in America, now an environmental success story and a museum dedicated to caves.
An adult male orangutan contemplates his next move in haze produced by Indonesia’s 2015 wildfires.
science

Wildfire Smoke Changes Orangutan Calls in Borneo

During massive fires in Indonesia, the critically endangered primates' voices provided clues to their overall health.
Wendy Erb July 3, 2023
Ramat Hovav, Israel

Negev Guardian

One of the largest statues in Israel was erected to protest pollution.
New Idria
Paicines, California

New Idria Ghost Town

After the nearby mercury mine shut down, this town was abandoned and declared a Superfund site.
architecture

Podcast: Newtown Creek Nature Walk

One man in Brooklyn—armed with a homemade boat and an artistic vision—helped transform one of America's most polluted industrial waterways.
The Podcast Team February 21, 2023
Jacksonville, North Carolina

Infant Water Poisoning Victims

A section of this cemetery is dedicated to the lives lost from years of exposure to contaminated water.
science

How The Thames, Once a 'Zombie River,' Was Brought Back to Life

Sharks, beavers, and humans are all returning to London's iconic waterway thanks to decades of restoration work.
Mia Jackson August 8, 2022
national parks

How Ukraine’s Environmentalists Are Helping the War Effort

Scientists and citizens unite in a 'vast network of resistance.'
Matthew Ponsford June 27, 2022
For $1.35 million, you could become the next owner of one of the largest southern live oak trees in the United States.
objects of intrigue

For Sale: A Grand Old President (That Happens To Be a Tree)

Up to 1,200 years old, the stately 'Seven Sisters' Oak has held the title for more than half a century.
Sarah Durn June 9, 2022
Yerington pit lake, May 2015. The road on the pit wall to the right indicates the relative depth.
Yerington, Nevada

Yerington Pit (Anaconda Copper Mine)

A deep toxic lake fills this abandoned open-pit copper mine, now a Superfund site.
Science just saved this cute little fish from extinction.
extinct animals

Inside the Years-Long, International Effort to Save One Tiny Mexican Fish

Scientists and schoolchildren worked together to bring the tequila fish back from extinction.
Sarah Durn January 13, 2022
Al Karaana Lagoon
Al-Karaana, Qatar

Al Karaana Lagoon

Once a highly polluted body of water has now been transformed into a gorgeous lagoon.