Environment

a tractor in a field

A Brief History of Our Deadly Addiction to Nitrogen Fertilizer

Explosions, algae blooms, global warming. Why do we need so much ammonium nitrate again?

By

| Fri Apr. 19, 2013 3:00 AM PDT
Searchers in protective suits walk through the blast zone of the fertilizer plan

Texas Plant May Not Have Been Inspected in Years, Despite Risks

A 2011 report highlighted hazards at the fertilizer plant, including tens of thousands of pounds of anhydrous ammonia.

By , , and

| Fri Apr. 19, 2013 3:00 AM PDT
chris mooney climate desk live

Climate Desk Live: The Science, Stakes, and Strategy Behind the Fight Over the Keystone XL [WATCH]

Join us now for our live-streaming Climate Desk event.

By

| Tue Apr. 2, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

GOP Goes Hunting For EPA Emails About Turducken

...but misses the big picture of the agency's transparency problems.

By

| Fri Apr. 19, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

Advertise on MotherJones.com

Washington monument with protestors around it

How Science Can Predict Where You Stand on Keystone XL

Want to make sense of the feud between pipeline activists and "hippie-punching" moderates? Talk to the researchers.

By

| Wed Apr. 17, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

Will Monsanto Ties Influence Nutritionists' Stance on GMOs?

Conflicts of interest at the top dieticians' group could undermine its effort to weigh in on genentically modified food.

By

| Sat Apr. 13, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

Texas Congressman Cites Noah's Ark As Evidence Against Climate Change

Republican congressman Joe Barton says the flood "certainly wasn't because mankind had overdeveloped hydrocarbon energy."

By

| Fri Apr. 12, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

Olympians to Obama: Climate Change Will Melt Winter Sports

In a letter, 75 sports champions warn that warmer winters will jeopardize their sports.

By

| Thu Apr. 11, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

Al Gore Is Fat, Therefore Global Warming Doesn't Exist

When conservative pundits write about climate change, they're more likely to mention Al Gore than science.

By

| Thu Apr. 11, 2013 3:00 AM PDT
breakfast image

Quaker Apple Walnut Oatmeal Has More Sugar Than a S'mores Pop Tart

And other surprising facts about your favorite breakfast convenience foods.

By and

| Mon Apr. 15, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

What Keystone XL Opponents Could Learn From the Gay Rights Movement

For activists, the hardest part of the Keystone fight is figuring out what to do about the Democrats.

By

| Mon Apr. 8, 2013 11:33 AM PDT
exxon sign

Reporters Say Exxon Is Impeding Spill Coverage in Arkansas

Several reporters say they have been threatened with arrest in the course of their work on the Pegasus spill.

By

| Fri Apr. 5, 2013 3:08 PM PDT
chickens on the ground

The Latest Bird Flu Freakout, Explained

Is H7N9 headed your way?

By

| Tue Apr. 9, 2013 3:00 AM PDT
Satellite view of algae in Lake Erie

For Cleveland, Climate Change Could Mean Tons of Toxic Green Algae

NASA photos show massive amounts of algae in Lake Erie.

By

| Fri Apr. 5, 2013 12:23 PM PDT

5 Ways Biotech Is Changing Our Pets and Wildlife

Talking about brave new beasts with Emily Anthes, author of the new book "Frankenstein's Cat."

By

| Mon Apr. 8, 2013 3:00 AM PDT
Gigantic area of sea ice in the process of fracturing in Arctic Ocean

Watch: Crack-Up of Sea Ice in the Arctic Ocean

Young, thin sea ice in the Arctic this winter meant storms were more damaging to the fragile ice cap.

By

| Fri Apr. 5, 2013 3:15 AM PDT

Frackers Are Losing $1.5 Billion Yearly to Leaks

Leaky pipes are the "super low-hanging fruit" of climate change.

By

| Fri Apr. 5, 2013 3:00 AM PDT
Jon Snow

A "Game of Thrones" Winter May Be Coming

Frozen sheep, slowing jet streams, record snowfalls—all signs, climate scientists say, of a stark new reality.

By

| Fri Apr. 5, 2013 3:00 AM PDT
a car half buried in the sand

A History of Disaster Capitalism

Profitting off natural disasters from the San Francisco earthquake to superstorm Sandy.

By

| Thu Apr. 4, 2013 2:41 PM PDT

6 Amazing Ways Animals Show Compassion

Renowned primatologist Frans de Waal argues that our own sense of morality can be traced back to our primate relatives.

By

| Fri Apr. 5, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

Photo Essays + Slideshows

kids smoking

Glamorous Photos of Kids Smoking

Frieke Janssens' images of kids and (fake!) cigarettes capture the ugliness and the not-quite-bygone glamour of smoking.

Slideshow: "Enjoy an Ice Cream Cone Shortly Before Lunch"

10 classic ads from the sugar and cereal industries.

Portraits of Addiction

A Manhattan banker shoots portraits of drug abuse, sex work, and homelessness in the Bronx.

Garry Winogrand, John F. Kennedy, Democratic National Convention, Los Angeles, 1

Never Before Seen Photos From Legendary Street Photographer Garry Winogrand

Fourteen amazing scenes of life in America—and hundreds more where that came from.

See All