The fragility of the alpine tundra

Adapt or freeze: How plants and animals thrive in the Arctic Tundra

This article explores the fascinating ways both animals and plants adapt to survive in Alaska's arctic tundra, an ecosystem marked by its extreme weather. Most tundra plants are perennials with short growing seasons that focus on gathering and...

Why does it matter that the tundra is melting?

This article explores the tundra's unique environment, where specialized plants and animals thrive despite harsh conditions. One of the most important elements of this ecosystem is permafrost, a layer of permanently frozen soil that many tundra...

How is climate change reshaping the Great Northern Wilderness?

This article focuses on how climate change is drastically altering Kluane National Park in Canada and nearby areas in Alaska. Glaciers are struggling: One large glacier is melting so fast that it has redirected a river's flow, a phenomenon that...

What is the tundra?

This article provides a geographical overview of the tundra biome. It explains the Arctic tundra is found in the Northern Hemisphere surrounding the Arctic Circle. A second type of tundra, called the alpine tundra, exists on high-altitude mountain...

What threats are the tundra facing?

This article discusses the threats endangering the tundra, including climate change, air pollution, and human industrial activities. Climate change is causing permafrost in the tundra to thaw, releasing greenhouse gases and contributing to a cycle...

Desert wildlife: diverse, threatened, and misunderstood

This article sheds light on the surprisingly diverse wildlife that thrive in deserts, while also highlighting the gaps in human understanding of these ecosystems. Deserts are home to one-quarter of terrestrial vertebrate species—three percent of...

The Arctic is greening from rising temperatures

This one-minute video summarizes a new study that used satellite data to look at plant life across the entire Arctic area for the first time. It found that from 1985 to 2016, 38% of the areas studied—including parts of Alaska, Canada, and...

Why tardigrades are a model extremotolerant species rather than an extremophile

By expelling most of the water from their bodies, water bears assume a state resembling a dried-up cyst and can withstand extreme environments, such as arid deserts. But in this state and these environments, tardigrades cannot grow, reproduce, or perform other functions associated with life, unlike extremophiles like dry-loving xerophiles.

Dinosaurs thrived in the Arctic year round

The Arctic in the Cretaceous Period was a rough place to live, especially in winter. And yet, the fossils of many kinds of dinosaurs have been discovered there. So how were they able to survive in this harsh environment?

Extreme temperature resilience appears to be temporary for tardigrades

Although often considered indestructible, scientists observed these creatures could endure temperatures near 150°C for only a few minutes in their tun state. Outside this state, only half the samples in a Danish study survived 37.1 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit) for 24 hours, making tardigrades extremotolerant rather than extremophiles.

'Watermelon snow'—patches of pink, orange, and red in snow—is the result of extremophilic green algae that thrive in extremely frigid conditions and take the shape of red spheres in winter.

Tardigrades average about half a millimeter in size, with rear legs used for grasping

Their physiology and size, which is even smaller in the tun state, allow them to be carried by the wind and latch onto moist surfaces. They have been found in ocean trenches approximately 5 kilometers deep and at altitudes of six kilometers in the Himalayas.

Biosphere 2 revealed limitations in maintaining wildlife in unfamiliar environments

Trees appeared to become weak and more prone to breaking because a lack of wind caused them to no longer need to develop stress wood. The extinction of pollinators—potentially due to an explosion in the population of longhorn crazy ants—was also unexpected.

While invasive species typically harm ecosystems by outcompeting native organisms for resources, some provide unexpected benefits, including new shelters, nesting habitats, and reduced environmental heat stress.

Park rangers discuss what it's like where two deserts meet

In this 29-minute podcast, two park rangers at Joshua Tree National Park sit down with Dr. Cameron Barrows from the University of California-Riverside to understand what exactly it means for two deserts to meet. Slightly bigger than the state of...

Climate change creates conditions for more invasive species

Increasing temperatures shift the conditions native organisms are accustomed to, allowing those from warmer climates to move in with a greater chance of survival. Drought stress can cause invasive plants to absorb less herbicide, limiting the effectiveness of the control method, while melting ice can open new Arctic shipping routes, expanding the transport of species.

Permafrost—soil, rocks, and sand that are held together by ice and remain frozen for at least two consecutive years—covers about 15% of the Northern Hemisphere's land area.

View colorful flowers that grow on cacti and succulents, popular xerophilic organisms

These dry-loving organisms are able to retain the water they need to grow and reproduce in deserts and arid grasslands through a suite of adaptations, including thick, fleshy stems that store abundant water, a waxy coating that helps prevent water loss, and an uncommon form of photosynthesis that loses less water.

Journey through Norway's frozen frontier

This 44-minute video takes viewers through the Arctic landscapes of Norway, as they learn about the area's life and challenges. Viewers can observe the wildlife that thrives in this harsh setting—from reindeer and polar bears to red foxes. They...

Search for psychrotolerant and psychrophilic microorganisms found in Antarctica

Developed following a five-week expedition to the southern continent, "Life Under the Ice" allows users to examine a petri-dish-like microscopic world and uncover recordings of organisms that can withstand, or even thrive, in the harsh environment.

The Chernobyl exclusion zone has become a unique wildlife refuge

Within the area—roughly the size of Yosemite National Park—animals such as wolves, bears, and feral dogs descended from the pets left behind have gradually adapted to low-level radiation. Eastern tree frogs in the area have darker skin than usual, which may have helped protect them from ionizing radiation.

Restoring desert ecosystems: Successes, failures, and ongoing efforts

This article discusses ecological restoration in desert environments, focusing on the various techniques and challenges related to restoring desert ecosystems. In the complex endeavor of desert restoration, experts attempt to pinpoint the most...

About 1,500 species of tardigrades have been identified by their unique physiology

Freshwater-bound eutardigrades live on mosses and lichens and are distinguished by variations in the shape and number of claws at the end of their legs. Marine heterotardigrades, which live on algae and deep-sea sediments, have been observed to possess feathers, inflatable appendages, and flagpole-like tails.

Living side by side: The people and polar bears of Churchill, Manitoba

This article spotlights life in Churchill, Manitoba, where residents and polar bears coexist in close proximity. Churchill has a "polar bear jail" that keeps bears that wander into town before they are relocated. Safety features like a unique radar...

Learn about endoliths, the polyextremophiles that thrive inside rocks

These organisms include species that live in Antarctica, where they perform photosynthesis using light and water that makes it through pores in sandstone. Others residing in Earth's crust can survive temperatures reaching 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) while generating energy through chemical reactions involving nutrients and gases trapped in rocks.

Microforests in urban environments may help combat climate change

Areas of densely packed native trees and drought-tolerant plants within cities can pull carbon dioxide from the air, cool surrounding neighborhoods, and support local wildlife. The idea behind microforests traces back over 50 years to Japanese ecologist Dr. Akira Miyawaki, who promoted planting whole ecosystems to restore degraded land.

Explore the Arctic from your living room

Explore the unique ecosystem and wildlife of the Arctic tundra thanks to Google Earth and Explore.org. Captured from a series of stationary and moving live cams, watch polar bears gather as they wait for the Hudson Bay to freeze so they can search...

Tardigrades’ intrinsically disordered proteins may help preserve biological matter

Researchers have attempted to create more drought-resistant crops by introducing proteins that help protect tardigrades in their dehydrated tun state. The proteins’ ability to stabilize molecular degradation may allow scientists to develop refrigeration-free storage for vaccines, insulin, and blood.

How glaciers melt

Greenland and Antarctica are home to most of the world's glacial ice, including its only two ice sheets, making them areas of particular interest to scientists. Watch this three-minute video to learn why understanding them is not just interesting, but crucial to our near-term adaptability and our long term survival in a changing world.

Tardigrades can survive in a dehydrated state for decades

Despite being known as water bears, these microscopic creatures can shut down their metabolism when entering cryptobiosis, squeezing more than 95% of the water from their bodies. In this tun state, tardigrades can even survive the vacuum of space.

Photos and descriptions of unique plants found in the Amazon rainforest

It’s the plants that provide homes for the incredible diversity of Amazon animals. Read about 29 of the most fascinating Amazon rainforest plants.

Even in nature reserves, climate change is driving rapid ecological collapse

Studies show a dramatic decline in insect populations, resulting in cascading global biodiversity losses across non-insect species. The balances in tropical ecosystems are the most affected by climate change.

Poison ivy is projected to be larger and more resilient due to climate change.

How sea ice decline threatens polar bears

This two-minute video discusses a recent study warning that arctic polar bears are at risk of near-extinction by the end of the century due to the rapid melting of the sea ice they rely on for survival. The study used models based on satellite data...

A day in the coldest village on Earth

The people of Yakutia, a far northern region of Russia, live a challenging, but harmonious, life with nature, facing some of the world's coldest temperatures. Tag along for the day with 9-year-old Arian and his family to see how they manage the cold, from constant wood-chopping to keep their home warm to the meticulous ice fishing which sustains their diet.

Infographic illustrates the diverse and fragile Amazon ecosystems

This infographic helps readers better understand the vast rivers, forests, plants, and animals that call the Amazon rainforest home. Home to the largest collection of plant and animal species in the world, the Amazon rainforest has 16 thousand known...

The sports competition developed on the Alaskan tundra

Alaska's NYO Games invite high school athletes from the state's over 270 indigenous tribes to compete in numerous events based on survival tactics developed by their ancestors. This short documentary from Great Big Story walks through some of the more grueling events and speaks with the Games' coaches and young athletes about how the event preserves their shared culture.

Browse the prehistoric salad bar with these ancient plants

In this video, Benjamin Burger, associate professor of geology at Utah State University's Uintah Basin Campus talks about the different types of plants present during the Mesozoic Era. Professor Burger explores how these plants changed over time, served as food sources for the dinosaurs, and co-evolved with them during this period.

Explore a gallery of tardigrades

Although sometimes called moss piglets, tardigrades are most often white or clear with some dark pigments. Tardigrades only move by crawling, not swimming, and depictions of organisms with caved-in heads or other coloration result from sample preparation for microscopes.

A Death Valley shrub optimizes its cells' organelles to photosynthesize in extreme heat

Examining the cellular structure of the plant under heat, scientists observed the formation of novel, cup-shaped chloroplasts and mitochondrial relocation, which shifted the plant's optimal photosynthesis temperature to 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) as it tripled in mass over 10 days. Engineering these mechanisms in crops may help optimize them for hotter environments.

Explaining the icy mystery of the Dyatlov Pass deaths

A decades-old mystery from Soviet Russia could be explained by studying the science of snow. After nine students died on a hiking trip in the Ural Mountains, Soviet investigators found six had perished from hypothermia while three others died from blunt force trauma. The mystery confounded officials for years, and rumors of yeti attacks and similar theories abounded until researchers proposed a new potential culprit: an avalanche.

Avalanches happen when layered snow fails, often on perfect ski slopes

Snowpacks form unstable layers as weather shifts; a weak, refrozen layer buried under fresh snow can shear and release a slab avalanche on certain steep slopes. Triggers range from new snowfall to the movement of skiers, while survival depends on the presence of ski partners, beacons, and rescue teams.

Bringing dinosaurs back to Mongolia

The Gobi Desert, which crosses Mongolia and China, was a dinosaur hotspot, offering visitors splendid freshwater lakes and a lush, humid climate. These past verdant vast valleys have become the largest dinosaur fossil reservoir in the world, and with that title comes those seeking to remove such items, whether for personal satisfaction or scientific study. This article explains the fight to restore Mongolia's fossil heritage.

Dinosaurs’ feathers and greater metabolism helped them survive polar conditions

Studies of dinosaur footprints alongside ice-deposited rock fragments indicate that early dinosaurs adapted to cold weather before the volcanic winters of the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event. These geological events helped dinosaurs to flourish by wiping out their amphibious competitors.

How a deadly antarctic expedition turned poisonous

A deadly 1912 scientific expedition to the Antarctic took a turn for the worse when the expedition team's leader turned to man's best friend to fuel their journey. This 21-minute podcast episode provides a glimpse into the real-life dangers of...

Relax to a livestream of brown bears chilling in Katmai National Park in Alaska.

Breaking down the challenges of alkaline environments and how extremophiles survive them

These areas are far less acidic than the interiors of most organisms' cells, and this imbalance draws protons that are needed for various metabolic processes, including energy production, out of cells. To counter these effects, some alkaliphiles have developed stronger proton regulation across their cellular membranes and proteins that drive these processes with greater stability amid such acidity imbalances.

An overview of extremophiles and the biochemical adaptations employed by various types

These organisms thrive in environments that would normally be inhospitable to most living things by using molecules that help counter deadly environmental factors. These include antifreeze-like proteins that prevent psychrophiles from freezing and rupturing in polar regions, and osmoprotectants that prevent some extremophiles from losing water to salty environments.

Fossils suggest tardigrades developed cryptobiosis more than 180 million years ago

As of 2024, three tardigrade fossils have been discovered, all preserved in amber. Analysis suggests different species of the organism existed over 500 million years ago, when marine heterotardigrades and freshwater terrestrial eutardigrades diverged. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Green algae have lived on Earth for about 1 billion years, roughly twice as long as the first plants.