A plowed field near Brawley, Calif. In recent years, drought, climate change and overuse of the Colorado River have led some farmers to fallow their fields. The federal website climate.gov publishes information about drought conditions, among other climate-related topics. The site will stop being updated at the end of the month. Gregory Bull/AP hide caption
Science
A vehicle drives on a flooded street after Hurricane Milton in Siesta Key, Fla., on Oct. 10, 2024. The monster weather system sent tornadoes spinning across the state and flooded swaths of the Tampa Bay area. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Spatial ecologist Emma Vogel photographed biologist Audun Rikardsen as they tracked whales in a fjord in northern Norway. Emma Vogel hide caption
The Boulders development, built in 2006 in Seattle's Green Lake neighborhood, features a mature tree along with a waterfall. The developer also added mature trees salvaged from other developments — placing them strategically to add texture and cooling to the landscaping. Parker Miles Blohm/KNKX hide caption
In Seattle, preserving trees while increasing housing supply is a climate solution
Volunteers help a homeowner search for personal items in the remains of a home that burned in the Palisades Fire in January in Pacific Palisades, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption
Protecting your home from disaster might not help you get insurance
Contractors install a storm-ready roof in Mobile County, Alabama. Stephan Bisaha/Gulf States Newsroom hide caption
Intense weather means rethinking your home construction — and insurance
The Northwestern pond turtle is California's only native freshwater pond turtle species. Sidney Woodruff hide caption
Invasive bullfrog eradication allows pond turtles to recover
Earthaven Ecovillage members work together to plant crops in their shared garden. Like many ecovillages, Earthaven's culture is built on a strong spirit of collaboration. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption
Around 2% of the population struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. Andrii Yalanskyi/Getty Images hide caption
The researcher who wants to expand treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder
A 23andMe saliva collection kit is shown on March 25, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. Barbara Ortutay/AP hide caption
Hundreds of NIH scientists protested cuts to the research agency in a declaration addressed to NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption
NIH scientists call on director to protect biomedical research
Climate solutions for reducing home energy use can be extremely simple — and sometimes even free, says Dorit Aviv, assistant professor of architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. Illustrations by LA Johnson/NPR hide caption
People wade in the shallow waters of the Virgin River in St. George, Utah. The river provides the desert community with water, but climate change and a growing population threaten that supply. Local leaders are looking toward recycled sewage as a solution. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption
This city is exploring an unconventional solution to water scarcity: sewage
Traditional dancers perform during the opening session of the third United Nations Ocean Conference, which gathers leaders, researchers and activists to discuss how to protect marine life until June 13, in the southern French city of Nice, on Monday. Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Officials and scientists gather in France for the 2025 UN Ocean Conference
The Dog Aging Project includes dogs from all 50 states and aims to uncover health and life span trends in both canines and people. Getty Images/VYCHEGZHANINA hide caption
How a dog aging project can help pets and humans live healthier lives
In this image taken from June 8, 2025, video by the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office in Rutherford County, Tennessee, shows the airlifting of a zebra named Ed that had evaded capture for several days after it ran away from its owner. Rutherford County Sheriff's Office/AP hide caption
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a payload of 20 Starlink satellites is seen in the evening sky above Lawndale, Calif., after being launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base on June 18, 2024. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
An adolescent loggerhead sea turtle named Dilly Dally, whose front flipper was amputated after she was rescued in January suffering from predator wounds, crawls toward the Atlantic Ocean after being released, on the beach in front of Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, Fla., Wednesday, June 4, 2025. Rebecca Blackwell/AP hide caption
When is forgetting normal — and when is it worrisome? A neuroscientist weighs in
Jonathan Alperstein, one of the researchers, excavates a portion of land on an ancient agricultural site in Michigan. Jesse Casana hide caption
Extensive pre-colonial agriculture in eastern North America
A sign warns of an air quality alert as smoke from wildfires burning in Canada reaches Minneapolis on Tuesday. Mark Vancleave/AP hide caption
Researcher Hannah Doyle calibrates the AOSLO system prior to an Oz Vision experiment. Ren Ng hide caption
How scientists created 'Olo,' a color that doesn't exist in nature
People await the update on ispace's private lunar lander's attempt to touch down on the moon Friday, June 6, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. Kyodo News/AP hide caption
Homes destroyed by a 2020 wildfire in Talent, Ore. FEMA denied about 70% of assistance applications related to massive Oregon wildfires that year, an NPR investigation found. The agency has a long history of failing to help vulnerable disaster survivors, but reforms under the Biden administration were starting to fix those long-standing problems. Noah Berger/AP hide caption