Carolina wildfires followed months of weather whiplash, from drought to hurricane-fueled floods and back to drought

Fires are a natural part of the landscape and essential for many species. But scores of fires at once were more than anyone bargained for.

Nick Corak, Ph.D. Candidate in Physics, Wake Forest University • conversation
March 5, 2025 ~6 min

Maple seeds’ unique spinning motion allows them to travel far even in the rain, a new study shows

Spinning maple seeds can shed raindrops in the blink of an eye to regain their helicopter-like flight.

Andrew Dickerson, Associate Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee • conversation
Feb. 28, 2025 ~5 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

Companies are buying up cheap carbon offsets − data suggest it may be more about greenwashing than helping the climate

A deep dive into 866 public companies and 1,413 carbon projects reveals some twists in who relies on cheap offsets and who chooses to cut their own emissions instead.

Sehoon Kim, Assistant Professor of Finance, University of Florida • conversation
Nov. 11, 2024 ~8 min

Companies are buying up cheap carbon offsets − data suggest it’s more about greenwashing than helping the climate

A deep dive into 866 public companies and 1,413 carbon projects reveals some twists in who relies on cheap offsets and who chooses to cut their own emissions instead.

Sehoon Kim, Assistant Professor of Finance, University of Florida • conversation
Nov. 11, 2024 ~8 min

Wild ginseng is declining, but small-scale ‘diggers’ aren’t the main threat to this native plant − and they can help save it

There’s a widespread argument that ‘poachers’ are responsible for the scarcity of wild ginseng. But a scholar who has interviewed diggers explains that most of them are good stewards.

Justine Law, Associate Professor of Ecology and Environmental Studies, Sonoma State University • conversation
Sept. 13, 2024 ~10 min

Ancient Rome had ways to counter the urban heat island effect – how history’s lessons apply to cities today

As summer temperatures rise, finding ways to build cities that don’t hold in the heat and can provide some cooling is increasingly important.

Brian Stone Jr., Professor of Environmental Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology • conversation
Aug. 19, 2024 ~8 min

Trees compete for space, light and resources, and those clashes can leave battle scars

For trees, growing to maturity involves much more than just reaching upward.

Wayne K. Clatterbuck, Professor Emeritus of Silviculture and Forest Management, University of Tennessee • conversation
Aug. 15, 2024 ~8 min


We pumped extra CO₂ into an oak forest and discovered trees will be ‘woodier’ in future

But this is no long-term solution for storing carbon.

Richard Norby, Research Professor, University of Tennessee Knoxville, and Honorary Professor, Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham • conversation
Aug. 13, 2024 ~6 min

Trees don’t like to breathe wildfire smoke, either – and they’ll hold their breath to avoid it

An unplanned experiment when wildfire smoke rolled through Colorado shows how trees keep some of the smoke out.

Mj Riches, Postdoctoral Researcher in Environmental and Atmospheric Science, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
July 30, 2024 ~8 min

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