A conservation group says it intends to sue two U.S. agencies, saying they failed to properly assess the environmental impacts of the sprawling electric vehicle plant Hyundai is building in Georgia.
Alok Shukla is one of the winners of the 2024 Goldman Environmental Prize. He's cited for a campaign to keep a company from felling a forest in India to excavate the coal that lies beneath.
Georgia environmental advocates say they hope the Biden administration’s recent decision to deny Alabama’s application for a state-run coal ash disposal will have implications for Georgia Power.
Trust for Public Land released its 2024 ParkScore index ranking with Atlanta advancing to 25th among the largest 100 U.S. cities nationwide. Atlanta climbed three spots over last year’s 28th ranking and achieved its highest finish in ParkScore history.
Among other fees, they will pay $235 million for the Environmental Protection Agency's past and future clean-up for contaminated air, water, and soil in and around where the train derailed in 2023.
The National Hurricane Center is predicting the largest number of storms ever forecast for the Atlantic, putting tens of millions of Americans at risk.
Some otters rely on tools to bust open hard-shelled prey items like snails, and a new study suggests this tool use is helping them to survive as their favorite, easier-to-eat foods disappear.
Expelled from their property by the military amid World War II, Black families in the Harris Neck Land Trust are asking President Biden for an executive order to “correct a moral wrong.”
Scientists are testing the limits of artificial intelligence when it comes to language learning. One recent challenge? Learning ... whale! Researchers are using machine learning to analyze and decode whale sounds — and it's just as complicated as it seems.
Curious about other mysteries of nature? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Baobabs are sometimes called the "tree of life" with their thick trunks, crown of branches and flowers that only open at twilight. But theories about their geographic origin was divided among three places: the savannas of sub-Saharan Africa, the Kimberley region of western Australia and the dry forests of the island nation of Madagascar. To solve this mystery, a global research team led by scientists at the Wuhan Botanical Garden at the Chinese Academy of Sciences examined high-quality genomic data from all eight baobab species.
Have another origin story you want us to cover? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Scientists are looking at the ways humans change the planet — and the impact that has on the spread of infectious disease. You might be surprised at some of their conclusions.