Stories by Andrea Thompson

Colossal Bioscience says it has “de-extincted” the dire wolf, but other scientists disagree and say more important conservation science is being lost in all the hype

Damage surveys provide crucial information about when, where and how strong U.S. tornadoes are to better understand disaster risk

Trump’s tariffs put a spotlight on the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands, which comprise a remote volcanic refuge for penguins and seals and a UNESCO World Heritage site

New data released by the EPA show that nearly half of people in the U.S. have drinking water contaminated by toxic “forever chemicals,” or PFAS

With wildfires happening more often and burning more area, homes need to be “hardened” to make them more fire-resistant

Much of the U.S. has swung from temperatures in the –30s and –40s Fahrenheit to balmy weather in the 60s and 70s F

A perfect confluence of an Arctic air outbreak and a low-pressure system that pulled in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico brought rare, record snow to the Gulf Coast

One of President Trump’s first executive orders withdraws the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. These graphics show why the pact is crucial to curbing the worst effects of global warming

Many factors, such as strong Santa Ana winds and urban planning decisions, played into the recent destructive wildfires in the Los Angeles area. But the evidence is clear that climate change contributed

The ferocity and scale of the fires that tore through the Los Angeles area become clearer in photographs

The year 2024 was the hottest on record and the first to top 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming. All 10 of the hottest years have been in the past decade

The nature of the Santa Ana winds makes them perfectly suited to fueling blazes like the Palisades Fire, and climate change is increasing the risk

We’re closing out the year with a roundup of the science stories that stood out to our editors in 2024.

From a comb jelly with two butts to wing-slapping ants, this animal research made us laugh this year

Dry weather and an extreme Santa Ana wind event have contributed to the explosive growth of the Franklin Fire in Malibu, Calif.

From morphing beluga noggins to birds that practice singing in their sleep, science produced plenty of adorable findings this year

Drought is more synonymous with the western U.S., but the eastern part of the country can descend into such conditions surprisingly quickly

A major windstorm and an atmospheric river are set to unleash a “firehose” of precipitation from California to British Columbia

A serious bird flu infection in Canada, a troubling projection of future plastic waste and dispatches from a global climate convention.

This year won’t just be the hottest on record—it could be the first to surpass 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Paris climate accord aims to keep warming below that level when looking over multiple years

The outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election could set the climate agenda, reshape public education and shift the dynamics of global science collaboration.

Global temperatures through September point to 2024 besting 2023 as the hottest year on record. How many future years set records depends in part on the outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election

Harris would continue the Biden administration’s landmark climate efforts; Trump would roll the country back to more oil and gas

Downpours from hurricanes are worsening—and leaving even “climate havens” vulnerable.