As diurnal creatures, humans often miss out on the natural world at night. And many of us have a natural urge to see the animals that come out at night as inherently worse, scarier, more disgusting, or more dangerous than their daytime counterparts. But if we set aside our distrust of what comes out at night, we’ll find ourselves stunned by what ni…

What is life? However you answer that question, there is a good chance that it’s limited in some way by something that recent research has shown is not actually a limit. What living things can breathe, how they derive energy, how long they can live, and even whether they must die are all being challenged by what we’re learning from microorganisms. …

In his new book, climate analyst Mike Berners-Lee says there's one shift that would go far toward solving every climate bind we’re in: holding corporate and political leaders accountable to truth.By Matthew LaPlante

For decades, we’ve known that climate cycles like El Niño affect regional crop yields. But even though our food system is increasingly global, we haven’t done a great job of thinking at a planetary scale.By Matthew LaPlante

Herbs have a wide range of uses. A new book explores how plants connect us to the earth, to each other, and to ourselves.By Raegan Edelman

Rising global temperatures are already impacting human health. One survey suggests that most Americans haven’t yet felt this connection in their own lives or seen it in their own communities. But that might change — and soon.By Matthew LaPlante

On July 6, 2018, listeners who were tuned into UPR heard UnDisciplined for the first time. Now, nearly seven years later, we’ve shared 300 episodes.By Matthew LaPlante, Raegan Edelman

Zach Mack’s father was falling into the abyss. That’s what it felt like, at least, as Zach watched his dad become more and more susceptible to conspiracy theories and prophecies from religious zealots. But when his dad bet him $10,000 that ten different predictions would come true by the end of 2024, Zach thought he found a way to bring his dad bac…

Drought and water shortages are major concerns for many Arizona cities. And there have been many potential solutions approached to try and handle these concerns. Advanced Water Purification (AWP), also known as water reuse or water recycling, is one of them. But it can be a difficult subject to broach. Christy Spackman is using an interesting mediu…

The wildfires in Southern California are on track to become the costliest disaster in U.S. history, and a lot of people are already recognizing that this conflagration is going to send a shockwave through the insurance market. But, as it turns out, the economic impact won’t stop there. Wesleyan University economist Gary Yohe says that the fires hav…

David Roberts clearly isn’t happy about the political direction of this country especially as it pertains to climate. But if you read his newsletter and listen to his podcast, you’ll realize that there are still a lot of cool people, doing cool stuff, with a chance to cool our world.By Matthew LaPlante

Rep. Kera Birkeland spent much of her political career writing and passing legislation aimed at trans Americans — legislation that many people view as cruel. And Birkeland most recent electoral opponent, Kris Campbell, says Birkeland’s actions and words have caused trans people like him to feel fear, anxiety and anger. But while many people have re…

Social psychologist Nilanjana Dasgupta says our bottom-up approach to DEI training is likely ineffective, but there are simple, straight-forward and research-based steps that actually work to create more equitable institutions.By Matthew LaPlante

A much publicized warning released in the winter of 2023 said that the Great Salt Lake was at grave risk of disappearing in only five years. Two very wet winters later, it’s now very clear that the worst case scenario is not going to happen. So…what changed?By Matthew LaPlante, Raegan Edelman, Clarissa Casper

A much publicized warning released in the winter of 2023 said that the Great Salt Lake was at grave risk of disappearing in only five years. Two very wet winters later, it’s now very clear that the worst case scenario is not going to happen. So…what changed?By Matthew LaPlante, Raegan Edelman, Clarissa Casper

A much publicized warning released in the winter of 2023 said that the Great Salt Lake was at grave risk of disappearing in only five years. Two very wet winters later, it’s now very clear that the worst case scenario is not going to happen. So…what changed?By Matthew LaPlante, Raegan Edelman, Clarissa Casper

In hindsight, it’s clear that a century of suppressing wildfires probably hasn’t made us safer in the U.S. West. But knowing what doesn’t work isn’t the same as knowing what does. So what do we do?By Matthew LaPlante

There are two pretty simple questions that Allison Agsten wanted to have answered as she assumed the directorship of the Center for Climate Journalism and Communication at the University of Southern California: First, how do climate communicators get their information about climate? And then, what do they think the biggest challenges are when it co…

The most obvious health risk in a warming world is heat — heat stress which can cause heat stroke, which can cause dehydration, which can cause kidney failure, and so on. But that’s not where the intersections between climate change and public health begin or end. And Heidi Honegger Rogers believes that we all need to better understand what’s happe…

For nearly five years, water attorney Emily Lewis has been hosting a podcast on water issues with a special focus on solutions for the water-stressed US West. That podcast, called The Ripple Effect, has given her a view of something lawyers don't usually see — people working together to solve big problems.…

Almost every model of future climate suggests that Western North America will grow substantially drier as global surface temperatures continue to get hotter. And that likely means less water, at least through traditional means. But Anjali Mulchandani thinks we might have some other options.By Matthew LaPlante

Political analysts were concerned about the Bradley Effect in 2008 in regards to Obama—and Anu Gupta says now’s the time to think about how this may impact Kamala Harris.By Raegan Edelman

For a very long time it was assumed that competition and predation drove evolution and ecologies. And it’s true that antagonism plays a role. But so does mutualism — species benefiting one another without cost or consequence. And biologist Jenn Rudgers says that we should keep that in mind as we face a world that is being stressed by climate change…

Marcy Litvak says it’s vital that we try to sort out how carbon behaves in different areas of the world, and research efforts like the New Mexico Elevation Gradient Project are helping do just that.By Matthew LaPlante

When strong beliefs, sometimes century-long beliefs, are disputed, people tend to double down. And this is true for many people–from cult members, to respected researchers. And Dr. Marty Makary suggests that it’s notably present in medicine, and in the way we tend to groupthink.By Raegan Edelman

In his new book, Combing Through the White House, Theodore Pappas suggests that the hair of American leaders has long conveyed important political and symbolic messages, and has affected the way in which the public perceives them.By Raegan Edelman

It is sometimes assumed that women, as a group, tend to feel differently about climate and climate change than men. and that’s true — but as it turns out, context matters.By Matthew LaPlante

It was not so long ago that there seemed to be no end in sight for the continual rise of greenhouse gas emissions across the globe. But now it seems possible, even likely, that we may have reached the point in which the emissions responsible for climate change are actually starting to fall.By Matthew LaPlante

The western United States is getting hotter, windier, and drier. And that means more fire risk. It also means that when a fire does occur, it is likely to be much more dangerous and destructive.By Matthew LaPlante

Wolves were once naturally abundant in Yellowstone national park, but starting in the 1870s they fell prey to humans who hunted them until their numbers were non-existent. And this was all to protect the “big game species,” like bison and elk. But the perceived “threat” that wolves were to these species wasn’t really correct, due to their very phys…

One of the things that is often missed when we talk about climate change and agriculture is that climate shifts have always impacted where we can plant and what we can grow. And one of the best ways to really see this is to track how corn production has moved across North America for thousands of years.Andrew Gillreath-Brown’s work was funded by ht…

For decades the basic principles of climate science were not at all controversial. To understand what changed we have to go back into the past. That’s what David Lipsky does in his latest book, The Parrot and the Igloo. (Part 2 of 2)By Matthew LaPlante

For decades and decades the basic principles of climate science were not at all controversial. And then, something happened. But to understand why, we have to go back into the past. (Part 1 of 2)By Matthew LaPlante

Archeological anthropologist Todd Braje points out that humans have been impacting global climates and ecologies for millennia. And he says that if we really want to understand our future, we need to understand that part of our past.By Matthew LaPlante

Since 2011, the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund has supported hundreds of researchers who have been attacked, sued, defamed, and threatened — and this year the organization has been busier than ever. The group’s director, Lauren Kurtz, says she’s happy that her organization is being sought out by scientists in need—and really sad that there is a…

Anne Schechinger, isn’t opposed to federally subsidized insurance, but she believes it’s long past time that we look very hard at places like the Lonestar State and ask whether things need to change.By Matthew LaPlante

It's possible that a nation suffering from the extreme effects of climate warming might take simple steps that could change the global atmosphere. There’s not much to stop it from happening, so Ben Kravitz says the the world needs to be prepared.By Matthew LaPlante

John Vucitech suggests that it’s not just the science that matters when we’re talking about our longstanding views on wolves–it’s also a matter of compassion, and of understanding.By Matthew LaPlante, Raegan Edelman

Coral reefs are some of the oldest, most diverse ecosystems on Earth. But they’re also among the most vulnerable. So, what do we do? Mary Hagedorn has an idea: Let’s collect as many as possible and freeze them.By Matthew LaPlante

Rafi Kohan’s latest book tells the story of trash talk, and explains why the practice of leveling vicious insults at our rivals might not be all that bad.By Matthew LaPlante, Raegan Edelman

Bill Weir once felt as though he was watching the American story change in staggering ways. But now he wakes up each morning with more wonder than worry.By Matthew LaPlante

Brittany Gowan says that no matter where you are, and no matter how far you might feel from the world as it once existed, you can still connect to nature.By Matthew LaPlante

If you have a gnawing sense that this is end of the world as we know it, then know this: You’re not alone. And Athena Aktipis has some advice for you.By Matthew LaPlante

Until recently, there hasn’t been a great way of assessing groundwater storage, or understanding how climate change is impacting it.By Matthew LaPlante

Matthew’s recent paper looks at the potential connections between ocean temperatures and epic winters, like the one we experienced in the Mountain West in 2022-23.By Matthew LaPlante, Raegan Edelman

For 21 years, the pub event series known as Nerd Nite has cross-crossed the globe, making science accessible and fun.By Matthew LaPlante

In The Asteroid Hunter, Dante Lauretta chronicles the quest to retrieve a sample from Bennu, which is one of the large asteroids that is most likely to collide with the Earth.By Matthew LaPlante

The young adults who comprise Generation Z live in a world of far less violent crime relative to the generation before them. So, why are so many of them struggling? Educator John Creger thinks he has part of the answer: They often need help understanding who they are in this world.By Matthew LaPlante

Anne Curzan might seem like a strange sort of English teacher. The veteran professor doesn’t believe in “right” and wrong” when it comes to grammar. Rather, she wants people to be able to make informed choices about language.By Matthew LaPlante

Laura Lewis met a bonobo named Louise as part of a study on the capacity of bonobos to remember the faces of apes they’d spent time with decades earlier. And Louise remembered.By Matthew LaPlante