Deserts

Tamarix aphylla can survive in salty environments by excreting saline water from its leaves.

This Desert Plant's Salty 'Sweat' Can Collect Water From the Air

The athel tamarisk's hydration trick could improve on human techniques to harvest water in dry environments, researchers say

A leaf-eared mouse called Phyllotis vaccarum

Biologists Find 13 Freeze-Dried Mouse Mummies Atop Andean Volcanoes

These cold, arid and oxygen-poor summits are akin to conditions on Mars, prompting questions about how the rodents got there—and how they survived

Rocks, an undated oil painting by Skinner, reflects the artist's penchant for juxtaposing the earthy tones of the Western desert with icy blue shadows and sky. 

Celebrating a Hidden Artistic Visionary of the American West

Charlotte Butler Skinner spent decades chronicling glorious mountains and deserts, in the company of Dorothea Lange and other influential friends

Shells of turtles and tortoises can accumulate uranium isotopes.

Turtle Shells Keep a Record of Humans' Nuclear History

Scientists can measure uranium isotopes in tortoise and turtle shells to understand the environmental impact of past nuclear events, a new study reports

Firefighters have observed fire whirls on the north side of the York Fire.

Spinning 'Fire Whirls' Tear Through the Mojave Desert Amid California's Largest Wildfire This Year

The dangerous columns of fire can rapidly change direction and spread embers over long distances

Archaeologists are still speculating as to why the remote location was chosen as a burial site.

Mysterious 2,500-Year-Old Skeletons Found in Israel's Negev Desert

The tomb was located at the crossroads of two trading routes—and far away from any ancient settlements

A bandicoot uses its nose to sniff out subterranean insects, leaving behind shallow holes known as “snout pokes.”

The Unlikely Survival Story of Australia's Bandicoots

The defenseless marsupial was nearly wiped out by invasive species. Now rescuers are pinning hopes on a remnant island population

Natufian artworks, such as this figurine, became common around 15,000 years ago. Few artworks predating that period have been found in the Levant.

When Did Humans Start Settling Down?

In Israel, new discoveries at one of the world's oldest villages are upending the debate about when we stopped wandering

The 16-acre resort has Airstreams, luxury canvas tents and suites.

New Glamping Resort Opens Near Zion National Park

AutoCamp Zion features a pool, an eatery, a clubhouse and air-conditioned lodgings

Ravens prey on juvenile desert tortoises.

For Young Threatened Desert Tortoises, These Technologies Have Arrived to Help

Biologists are deploying 3D-printed replicas of hatchlings, lasers and drones to curb predation

The new exhibition opened in Saudi Arabia this month.

Andy Warhol Exhibition Opens in the Saudi Desert

Critics say the show helps bolster the regime's reputation—and obscure its human rights violations

Tourists flocked to Walker Canyon to see the poppies during the superbloom in 2019.

Will California See a Wildflower Superbloom This Spring?

If the swaths of show-stopping poppies do appear, officials urge tourists to act responsibly

Members of Western Australia's Department of Fire and Emergency Services search an 870-mile stretch of highway for a radioactive capsule believed to have fallen off a truck.

Radioactive Capsule Safely Recovered in Western Australia

After getting lost in transit, the capsule sat for days on the side of a road in the desert

Sonoran Desert toads live at least ten years and possibly as many as 20. 

Don’t Lick This Toad, National Park Service Says

Sonoran Desert toads secrete a psychedelic toxin strong enough to kill a full-grown dog

A map showing the two-mile-long plume of methane southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico, detected by NASA's EMIT sensors

NASA Finds More Than 50 Super-Emitters of Methane

While mapping minerals in Earth’s deserts, the agency's new detector on the ISS spotted massive contributors to climate change

Bison typically roam the tall grasses of the American prairie, but a herd in Grand Canyon National Park has found ways to thrive in forest and desert habitats.

Meet the ‘Forest Ninja Bison’ Living in Grand Canyon National Park

Wildlife managers recently relocated dozens of the iconic animals to help restore balance to the park's ecosystem

Paruroctonus soda

These California Teens Discovered Two New Scorpion Species

One of the creatures could be wiped out if its range isn't protected, researchers say

Donkeys often trample plants in the deserts of the southwestern United States, including in Death Valley National Park in California.

Cougars Are Killing Feral Donkeys, and That’s Good for Wetlands

Mountain lions play an important role in the Death Valley ecosystem by preying on the introduced species

A footprint discovered on an archaeological site is marked with a pin flag on the Utah Test and Training Range, July 18, 2022.

Archaeologists Find 12,000-Year-Old Human Footprints in Utah

The 88 individual footprints were were discovered on a remote desert Air Force training site that was once a wetland

The Dixie Valley toad lives only in a remote Nevada valley. 

Nevada Toad Receives Rare Emergency Protection

The construction of a geothermal power plant could create problems for the amphibian

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