Explore 74 Pollution Collections - Atlas Obscura
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Pollution

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Specimens from 1904 and 1966 look almost like different species of songbird.
science

What Sooty Feathers Tell Us About Air Pollution Over Time

Many of America's birds are far cleaner now than they were at the turn of the century.
Natasha Frost October 10, 2017
science

An Eel-Inspired Robot Is Scientists' Newest Pollution-Sniffer

It swims, it slithers, and it samples.
Kelsey Kennedy September 27, 2017
Poplar trees at the test site. The second and fourth rows (from the left) were inoculated with the probiotic bacteria.
science

Giving Trees Probiotics Can Help Clean Up Superfund Sites

Scientists have found bacteria that like gobbling up a common toxic chemical.
Kelsey Kennedy August 15, 2017
Finally, a solution for cigarette butt litter.
science

Adding Cigarette Butts to Asphalt Can Improve Roads

It also prevents their noxious chemicals from leaching into waterways.
Kelsey Kennedy August 7, 2017
Care for a jellyfish chip?
science

Jellyfish May Be the Snack Food of the Future

Scientists are trying to take the sting out of jellyfish blooms.
Natasha Frost July 31, 2017
Uncleaned parts of the columns.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Mellon Institute Columns

Sections of the iconic limestone columns have been left uncleaned as a reminder of the city's polluted past.
science

Toxic Foam Is Fouling the Streets of Bangalore

Blown off a local lake, it's disrupting traffic and making people sick.
Kelsey Kennedy May 31, 2017
American University surrounded by Army tents
Washington, D.C.

American University Experiment Station

The school tested mustard gas for the U.S. Army during World War I.
Spiagge Bianche with factories behind it
Rosignano marittimo, Italy

Spiagge Bianche (White Beaches)

This deceiving white sand beach gets its brilliant hue from the chemical discharge of a nearby factory.
The Berkeley Pit.
animals

Thousands of Unlucky Geese Landed in the Toxic Berkeley Pit And Are Now Dead

A snowstorm drove 10,000 geese to their doom.
Sarah Laskow December 7, 2016
Copper wire on fire.
magic

Found: A River Humans Started Polluting 7,000 Years Ago

Playing with metal and fire led to unusual concentrations of copper on a streambank.
Sarah Laskow December 5, 2016
nature

Incredible Photos of the Hermit Crabs Who Live In Trash

Instead of shells, these hermit crabs used plastic bottle caps and other trash.
Anika Burgess September 6, 2016
The Taj Mahal in its regular garb.
insects

The Taj Mahal Is Turning Green

Thanks, bugs.
Cara Giaimo May 25, 2016
Down the Canal Ahogada.
El Salto, Mexico

The Deadly Rio Lerma

The Rio Lerma (Chignahuapan) in El Salto, Mexico, is one of the most polluted rivers in the world. It’s covered in white foam, and falling in can kill.
Permanently Closed
Accra, Ghana

Agbogbloshie

The world’s largest digital waste dump has become a site where organized criminals hack into confidential government data.
Visitors to Taipei City's Lungshan Temple pray for good luck in the New Year.
sacred spaces

Taiwanese Temples Cut Down On Incense To Fight Pollution

Incense, "ghost money," and pyrotechnics generate a surprising amount of smoke.
Cara Giaimo May 9, 2016
rivers

Why a Bunch of Rivers in France Were Dyed Neon Green

Environmentalists went rogue.
Erik Shilling April 26, 2016
fires

Australian Politician Sets River on Fire, Blames Fracking

We have video.
Erik Shilling April 25, 2016