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Energy
A Home Battery Revolution Is Reshaping the Power Grid
As residential batteries have become more energy dense, cheaper, and smaller, more households are storing their excess solar power. Now, utilities and energy companies in dozens of countries are buying up those electrons, bundling them together, and using them to balance the grid.
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Climate
A Missing Piece in Climate Models: Nature’s Own Emissions
Rising temperatures are set to drive up emissions from wildfires, fermenting wetlands, and melting permafrost, but these feedback loops are poorly captured in climate models. Scientists are racing to make sense of these emissions to gauge how much warming may lie ahead.
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INTERVIEW
An EPA Researcher Details the Agency’s Assault on Science
In January 2025, the Trump administration began shutting down projects within the EPA’s independent science division that touched on climate change and environmental justice. Air quality researcher Thomas Luben, who had worked at the agency for 18 years, was fired for objecting.
Oceans
Efforts to Save Kelp Forests from Ocean Warming Are Ramping Up
At one time, kelp forests — which shelter fish, slow erosion, and sequester carbon — grew along a third of the world’s coastlines. Now, scientists are working to bolster heat-stressed kelp by attacking the urchins that prey on them and transplanting hardier kelp varieties.
E360 Digest
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After a Civil Rights Complaint, Chicago Built Largest Air Monitoring Network in the U.S.
As extreme heat worsens pollution, a network of 277 monitors will identify pollution hot spots. More about After a Civil Rights Complaint, Chicago Built Largest Air Monitoring Network in the U.S. →
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The Loss of Glaciers Is Inflicting a Spiritual Toll on Indigenous People
In mountain regions from the Andes to the Himalayas, Indigenous people see the retreat of glaciers as a sign that they have lost the favor of their gods or ancestors. More about The Loss of Glaciers Is Inflicting a Spiritual Toll on Indigenous People →
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Like Humans, Mediterranean Sperm Whales Have Their Own Dialects
Much like human languages, the vocalizations of sperm whales evolve over time, as disparate populations of whales develop distinct dialects. A new study shows how an isolated population of sperm whales in the eastern Mediterranean developed its own dialect based on vocalizations used by other whales. More about Like Humans, Mediterranean Sperm Whales Have Their Own Dialects →
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Oceans
Supertrawlers Are Taking Antarctic Krill That Whales Depend On
In the icy waters of the Southern Ocean, whales and other marine mammals rely on krill to survive. But as the market for human dietary supplements and animal feeds booms, and climate change reduces krill populations, scientists worry there may not be enough to go around.
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Biodiversity
Pollution Is Changing the Smells of Nature, With Risks for Wildlife
A growing body of research shows how air pollution, fertilizers, and fungicides are altering the chemical signals that plants and animals use to communicate. Scientists warn that insect reproduction, foraging, navigation, and even the pollination of crops could be affected.
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INTERVIEW
The U.S. Senator Who Won’t Shut Up about Climate Change
At a time when other public officials and the media are talking less about climate change, Sheldon Whitehouse remains fiercely outspoken. He delivered his 307th climate speech on the Senate floor this month and is pushing back against the recent trend of “climate hushing.”
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Energy
A First Among Major Nations, India Is Industrializing With Solar
While China's push to modernize sparked a surge in burning coal, India is turning to increasingly cheap solar to meet its booming energy needs. Though it faces big hurdles, including a rickety grid, India's solar buildout could soon be a model for other emerging economies.
