Some faucets in regions near fracking wells run flammable water

Many chemicals used in fracking fluid have been classified as toxic

Although the fluid has been known to leach into drinking water supplies, raising health concerns, fracking is exempt from federal clean water regulations due to a loophole in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 championed by former US Vice President Dick Cheney.

Fracking provides access to fossil fuel reserves locked in underground rock

Using a pressurized fluid mixture that is over 90% water, cracks are created in shale about 2 miles deep to release trapped oil and natural gas. The process uses an average of 3 to 6 million gallons of water per well, which can strain local water supplies.

Find fracking wells where you live and what chemicals operators are using

Fracturing fluid recipes are largely proprietary, but FracFocus has maintained a database of chemical disclosures since 2011. Today, the Department of Energy-affiliated nonprofit has more than 240,000 disclosures, along with a searchable database of fracking wells by state, county, and city.

Disposal wells for fracking wastewater have been linked to spikes in seismic activity

A study of all such underground wells in the central and eastern US found that they were 1.5 times more likely to be associated with earthquakes than oil recovery wells. The link between fluid injection and earthquakes was strongest at disposal wells where fluid was injected quickly.

Fracking rates may increase with the construction of new data centers

In Pennsylvania, plans to build at least five new facilities supported by gas-fired power plants are expected to escalate public health risks through surges in air and water pollution. Data center water demands are expected to further strain local resources.

Review the health effects of living near oil refineries, including increased respiratory risks

An analysis of 54 studies published between 1977 and 2024 in 15 international regions found evidence that proximity to refineries increased the risks of leukemia, asthma, bronchitis, and respiratory symptoms. Several studies also identified worse cardiovascular function in children and adults living near refineries, alongside other acute and chronic health impacts.

An investigation suggests a Scottish island became awash in forever chemicals via seafoam and seaspray—raising questions about what that means for the safety of other coastal areas.

Volatile chemical contamination can last in burn areas long after urban wildfires

Lead, arsenic, asbestos, and other chemicals have been found trapped in smoke-exposed rugs, couches, pillows, and other furniture that appeared otherwise undamaged from the 2025 LA wildfires. The gradual release of these substances has produced dangerous indoor air concentrations and contributed to increased emergency room visits and abnormal blood tests.

How a Scottish island became awash in forever chemicals—and what it means for other coastal areas

Utility data from 2024 indicates that Fair Isle, Britain's most remote inhabited island, has Scotland's highest level of toxic PFAS—forever chemicals—in its public drinking water. The level is still below Scotland's safety threshold, yet the high levels have confounded scientists and communities because there are no obvious industrial sources on the island. An investigation by The Guardian suggests those chemicals are arriving from thousands of miles away via seaspray and foam. PFAS are persistent pollutants that are chemically attracted to the interface between water and air—meaning there will likely be more of them in seafoam than there may be in the seawater itself.

The Love Canal disaster exposed the dangers of buried toxic waste

In the late 1970s, residents of Niagara Falls, New York, discovered their neighborhood was built atop 20,000 tons of chemical waste. Leaking toxins caused illness and birth defects, sparking nationwide outrage and leading to the creation of the EPA's Superfund cleanup program in 1980.

Will-o'-the-wisps may be the result of microlightning between bubbles

Methane and air bubbles moving through water can generate small sparks between them, which can ignite gas. The above-ground phenomenon may have historically been the result of passing travelers igniting swamp gas with their lanterns. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Across a 20-year period, methane has more than 80 times the warming potential of CO₂

However, this greenhouse gas lasts only about 12 years in the atmosphere, much less than the centuries or more that carbon dioxide can persist. Methane is produced primarily during the production, storage, and transmission of coal, natural gas, and oil, as well as from the digestive processes of domestic livestock.

As of 2026, the majority of US states have unsafe radon exposure levels

Alaska, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Washington top the list of states with exposure levels above 4 picocuries per liter for this naturally occurring radioactive gas. While these state-level averages vary from one county, municipality, and home to another, the EPA encourages those in the highest-risk states to test their homes.

View a map of countries with the safest and most dangerous drinking water

More than a quarter of the world's population lives in water-stressed countries, and a similar number use contaminated drinking water sources, which can lead to widespread disease, according to the World Health Organization. The Environmental Performance Index shows which countries have safe drinking water.

Fireworks contribute to air, water, and soil contamination and disrupt wildlife

Fireworks displays have far-reaching environmental consequences, including acid rain from displays during storms and microplastic pollution in water supplies. Wildlife has also been seen abandoning sites during fireworks and never returning.

Why stories about helium 'running out' indicate market volatility rather than scarcity

Only a few locations on Earth contain natural gas reserves with sufficiently high helium concentrations to make their extraction commercially viable, and geopolitical conflicts in these areas significantly affect helium production. This makes cost a major impediment to helium availability, particularly for scientific research, amid growing demand and ongoing depletion of reserves that took billions of years to form.

Data suggests fossil fuels are the dirtiest and most dangerous energy sources

Although all energy sources have trade-offs, fossil fuels emit the most greenhouse gases per unit of energy and have the highest rate of accidents. Low-carbon energy sources—including nuclear power—have the lowest death rates and fewest adverse climatic effects.

The surprising world of coal seam fires

Hundreds of coal seam fires are actively smoldering around the world at any given time, including some that have stayed lit for centuries. These fires have occurred naturally for millions of years, lit atop deposits of coal in the earth. Dive into...

The use of fungi to detoxify land and water—a process known as mycoremediation—has been used to clean up natural resources affected by the 2025 California wildfires.

In 2009, accidentally drilling into magma provided time capsules of volcanic glass

While drilling for geothermal energy in Iceland's Krafla Geothermal Field, magma encountered at a depth of 2,100 meters quickly formed glass upon making contact with drilling fluid. By trapping dissolved gases, volatile chemicals, and the physical characteristics of magma before cooling, the glass acts as a time capsule of ancient volcanic activity and magmatic conditions.

A nearby super volcano poses an even greater risk to Italy than Vesuvius

The Campi Flegrei supervolcano, with over half a million residents nearby, may be the region’s true threat. This BBC short shows how scientists monitor Campania’s volatile geology—and why people remain drawn to the landscape despite the danger.

How scientists are using molecules found in acidophiles to develop new medical treatments

The Berkeley Pit, an open-pit copper mine in Butte, Montana, that ceased operations in 1982 and is now filled with highly acidic water, is home to various species of fungi and yeast. These extremophiles produce unique compounds that may have anti-inflammatory benefits and have already been used to create an antibiotic for staph infections.

Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley' is infamous for having some of the highest industrial pollution, toxic air emissions, and cancer risks in the US.

Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by fungi—some show up in food

About a quarter of the world’s agricultural products are contaminated with mycotoxins. Some of these compounds can cause serious health problems, including cancer, so the US government has set up monitoring programs to detect them in our food and in animal feed. Humans can become ill if they eat contaminated food, but also if they ingest products from animals that had previously consumed these toxic compounds, such as milk from a cow that ate contaminated corn.

How flooding the Dead Sea could help the climate

There are many dead zones in the world with low elevation and very little rainfall that provide little to no benefits to the ecosystem or climate. This digestible, thorough article explains how piping in nearby water to flood these areas could...

Although rare, HFMD can spreads in pools due to poor bathroom hygiene

In pools with inadequate levels of chlorine, this disease can spread via the poop-to-mouth route, though this isn't one of the most common ways the disease is transmitted. People can become infected by swallowing contaminated pool water after little kids (or their parents) don't do an adequate job removing virus-laden feces from the child before the child enters the water.

Firework or sparkler burns, even if they cover a relatively small area of skin, can significantly affect our range of motion.

Gas stations top the list of riskiest places to use a debit card

Unlike credit cards, debit cards withdraw funds directly from your checking account, and federal laws provide fewer consumer protections against debit fraud. Gas station "skimmers" and long periods of separation from the card at restaurants are some of the more vulnerable spots for use.

Why do flash floods occur?

Flash flooding can be more dangerous than traditional floods, occurring within the span of hours and exhibiting rapid currents. Here's how atmospheric conditions and geography combine to make some locations ripe for the disaster.

The boiling temperature of water decreases with increasing elevation because the molecules need less energy to overcome the lower atmospheric pressure associated with thinner air.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

See how fireworks are made and learn how metals like magnesium and copper are responsible for different colors.

Volcanoes 'die' when their supply of magma runs out, if they are shifted away from their underlying magma reservoir, or if they get clogged by collapsing or their magma cooling back into rock.

Discover the catastrophic consequences of a failure of the US electrical grid—something that is more likely than many Americans think.

Before writing 'Walden,' transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau nearly burned down his hometown with a campfire that grew out of control.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

How fusion—which releases energy when two lighter atoms combine to form a heavier atom—differs from fission

Stars appear to twinkle because turbulence in the motion of molecules in Earth's atmosphere causes light to bend and wiggle rapidly on its way to the surface—a phenomenon called scintillation.

Marburg virus, related to Ebola, is also extremely deadly, and has no available vaccine.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

A 2019 Facebook event called on attendees to "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us," resulting in countless memes, the creation of a music festival, and eventually the arrests of those who did try to approach the area.

See how Budweiser's famous Clydesdales spend their days at Warm Springs Ranch, where roughly 70 to 80 of the beer brand's giant horses can be found at any given time.

Massive 3D printers have been used to build homes by stacking layers of 'concrete toothpaste,' a fire-resistant material that effectively insulates against outside noise.

In 2009, the nation was gripped by the story of a missing young boy who was believed to be floating over Colorado in a homemade balloon, until it was revealed that he was at home the whole time.

When caught in the mouths of cardinal fish, seed shrimp release glowing, bioluminescent chemicals, which alert predators of the cardinal fish, prompting the shrimp's ejection.

Lesser-known phobias include turophobia, or the fear of cheese, and nomophobia, the fear of being without your cell phone.

Graffiti dates back to at least ancient Pompeii, where citizens scrawled messages to one another on public walls

Domino's Pizza's 30-minute delivery guarantee was responsible for the chain's 1980s surge, but it was discontinued after the company was found liable for delivery driver accidents.