Environment

An offshore wind farm project opposed by Nantucket residents could move forward, highlighting opposing viewpoints on wind energy.

The population of Menhaden, a small fish used for fish oil pills, is rapidly depleting, prompting calls for protective legislation and shedding light on alternative sources of omega-3s.

Using laser-fusion technology, experts hope to add “clean, inexhaustible energy source” to the laser’s distinguished resume.

Researchers observed octopi off the Indonesian coast using coconut halves as shields and armor, making them the first invertebrates to be classified as tool-using animals.

The Navy has approved a plan to step up anti-terrorism efforts at a Washington base by sending specially trained dolphins and sea lions into surrounding waters.

The U.N. Climate Change Conference has kicked off in Copenhagen, where world leaders hope to make significant progress toward creation of a global climate agreement.

The U.N. Climate Change Conference calls world leaders to Copenhagen next week to address global warming and emissions reductions. Recent controversies, financial conflicts and past climate conferences could all impact the outcome.

The weirdest creatures in the world are often the most endangered. FindingDulcinea pays tribute to these unusual animals with photos, videos, and information about flightless parrots, giant starfish, naked mole rats, barking monkeys and more.

Weather has the power to surprise, shock, and destroy. Weather phenomena have always intrigued us, but recent events have, more than ever before, prompted scientists and citizens to explore the connections between weather, economy, climate change, and inner workings of the planet that we still don’t fully understand.

No discussion of weather is complete without climate change, which scientists believe is responsible for many changes in weather patterns and extreme weather phenomena around the world.

Beautiful and terrifying at the same time, volcanoes are a thrill ride into the Earth’s inner workings. The Web gives us many ways to learn and explore this strange phenomenon and what insight it provides about the planet’s past and future.

The design of a building in Tallinn is meant to encourage democracy, calling attention to the impacts of architecture and design on quality of life in different communities.

A popular brand of flour is using the Web to increase traceability, and IBM is set to release a traceability iPhone app, illustrating how technology can influence food safety and aid environmental movements.

“Recycled” computers and electronics can end up in foreign dumps, or sold to identity thieves. Though U.S. laws do little to regulate e-cycling, you can protect yourself from fraud.

Studies show a connection between ancient Mayans' forest conservation techniques and cultural survival, offering invaluable insight for modern foresters and conservationists.

A young musician was attacked and killed by coyotes in the woods of eastern Canada, raising questions about coyotes’ tendencies toward humans and highlighting other unlikely animal attacks.

An enormous green wall has been installed at PNC headquarters in Pittsburgh, an extreme energy-saving method that can be recreated by homeowners and businesses on a smaller scale.

The number of microorganisms in Sydney Harbor tripled in the days following the dust storm. Phytoplankton is a key part of the ocean ecosystem, but too much of it can have dire consequences.

A new U.K. film points to a certain pesticide as the root cause of colony collapse disorder among honeybees, but some dispute the claim.

“Ardi,” a 4.4 million-year-old early human fossil, may prove that a “missing link” between humans and chimps does not exist, and that both species evolved substantially from a common ancestor.

A documentary revealing Japan's annual dolphin slaughter will show at the Tokyo Film Festival in October, drawing attention to a practice both traditional and troubling.

According to a new report, one in six Mediterranean mammal species are endangered, calling attention to an extremely diverse region often overlooked by conservationists.

As leaders prepare for the U.N. climate conference, a new report says climate change will cause death and illness in poor countries, prompting calls for global leaders to take action.

New Zealand legends of a man-eating bird may actually have substance, as scientists say that Haast’s eagle, a giant bird extinct for 500 years, was a predator, not a scavenger.

An experiment that tracks the progress of garbage through the trash stream aims to get people thinking about where their trash ends up—and how they can reduce their impact.

Exciting new and evolved species have recently been discovered in Papua New Guinea and Myanmar, while other species have drastically diminished in British Columbia, highlighting the challenges facing conservationists.

San Francisco residents who do not comply with a new compost law will face fines. The bill represents a burgeoning interest in food composting in homes, schools and even prisons in the U.S.

A composer and a scientist have found that animals respond to music derived from their own vocal communication, a discovery that could make life for captive animals much more pleasant.

Imperfect watermelons could be turned into ethanol and used to fuel farm equipment, adding one more fuel source to the do-it-yourself and green fuel movements.

Experts say developing countries need more funding for weather monitoring systems that would predict extreme weather associated with climate change, particularly in Africa.