Having Your Desalination and Eating It, Too

A small-scale experiment shows that brine waste from desalination can be turned into fertilizer for hydroponic plants.

Apr 9, 2021 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

The Ocean’s Mysterious Vitamin Deficiency

A puzzling lack of thiamine is disrupting some marine ecosystems.

Jan 28, 2021 | 2,700 words, about 14 minutes

Searching for the Dust That Cooled the Planet

A new study uncovers the origins of iron-rich dust that contributed to the last ice age’s coldest temperatures.

Jan 25, 2021 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

When Rubber Hits the Road—and Washes Away

A stealthy source of pollution leaves the highway in astonishing amounts and heads to sea, toxic chemicals and all.

Nov 24, 2020 | 2,000 words, about 10 minutes

Plastics Are Messing with Fish Physiology

A systematic review exposes the dangers of tiny plastics and the hidden bias at the heart of plastic research.

Sep 2, 2020 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

Taking the Fish Out of Fish Feed

Feeding wild fish to farmed fish is threatening marine ecosystems. Researchers and entrepreneurs believe they’ve found solutions.

Aug 24, 2020 | 4,000 words, about 20 minutes

St. James Parish Takes on Big Plastic

In Cancer Alley, residents are fighting a new plastics factory, arguing its placement “reflects a racist society.”

Jun 26, 2020 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes

A Shipwreck’s Incalculable Toll on a Remote Reef

After a fishing boat ran aground on a fragile atoll, the consequences for the ecosystem were alarming—and curious.

Jun 24, 2020 | 650 words, about 3 minutes