How growing and foraging food can become a common part of cities

Community gardens can create access to local, fresh food that reduce reliance on convenience food.

May East, MSc Supervisor, Urban Planning & Education, University of Edinburgh • conversation
April 24, 2025 • ~7 min

Butterflies declined by 22% in just 2 decades across the US – there are ways you can help save them

The causes involve more than just habitat loss, but there are steps you can take to help save these delicate creatures

Eliza Grames, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, State University of New York • conversation
March 6, 2025 • ~9 min

Butterflies declined by 22% in just 2 decades across the US

The causes involve more than just habitat loss, but there are steps you can take to help save these delicate creatures

Eliza Grames, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, State University of New York • conversation
March 6, 2025 • ~9 min

Botanic gardens are struggling to keep up with the biodiversity crisis – here’s what they can do

Botanic gardens have evolved from medicinal gardens to scientific institutions, Now, they must become conservation leaders on a global scale.

Samuel Brockington, Professor of Evolution, Curator of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden, University of Cambridge • conversation
Feb. 27, 2025 • ~7 min

Firefighting planes are dumping ocean water on the Los Angeles fires − why using saltwater is typically a last resort

In emergencies, dumping ocean water on fires may be the best option. But seawater can have long-term effects on equipment and ecosystems, as a novel coastal experiment shows.

Patrick Megonigal, Associate Director of Research, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Smithsonian Institution • conversation
Jan. 13, 2025 • ~6 min

Planning for spring’s garden? Bees like variety and don’t care about your neighbors’ yards

A biologist explains what to focus on if you’re designing a garden with pollinators in mind − and what you don’t need to worry about.

Laura Russo, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee • conversation
Jan. 7, 2025 • ~7 min

Plants get a GMO glow-up: Genetically modified varieties are coming out of the lab and into homes and gardens

Lose the prickles. Add bioluminescence. Up the nutrients without the bitter flavor. CRISPR gene editing is opening a new world of genetically modified plants for home growers.

James W. Satterlee, Postdoctoral Fellow in Plant Genetics, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory • conversation
Sept. 16, 2024 • ~6 min

Fewer bees and other pollinating insects lead to shrinking crops

Perhaps 90% of flowering plants require animal pollinators – and most of them are insects. But it’s not just bees doing this important work.

Rachel Mallinger, Professor of Entomology, University of Florida • conversation
July 19, 2024 • ~8 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

As No Mow May ends, here’s why we should keep patches of lawn permanently wild

A little corner of the garden set aside for wildlife can make a huge difference, if we all do it.

Philip Donkersley, Senior Research Associate in Entomology, Lancaster University • conversation
May 30, 2024 • ~7 min

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