Billions of cicadas are emerging, from Cape Cod to north Georgia – here’s how and why we map them

Two ecologists explain why a misleading map is worse than no map at all, and how they have worked for years to track the emergences of 13-year and 17-year cicadas.

John Cooley, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut • conversation
May 22, 2025 ~9 min

How Denmark’s oysters are transforming foodies into citizen scientists

People counted and collected invasive Pacific oysters found on the seabed and then went on to cook them.

Pedro Seabra Freitas, Senior Researcher in Coastal Ecology, Technical University of Denmark • conversation
May 15, 2025 ~8 min


How citizen science is shaping international conservation

Citizen science can shape policy at every level, from local projects to global initiatives.

Stephen Parkinson, PhD Candidate, Circular Economy, University of Nottingham • conversation
Feb. 5, 2025 ~9 min

Federal protection for monarch butterflies could help or harm this iconic species, depending on how it’s carried out

Will protecting monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act improve their chance of surviving? Not necessarily, 2 entomologists caution.

Michael Crossley, Assistant Professor / Agricultural Entomologist, University of Delaware • conversation
Dec. 19, 2024 ~9 min

Water companies now have to release live sewage spill data – here’s why more transparency is the key to cleaner rivers

A new law is forcing water companies to make pollution data readily accessible to the general public - but it doesn’t go far enough.

Alex Lipp, Junior Research Fellow in Geochemistry, University of Oxford • conversation
Nov. 22, 2024 ~9 min

For many in the UK, 2024 was the year without a butterfly

The Big Butterfly Count reported its worst results in 14 years of monitoring UK species.

Lars B. Pettersson, Associate Professor in Animal Ecology, Lund University • conversation
Sept. 18, 2024 ~7 min

Bugs thrive in urban Los Angeles – volunteers’ traps reveal biodiversity hot spots for city insects and spiders

City life can mean lots of pavement and habitat loss. But many bug species are hanging on, especially in neighborhoods with steady temperatures near the mountains.

Teagan Baiotto, Ph.D. Student in Marine & Environmental Biology, University of Southern California • conversation
July 22, 2024 ~6 min

EPA has lowered the screening level for lead in soil – here’s what that could mean for households across the US

The new level won’t trigger automatic cleanups, but it sets a lower threshold for taking precautions to reduce lead exposure.

Gabriel Filippelli, Professor of Earth Sciences and Executive Director, Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana University • conversation
June 18, 2024 ~9 min


Cities contain pockets of nature – our study shows which species are most tolerant of urbanization

Even in a concrete jungle like Los Angeles, wild species show up in surprising places. New research identifies the types of wildlife that best tolerate urban development.

Morgan Tingley, Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles • conversation
June 6, 2024 ~9 min

Exploding stars send out powerful bursts of energy − I’m leading a citizen scientist project to classify and learn about these bright flashes

Where specialized algorithms fail to classify star-borne pulses, human volunteers with just a little training can step in.

Amy Lien, Assistant Professor of Physics, University of Tampa • conversation
April 16, 2024 ~7 min

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