The Hidden Coastal Culture of the Ancient Maya For thousands of years, ancient Maya kings ruled a vast inland empire in Mexico and Belize. But just how inland was it, really? by Erik Vance November 6, ...

Researchers think birds can hear hurricanes and tsunamis—a sense they’re hoping to tap into to develop a bird-based early warning system.

The Gnawing Question of Saltwater Beavers Scientists have long overlooked beavers in the intertidal zone. Now they’re counting on the freshwater rodents to restore Washington’s coastal ecosystems. by ...

What Whale Barnacles Know For generations, these hitchhikers have been recording details about their hosts and their ocean home. by Mara Grunbaum November 9, 2021 | 4,400 words, about 22 minutes This ...

The Legal Fishery Sparking Arrests and Violence Canada has spent nearly 25 years ignoring its own Supreme Court—and Indigenous fishers on the East Coast are suffering the consequences. by Moira ...

A Short History of Aquaculture Innovation For over a century, aquaculturists have tinkered with every part of aquatic animals’ lives, from genetics to diet to where they grow best. Introduction by ...

Raising Baby Sharks from the Dead Biologists are rescuing baby sharks and skates from recently caught females, giving the unborn a chance at survival. by Claudia Geib October 5, 2021 | 4,100 words, ...

Conjuring the Lost Land Beneath the North Sea New research reveals that Doggerland—a sunken swath of Europe connecting Britain to the mainland—was more than a simple thoroughfare. It was home. by ...

Herschel, the Very Hungry Sea Lion It’s dangerous to blame the decline of one species on a single predator. We humans like to do it anyway. by Katharine Gammon October 16, 2018 | 3,700 words, about 19 ...

Saving a Sea Monkey Sanctuary As the Great Salt Lake in Utah shrinks, locals are working to preserve its critical brine shrimp fishery—along with the other entities that flourish in the lake’s strange ...

No Wool, No Vikings The fleece that launched 1,000 ships. by Claire Eamer February 23, 2016 | 3,700 words, about 18 minutes This article is also available in audio format. Listen now, download, or ...

Whales Through a New Lens Forty years ago, the world’s whale researchers met in Indiana. The now legendary, but nearly forgotten, meeting changed the way scientists and the public see whales—and it ...