LA's Gas Leak Is a Global Disaster

One of the worst environmental disasters of the decade is currently underway in a quiet community 25 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Putrid, methane-rich natural gas has been spewing into the air at an estimated rate of nearly 1,300 metric tons per day for over two months. Experts are calling it the climate version of the BP oil spill, and the leak isn’t going to be contained anytime soon.
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A Guide to Christmas Tree Recycling

It's hard to think of the Christmas tree, the centerpiece of holiday decorations for many American families, as a natural resource, but it is.
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The Indian village learning to live in harmony with snow leopards

To stop snow leopards killing valuable livestock, villagers in Himachal Pradesh have changed the way they manage land to increase the endangered cat’s wild prey, while an insurance scheme offers compensation for lost stock.
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Pterosaurs Aren’t Actually Dinosaurs, but They Are Actually Awesome

We tend to forget that while T. rex, Triceratops, Diplodocus, and the like were lumbering across the land, the air above was thick with volant reptiles.
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How mapmakers are helping driverless cars stay on track

HERE, a California-based company that creates detailed digital maps, is working to help self-driving cars navigate roads even in extreme conditions when lane markings aren't visible. "[A] snowstorm may be the extreme case for most autonomous cars," says HERE's John Ristevski. "But you've still got to have a solution for a suddenly featureless road."
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UN: 1 in 122 people worldwide have been forced to flee homes

European countries need to set up a "massive" refugee resettlement programme, the head of the UN refugee agency says.
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An Illustrated Study of Black Cats, the “Little Aliens” of the Feline World

All Black Cats Are Not Alike, by writer-illustrator duo Amy Goldwasser and Peter Arkle, is a true feat in the age-old tradition of cat art.
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Nice December Day

Almost record breaking heat.... just a few degrees below the all-time high. Tok,Alaska
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The food desert of the north

Despite living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, the majority of homes Canada's Nunavut territory suffer from chronic food insecurity. Without relief in sight, survival sometimes comes down to killing a narwhal.
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Which countries are the world's most linguistically diverse?

Mapped: The 7,000 languages across the world. Many countries are home to hundreds of languages, sometimes despite having very small populations.
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Spain's ancient olive trees under threat from market for garden ornaments

A petition focuses the growing backlash against companies who dig up thousand-year-old trees to sell to wealthy foreigners, from northern Europe to the US and the United Arab Emirates.
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A 900-pound elephant seal shut down Highway 37 because she could

As soon as I heard about her, I was in love: the 900-pound elephant seal who shut down Highway 37 in Sonoma County, northeast of San Francisco. Elephant seals have no natural predators; they pretty...
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5 New Year's Resolutions for Gardeners

Consider putting gardening at the top of your list New Year's resolutions.
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[Michigan] Governor Rick Snyder ‘very sorry’ about Flint water lead levels debacle

Snyder apologizes on Tuesday for decisions that caused the Michigan city’s water supply to be poisoned by lead as top state environment official resigns. By Ryan Felton.
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A healthy breakdown

A wide variety of fruits and vegetables contain oxalate. But humans and most other animals lack the ability to metabolize this molecule — that is, to break it down while digesting it. And so for some people, a buildup of oxalate is associated with kidney stones, arthritis, and even kidney failure.
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Zahi Hawass: Nefertiti tomb theory 'baseless'

One of Egypt's leading archaeologists has taken sides in a bitter dispute arising from events of more than 3,300 years ago: the fabled location of Queen Nefertiti's tomb.
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These giant robots will mine the ocean floor for gold, silver, and copper

They could collect more than $1.5 billion worth of metals.
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Do whales attempt suicide?

They are among the most intelligent creatures on the planet, but family ties can lead them into danger. By David Lusseau. (Nov. 5)
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A Sonic Alarm for Our Natural World Going Silent

Bernie Krause has listened to nature since 1968, and in his decades recording environmental noise has become attuned to its changes.
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Solar Storm To Hit Earth By New Year's Eve

A solar storm can be caused by a solar flare or the aftereffect of a coronal mass ejection (CME) by the sun. Solar flares travel faster than CMEs
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Scientists Sequence First Ancient Irish Human Genomes

A team of geneticists from Trinity College Dublin and archaeologists from Queen’s University Belfast has sequenced the first genomes from ancient Irish humans, and the information buried within is already answering pivotal questions about the origins of Ireland’s people and their culture.
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The Tipping Point

As a species, we stand at a precipice, and the choices we make in this moment determine a great many things. We are all participants, and now more than ever we need every hand on deck to right this ship and chart a better course. By Camille Seaman.
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Climate economics: The high road

Michael Grubb is both swept away and frustrated by Nicholas Stern's argument for tackling climate change.
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In 1844, the Philippines Skipped a Day, and It Took Decades for the Rest of the World to Notice

One of the marvels of modern civilization is that, for the most part, humans all around the globe have agreed on one system for counting days and hours. The most common timekeeper, the Gregorian calendar, is filled with eccentricities, but you don’t just skip a day. Yet in 1844, that’s exactly what the Philippines did.
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Fleeting Wonders: 400 Glow-in-the-Dark Reindeer

If you're on the lookout for magical reindeer this year, don't bother gazing skyward... By Cara Giaimo.
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DNA Manufacturing Enters the Age of Mass Production

Synthetic-biology startups adopt technologies from the computer industry. By Eliza Strickland.
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Do Dogs Know Other Dogs Are Dogs?

This is not a philosophical riddle. Despite their highly variable appearance, dogs can recognize each other by sight alone. By Julie Hecht.
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An Elegy for America's Oldest Bald Eagle

Eagle 629-03142 lived to see its species come back from the brink—and even played a role in the recovery.
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‘Black Dragon River’ Charts History Along The Amur

Dominic Ziegler’s thrillingly thorough geo-history follows the Amur River from its origin on the Mongolian steppes, along the Trans-Siberian Railway and through centuries of Eurasian history. By Jean Zimmerman.
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Superman Caught on Tape in Russia

Did this guy really stop a ton of sliding metal? Or was it just a coincidence? You be the judge.
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'Historic' Floods Threaten 19 Levees on Mississippi River

Rampant waters from the "very dangerous and historic flooding event" in Missouri were threatening to breach or weaken 19 levees.
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Tax Breaks, Falling Costs Are Boosting Wind And Solar

Congress has extended tax credits for clean energy as part of a $1.8 trillion spending bill. Solar and wind power companies say it will catapult the industry at a time when costs are already falling.
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Fossilized Tropical Forest Found — in Arctic Norway

An ancient fossil forest in Norway with tropical origins is one of the earliest forests to appear on Earth. By Mindy Weisberger. (Nov. 20)
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'A pretty big shake': Earthquake stirs B.C. residents

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.3 has been felt by people along B.C.'s South Coast, late Tuesday night.
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Obama signs ban on microbead pollution

Say goodbye to the beads. On Monday, Dec. 28, President Barack Obama signed into law a ban on tiny plastic particles used in personal cosmetic products that scientists say are polluting U.S. lakes, rivers and the oceans. The bipartisan "Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015," (H.R. 1321), passed by the U.S. House on Dec. 7, "prohibits the manufacture and introduction into interstate commerce of rinse-off cosmetics containing intentionally-added plastic microbeads."
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The wild and rugged beauty of Patagonia

In pictures: the rugged and captivating beauty of Patagonia and its wildlife
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The Storm That Will Unfreeze the North Pole

Weather in the Arctic is about to go dreadfully wrong.
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Why do Some Oak Trees Produce more Acorns?

A range of factors influence acorn production, even within a 100-mile area.
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Move Over, ROY G. BIV: Rainbows Get a Makeover

A French scientist suggests a new way of looking at rainbows and breaks them down into 12 different types.
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Why some plants are “fooled” by a warm December and some aren't

With this year's unseasonably warm weather, there are odd things afoot in the garden. Some plants that would normally be dormant are coming back into growth. But perhaps odder is that while some plants have been “fooled” by the unseasonable heat, others are still resolutely dormant and not pushing any growth at all despite the warmth. Why is that?
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Could ‘resurrection plants’ be the future of food?

They are among the hardiest living things on Earth – could they transform the food on our plates? One scientist in South Africa believes so.
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'Magical' silver scroll virtually unfolded

"It’s the first time that it’s ever been done for such a complex roll, and we can now use the same technique on other archaeological artefacts that have been folded or rolled up," says Raja. The method now means that a whole raft of archaeological artefacts considered inaccessible, can now be read.
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Study of ancient skulls from Vanuatu sheds light on Polynesian origins

Skulls found at a 3,000-year-old cemetery in Vanuatu may provide a vital clue to the origin of the Polynesian people.
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Second contagious form of cancer found in Tasmanian devils

Cancers which can spread between individuals by the transfer of living cancer cells – are believed to arise extremely rarely in nature. One of the few known transmissible cancers causes facial tumours in Tasmanian devils, and is threatening this species with extinction. Today, scientists report the discovery of a second transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils.
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British couple overjoyed at birth of second cloned puppy

A British couple have been celebrating after a second cloned puppy was born using DNA from their beloved pet dog who died earlier this year. Richard Remde and Laura Jacques from West Yorkshire paid £67,000 to have their boxer dog, Dylan, who died of a brain tumour in June, cloned. They provided tissue samples containing Dylan’s DNA in July, and were thrilled when they received the news last month that two pregnancies had been established in surrogate dogs.
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Nauseating smell of 'corpse flower' draws 10,000 to South Australian botanic garden

Huge crowds flock to Mount Lofty botanic gardens, outside Adelaide, to experience powerful odour produced by rare flowering of the Titan arum
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Lapland: The Last Wilderness of Europe

From cascading waterfalls and mighty mountain peaks, to ancient forests and tundra-like heaths, from green-white glacier melt water to crystal clear rivers, Lapland is home to the last remaining areas of extensive wilderness in Europe.
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Forest fires Spread in Northern Spain

Firefighters battle more than 120 forest fires in northern Spain, some of which may have been started deliberately, officials say.
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3 Odd Facts About Ostriches

Don't bury your head in the sand for this one. SciShow has got some odd ostrich facts for you!
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15 of Our Favorite Photos from 2015

This has been a fun- and fact-filled year for the Photo of the Day category here on MNN. As 2015 wraps up, we wanted to take a look back at the images that you liked the most, starting with something beautiful and toasty: these turf houses in Iceland. Our readers have impeccable taste and a thirst for knowledge. The popularity of these images can attest to that!
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