Biologists are trying to understand why the species continues to disappear in the West.
Scientific research
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Study finds 26,000 lives were saved by shift from coal to natural gas
“When you turn coal units off you see deaths go down.”
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Scientists decode environmental impacts from Bering Sea bird feathers
To understand the evolving marine environment, scientists look to the seabirds.
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Smog and smoke: The West’s air is the dirtiest it’s been since 2009
A growing economy, looser regulations and uptick in fires are all factors.
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Diseases are spreading with climate change. Panic doesn’t have to.
As illnesses like Valley fever emerge in new areas, health officials keep residents informed instead of in fear.
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What are wild burros doing to Death Valley?
New research suggests that the introduced wild donkeys may benefit native species, but the National Park Service wants to remove them.
Posted inOctober 28, 2019: Where Hunting Still Has Meaning
Antibiotic resistance is spreading among marine mammals
A new study of seals and porpoises in the Salish Sea shows how antibiotic-resistant bacteria proliferate in coastal waterways.
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Will kids who received a life sentence for their crimes get a second chance?
Adult punishment for children is still ordered despite research showing that rational decision-making skills develop with age.
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There’s nuance behind the recent bird decline study
The journal Science documented an estimated total loss of 2.9 billion birds. But is that the whole picture?
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A remote island sees just a third of its pelicans return for breeding season
Low Great Salt Lake levels mean coyotes can get onto the island.
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How the Trump administration is silencing science
Six ex-government scientists explain how they were made to bury climate science and why they decided to blow the whistle.
Posted inOctober 14, 2019: Severed Ties
For sage grouse, science can be fatal
Is the value of data worth the death of individual animals?
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Hiking trails are a path to destruction for Colorado elk
Recreationalists in Vail are having a devastating impact on the local herd.
Posted inSeptember 16, 2019: "We can either wait on Mother Nature – or we can give it a shot ourselves."
Scientists struggle to find reasons behind gray whale deaths
Some researchers think the whales are starving, but the cause of death may be far more complicated.
Posted inSeptember 2, 2019: In Bad Faith
The desert gets a biocrust skin graft
Without its cover of living microorganisms, the desert is eroding.
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Inside the protests over the Thirty Meter Telescope
In the latest act of Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiʻian) sovereignty, thousands have gathered on the grounds of a sacred volcano under threat.
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The regime of glaciers is headed to its end
For 35 years, a team of scientists has studied the decline of glaciers. What does their loss mean?
Posted inAugust 5, 2019: From Prison to Fireline
How partisan politics can make ballot measures undemocratic
A fight over wolf management in Alaska shows how lawmakers can undermine citizen-led initiatives.
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NOAA’s university partners tackle climate change research
Despite the Trump administration’s attacks on science, collaborators continue their studies.
Posted inJune 10, 2019: 'None of this happened the way you think it did'
Wildfire escape routes? There’s (almost) an app for that.
Scientists are using crowdsourced data to help firefighters flee dangerous flames.