The Planet (on, and off)

Our work in Chernobyl started in 2016. That year, close to the damaged nuclear reactor, we detected several Eastern tree frogs (Hyla orientalis) with an unusual black tint. The species normally has a bright green dorsal coloration, although occasional darker individuals can be found. Melanin is responsible for the dark Read more…

For the first time, the United States is designating a special diplomat to advocate for global biodiversity amid what policymakers here and overseas increasingly recognize as an extinction crisis. The Washington Post reports: Monica Medina is taking on a new role as special envoy for biodiversity and water resources, the Read more…

In a global first, wind and solar energy combined to generate more than 10 percent of the world’s electricity in 2021 — though coal-fired power plant generation and emissions jumped to new highs in the same period, too. The 2022 Power Transition Trends report by Bloomberg New Energy Fund (BNEF) Read more…

The U.S. Transportation Department on Tuesday said it approved electric vehicle charging station plans for all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico covering roughly 75,000 miles of highways. Earlier this year, the Biden administration allocated $5 billion to states to fund EV chargers over five years along interstate highways Read more…

NASA’s DART spacecraft successfully slammed into a distant asteroid at hypersonic speed on Monday in the world’s first test of a planetary defense system, designed to prevent a potential doomsday meteorite collision with Earth. From a report: Humanity’s first attempt to alter the motion of an asteroid or any celestial Read more…