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Climate Engineers Get a PR Lesson
When you talk about messing with the planet, people can get pretty jumpy. 04.03.2012
The Continent Where Climate Went Haywire
From floods to cyclones to fires of unimaginable ferocity, climate change has unleashed a host of plagues on Australia. But catastrophe has spawned a national rebirth. 03.26.2012
Water Wranglers
DISCOVER co-sponsors a round table discussion on the future of water on a changing planet. 03.13.2012
20 Things You Didn't Know About... Clouds
Some are visible only after sunset, none are created by seeding, and one chewed on a fighter pilot for half an hour before spitting him out, alive. 01.30.2012
The Citizen Scientist
In a former life, she was a cheerleader for the Philadelphia 76ers. Today she channels her enthusiasm into spreading the word that science is something anyone can do. 01.06.2012
#84: Wild Weather, 1; Sports, 0
Extreme weather events have helped diminish many sporting events. 12.20.2011
#7: Japan Quakes; Nuke Power Stays Steady
This year enthusiasm for nuclear power in some developed nations seemed to vanish after Japan’s nuclear disaster. But while those countries recoil from atomic energy, others are committing to a nuclear future. 12.20.2011
Can Trees Offset Our Carbon Fumes?
A seven-year study looks closely at the carbon emitted and absorbed by forests. 10.13.2011
2 Degrees of Separation
Climatologists fear global temperatures may be reaching a dangerous tipping point. Can humanity handle the heat? 09.08.2011
The Planet Fixers
A corporate executive, an environmental engineer, an evangelical- Christian scientist, and a youth organizer join NBC moderator Tom Brokaw for a spirited debate on solutions to climate change. 08.08.2011
Fracking Nation
Environmental concerns over a controversial mining method could put America's largest reservoirs of clean-burning natural gas beyond reach. Is there a better way to drill? 08.01.2011
The Transplanted Forest: A Bold Experiment in Preemptive Climate Adaptation
With global temperatures rising, British Columbia is taking aggressive action to protect one of its most valuable natural resources—timber forests—from shifting climate zones. 07.19.2011
Could Dirt Help Heal the Climate?
One of the simplest keys to fighting global warming may be right under our feet. 06.30.2011
Why Did Earth Have a Poison-Filled "Boring Billion" Years?
Andrew Kroll argues that during this apparently stagnant time, monumental changes were afoot, setting the stage for the geyser of evolutionary change that followed, and the complex world we see today. 02.26.2011
Hot Zone—A Warming Planet's Rising Tide of Disaster
Dengue in Texas. Malaria in New York. Hypertoxic pollen in Baltimore. Climate change is making disease and other humanitarian threats ever more challenging. 02.04.2011
#81: Melting Ice Exposes the Past
12.16.2010
#30: Ocean Plant Life Feels the Heat
12.16.2010
The 100 Top Science Stories of 2010
Every year DISCOVER sorts through the scientific accomplishments of the past 12 months, and assembles a list of the coolest experiments, most brilliant discoveries, and most world-changing events. As you page through the countdown to the #1 science story, we think you'll come to the same conclusion we did: 2010 was quite a year. 12.16.2010
7 Visions of Our Hot, Awful Future
A bounty of 2010 books predict the future in a globally warmed world. Among the forecasts: boom town Detroit, abandoned Miami, an Arctic black gold rush, and a weirdly strong dried fruit market. 12.13.2010
4 Bold—and Realistic—Plans to Fix Our Energy System
Eight leading thinkers offer visions of how to move from a history of squandering resources to a cleaner, more efficient, and more abundant energy supply. 11.17.2010
Will the Walrus Withstand a Warmer World?
As the Arctic warms, researchers are scrambling to predict whether the walrus can adapt to its rapidly changing home. 11.05.2010
How Climate Change Shaped Humanity
Could the study of hard times in the past teach us how to deal with global warming in the future? 10.03.2010
Energy Is the Big Issue. Smart Investment Energy Could Bring the Big Solution.
Climatologist Ken Caldeira looks at where we're going over the next 30 years. 09.13.2010
Climate Change Gets Wet
Researchers have recently started to pay more attention to how water vapor in the atmosphere is related to global warming. 09.01.2010
8 Keys to Deciphering Ancient Climates
Our lives extend only decades, so how do scientists study climate going back thousands and millions of years? Ancient pollen, clam shells, columns of sheer ice, and more. 07.08.2010
10 Science Hotspots—Where Mother Nature Reveals Her Secrets
From glaciers to undersea vents to tornado-wracked plains, these are the locations that draw boatloads of scientists from all over the world. 06.30.2010
Vertical Farms: High Hopes for Feeding the Future
To feed the hungry world, architects and agriculturalists dream of towering green "farmscrapers." 06.02.2010
Beavers Sign up to Fight Effects of Climate Change
Washington officials think the industrious critters could save more of 650 trillion gallons of water each year, blunting the effects of hot and dry summers. 04.19.2010
Could NYC Get Katrina-ed in a Warmer, Wetter Future?
Architectural teams are contemplating ways to re-engineer the city to adapt to rising sea levels. 04.05.2010
It's Gettin' Hot in Here: The Big Battle Over Climate Science
Two eminent climatologists share much different views: Michael Mann—whose private emails were hacked—points a finger at skeptics. Judith Curry believes humans are warming the planet but criticizes her colleagues for taking shortcuts. 03.10.2010
The Coolest Science Experiments in Antarctica
Researchers go neutrino-hunting and penguin-watching at the South Pole. 02.25.2010
Forget Putting CO2 Under Rock—Let's Turn It *Into* Rock
New research on carbon sequestration suggests that carbon dioxide could be chemically converted to a solid, providing a safe way to get rid of a lot of greenhouse gas. 02.10.2010
#38: A Smart Makeover for the Electrical Grid
“The grid needs to evolve from one-way wires and cables... We need the marriage of energy technology and information technology.” 01.26.2010
#37: Algae Might Be a Source of Clean, Renewable Diesel Fuel
“At the beginning we’d tell people, ‘I know this sounds crazy,’” says Bryan Willson, a Colorado State University engineer and cofounder of Solix Biofuels. 01.26.2010
#9: Experimental Coal Plant Stashes CO2 Underground
If FutureGen can successfully sequester its emissions, it could be a model for clean energy in the future. 01.25.2010
#19: New Battery Tech Could Transform the Car
More power, faster charge, happier atmosphere. 01.25.2010
8 Big Ideas That Could Pave the Road to Clean Energy
Leading thinkers offer visions of how to make our energy supply cleaner, more efficient, and more abundant. 01.19.2010
#60: Geographer Mark Serreze
He says a big Arctic melt is inevitable and readies us for what comes next. 12.28.2009
#85: Fossilized Plankton Show the Effect of Fossil Fuels
Researchers develop a clever new technique to more accurately gauge historical levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. 12.20.2009
Introducing the Most Efficient Solar Power in the World
It's taken 25 years, but a new solar-thermal plant in New Mexico has finally broken the old efficiency record. 10.08.2009
The 9 Industries That Will Be Most Screwed by Global Warming
If climate change reaches scientists' more dire predictions, it could change every facet of our society. But some industries will be especially hammered. 10.02.2009
The State of the Climate—and of Climate Science
Four scientists discuss where the climate is and where it's going. 06.30.2009
Forget Lightning. How Do We Catch Sunshine in a Bottle?
Renewable power is inspiring clever new ways to store electricity—and to uncork it exactly when and where it is needed. 06.17.2009
New Tech Could Make Nuclear the Best Weapon Against Climate Change
Two new designs aim to make nuclear reactors safer and vastly more efficient. 06.08.2009
10 Zany (or Genius?) Plans for Green Cities of the Future
Floating cities. A building with a million residents. An oil rig turned into a tourist getaway. Some architects are dreaming of a wild green revolution. 05.26.2009
Visual Science: The Red Badge of Climate Change
Tracing the flow of a blood-red fluorescent dye may reveal the ultimate fate of the Greenland's ice. 05.18.2009
Countdown to Fusion: National Ignition Facility in Pictures
Researchers at Livermore National Lab expect to be producing energy with a controlled, self-sustaining fusion reaction within three years. 04.14.2009
Man's Greatest Crimes Against the Earth, in Pictures
Humans rule the world… and destroy it in the process. 04.08.2009
The Strange Forests that Drink—and Eat—Fog
Several forests around the world use fog to get critical moisture and nutrients. 03.30.2009
Play Nice: 9 Eco-Friendly Toys
This year's Toy Fair in NYC showed a notable trend toward green toys. 03.19.2009
Sustainable Architecture Takes Cues From the Original Green: Nature
Glass that "breathes" like gills, solar cells that imitate leaves, and other biomimetic technologies 03.02.2009
The Climate Drone That Goes Where Scientists Fear to Tread
The Manta explores and monitors Greenland's treacherous glaciers. 02.23.2009
#1: The Post-Oil Era Begins
Electricity may be what fuels our future—electricity from renewables, nuclear, and even from burning biomass. 12.22.2008
#4: Slime Is Turning the Seas Into Dead Zones
Pollution, overfishing, and the rise of microbes spell doom for many bodies of water. 12.22.2008
#5: Nations Stake Their Claims to a Melting Arctic
Undiscovered oil and gas reserves below the ice set off a polar gold rush. 12.22.2008
#20: The “Doomsday Vault” Stores Seeds for a Global Agriculture Reboot
Humanity's chances to survive global warming and nuclear attacks just increased. 12.19.2008
#25: EPA Searches Soul, Tries to Figure out If It's a Climate Cop
The agency moves toward acting on greenhouse gases, but change will probably wait for Obama. 12.17.2008
#49: Plant Migration Tied to Climate Change
When the going gets hot, vegetation runs for the hills. 12.13.2008
#55: Polar Bears (Finally) Make the Endangered Species List
At long last, the government acknowledges the species is threatened. 12.12.2008
#73: Giant Ice Meteors Fall From Clear Skies
20-pound chunks of ice falling on a sunny day? It's no urban myth. 12.09.2008
#94: Seaweed Creates Its Own Sunscreen
The soggy brown kelp protects itself with iodides. 12.05.2008
Carbon Trading: Environmental Godsend or Giant Shell Game?
The lively debate over whether cap-and-trade really does much to fight global warming 12.03.2008
20 Best Brains Under 40
Young innovators are changing everything from theoretical mathematics to cancer therapy. 11.20.2008
10 Studies That Revealed the Great Global Amphibian Die-Off—and Some Possible Solutions
In our planet's sixth great mass extinction event, amphibians are among the hardest hit. 11.04.2008
Global Warming Math: The Hard Numbers
A clear-eyed look at the magnitude of global warming problem—and the cost in getting rid of it. 10.18.2008
Visual Science: The History of the World, Contained in a Block of Ice
Ice core samples reveal the atmosphere's secrets as far back as 400,000 years. 10.14.2008
From Booze to Garbage to Fusion: The Future of Energy
How will we fuel the world in 50 years? By putting everything from wood chips to balloons to liquid plasma to work for us. 09.24.2008
Forecasting the Future May Be a Matter of Fun and Games
A new online game uses crowdsourcing to find out how to save humans from extinction. 09.05.2008
Want to Save the Trees? Try Paying People Not to Chop Them Down.
A few test projects show that landowners protect forest when it's valuable to them. 08.20.2008
A Complete History of Carbon
A new book takes readers through the birth and unstoppable rise of this dangerous element. 08.04.2008
Fighting Cow Methane at the Source: Their Food
Genetically modified grass could be the key to reducing cow emissions. 07.08.2008
10 Ways Methane Could Brake Global Warming—or Break the Planet
The enigmatic gas is a valuable fuel and a dangerous digestive waste product. 07.04.2008
20 Things You Didn't Know About... Oil
Learn more about the world's biggest fuel source—while it's still around. 06.28.2008
Special Report: Endless Summer—Living With the Greenhouse Effect
Global warming has begun, and we had better start preparing for the dramatic changes to come. 06.23.2008
Ever Wonder What a Famous Physicist Reads at Night?
Freeman Dyson gives DISCOVER a peek at his stash of bedroom reading. 06.11.2008
Harnessing the Weather
Could new technology help humans eliminate "acts of God"? 06.06.2008
Whither the Coral Reefs?
Global warming and overfishing are killing reefs while scientists struggle to save them. 06.05.2008
Two Strokes and You're Out
Impressive new tech reduces pollution from small engines by almost 90 percent. 05.21.2008
What Will It Take To Ditch All That Carbon?
A new book explores methods of collecting and storing all the carbon in the atmosphere. 05.19.2008
The Next Steps Toward a Sustainable Planet
Environmental activist Laurie David gives a state of the union on the environment. 05.16.2008
Want to Help the Environment? Eat Insects.
A group of experts endorse bugs as a nutritious and sustainable food source. 05.07.2008
The "It" Bag that Might Actually Be Good for the Earth
Gum wrappers and subway maps get a dose of recycled chic. 05.01.2008
Is Nuclear Energy Our Best Hope?
Even the creator of the holistic Gaia hypothesis has come around. 04.25.2008
How Big Is DISCOVER's Carbon Footprint?
That one little magazine is responsible for 2.1 pounds of carbon dioxide. 04.21.2008
Biofuel Farming Looks to Be an Environmental Disaster
Growing corn for ethanol may increase greenhouse gases for over a century. 04.03.2008
The Great Forgotten Clean-Energy Source: Geothermal
The U.S. uses less than 1 percent of our available geothermal energy. 04.03.2008
Would Al Gore Call You Naughty or Nice?
Calculate your personal CO2 emissions and find out your climate righteousness. 03.31.2008
How Much Carbon Dioxide Does a DISCOVERer Produce?
See how DISCOVER’s editorial and creative directors compare to the US and the world. 03.31.2008
The Great Carbon Dioxide Scorecard
How much are you, the average person, and DISCOVER altering the atmosphere? 03.31.2008
The Robo-Sub That Helps Predict Where the Ocean's Headed
An underwater glider measures parts of the ocean that scientists can't reach. 03.03.2008
The Key to Safe and Effective Carbon Sequestration
Some rock acts as a natural stopper to buried carbon dioxide. 02.29.2008
5 Most Radical Ways to Squelch a Climate Crisis
Why we may need to reprogram the planet—and how we can do it. 02.25.2008
A New Source of Green Energy: Burning Tires?
If rubber recycling hits a glut, there may be little choice. 02.12.2008
The Latest Weapon Against Global Warming: Your Fridge
Smart appliances react to the grid to prevent blackouts—and pollution. 02.11.2008
If Life Gives You Methane, Make Methane Energy
The global warming risk that's also a great opportunity 01.31.2008
30. How Hurricanes Influence Climate
12.21.2007
4. Arctic Thaw
Rapidly melting ice in the Far North alarms climatologists and lures nations into competition for newly accessible trade routes and resources. 12.12.2007
6. Conservation Gets A Green Light
Can fluorescent bulbs save the planet? 12.12.2007
1. China’s Syndrome
Tainted products and choking pollution spark anxiety across the globe. 12.12.2007
A Spaceport for Treehuggers
Can a green building offset the potentially giant impact of spaceflight? 11.26.2007
After the Thaw
Global warming in the once-icy Arctic sets the stage for a modern-day landgrab. 11.21.2007
Halloween Science: Bacteria of the Living Dead
Chop up their DNA and the buggers still keep comin' back to life. 10.31.2007
Caging Carbon
A new device pulls the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. 10.30.2007
Caging Carbon
A new device pulls the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. 10.22.2007
Climate Change Triggers Bloodshed
Giving a new definition to "cold war" 09.25.2007
Global Warming, the Great Lifesaver
Bjorn Lomborg says balmier weather could ward off millions of deaths. 08.31.2007
Arctic Land Grabs Could Cause Eco-Disaster
After nations carve up the fast-melting region, will there be anything left? 08.30.2007
Does Global Warming Really Boost Hurricanes?
Chris Mooney's book says yes—and we're in trouble. 08.09.2007
Sun's Shifts May Cause Global Warming
Physicist says carbon dioxide's no big deal 06.25.2007
Warming May Radically Change Ecosystems
Amazonia becomes savanna. The Sahara? No one knows. 06.15.2007
Black Gold of the Amazon
Precious soil could save the rainforest and combat global warming. 04.30.2007
Raw Data: Beacon Bird of Climate Change
Penguin poop reveals secrets of the Antarctic climate. 04.04.2007
Scorched Wine
Global warming may push wine grapes out of traditional areas. 03.06.2007
Global Warming Sinks
Greenhouse gases could go undersea. 11.27.2006
Earth's Before and After Pics
Old family albums reveal close-ups of climate change. 11.06.2006
The Grapes of Warmth
Bye-bye, Bordeaux: Global warming threatens the world's best vineyards. 09.18.2006
Plants Grab Control Of The Global Greenhouse
German researchers identify a previously unknown emitter of methane. 05.28.2006
Whatever Happened to Global Cooling?
02.20.2006
The Year in Science: Environment
Siberian methane, the recovering ozone layer, hurricane history in tree rings, and more. 01.30.2006
Biosphere 2: On the Block
12.01.2005
Rubies of Winter
12.01.2005
Littlest Butterfly
12.01.2005
Climate
Heading toward twice the CO2 in the atmosphere by 2100 10.24.2005
Up a Creek
Two rivers, a raft of experts, way too many mosquitoes, and one question: What's the answer to global warming? 09.08.2005
Why We Have Ice Ages
08.06.2005
Counting Carbons
How much greenhouse gas does your family produce? 08.06.2005
Ask Discover
03.31.2005
As the World Warms
02.06.2005
1: Turning Point
Evidence of global warming became so overwhelming in 2004 that now the question is: What can we do about it? 01.05.2005
An SUV From EPA
09.30.2004
Ask Discover
05.29.2004
A New Ice Age: The Day After Tomorrow?
Worried about global warming? Talk to a few scientists at Woods Hole. Oceanographers there are seeing big trouble with the Gulf Stream, which warms both North America and Europe 05.22.2004
The Ice Cap Melteth
02.05.2004
Environment
01.02.2004
Is Global Warming Shrinking Harvests?
This year's sizzling summer ravaged Europe's crops. Was it a portent of what's to come? 10.07.2003
Watery Grave
Some scientists believe that we can regain stability and prevent global warming by pumping more atmospheric carbon dioxide into Earth's oceans. 10.01.2003
Watery Grave
Can we bury enough carbon in the oceans to curb global warming? 10.01.2003
Is It Record Hot or Not?
08.01.2003
Environment
01.01.2003
Ozone Glee and Gloom
11.01.2002
Future Tech
We put the pedal to the hydrogen 10.01.2002
The Next Ice Age
Worried about global warming? Talk to a few scientists at Woods Hole. Oceanographers there are seeing big trouble with the Gulf Stream, which warms both North America and Europe 09.01.2002
Chaotic Warnings From the Last Ice
06.01.2002
A Quick Fix for Rising Temperatures
03.01.2002
Less Coral to Go Around
12.01.2001
Lovin' Hydrogen
Maverick energy guru Amory Lovins says a profitable, pollution-free hydrogen economy is just over the horizon. It's merely a matter of taming the most powerful gas on the planet 11.01.2001
Future Tech
A burial might be just the thing to deep-six global warming 08.01.2001
Now Arriving at Gate One: MALARIA
03.01.2001
The Gospel According to John
When this world-class atmospheric scientist insists there's no such thing as global warming, is he talking science—or religion? 02.01.2001
Works in Progress
Whither the biggest iceberg in recorded history? 10.01.2000
Why Is Our Weather So Wild?
The evidence increasingly points to global warming as the culprit. And if you think mother nature's shifts from one extreme to another are bad now, brace yourself for the future 06.01.2000
The Dragon Eats the Sun
05.01.2000
Antarctica's Hot Spot
Braving hurricane winds and 40-foot waves, scientists struggle to unerstand Antarctic warming. 11.01.1999
What Icebergs?
10.01.1999
Energy Drain Plug
Energy Drain Plug 07.01.1999
Will Antarctica Melt?
11.01.1998
Carbon Cuts and Techno-Fixes
10 Things To Do About the Greenhouse Effect (Some of Which Aren't Crazy) 06.01.1998
April in Winnipeg
01.01.1997
The Blobs
09.01.1996
Plants and Global Warming
07.01.1996
Verdict (Almost) In
01.01.1996
The Tsunami of 1700
01.01.1996
Birth of a Berg
01.01.1996
Under the Influence of Clouds
Floating overhead are mysterious arbiters of our climate. Clouds do more than just deliver rain and snow: by absorbing and reflecting light, they help control the flow of energy around the planet. 09.01.1995
Location, Location, Location
12.01.1994
Blimps to the Rescue
10.01.1994
Forests in the Gas
If you're a plant, carbon dioxide is your favorite greenhouse gas. And you'll get a lot more of it in the future. But is twice as much too much of a good thing? 10.01.1994
Good News and Bad News
05.01.1994
The Case of the Missing Carbon
12.01.1993
Future Imperfect
11.01.1993
The Parasol Effect
A hazy umbrella of sulfur particles is reflecting enough sunlight and heat back into space to offset global warming. You might think that's good news. Think again. 07.01.1993
A Vision of the End
05.01.1993
What Drives Climate?
From ice age to hothouse, Earth seems to change its temperature by adjusting its blanket of CO2. 11.01.1992
Can We Repair the Air?
09.01.1992
Cold Comfort
08.01.1992
Batteries Included
Designed by a team of visionary engineers, a unique new car is fast, sexy, and--with zero emissions--environmentally correct for the nineties. 03.01.1992
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