Ergot-poisoned bread may have sparked the Salem witch trials
By Daniel Moran · Sep 17, 2026
What's new in
Earth & Environment
Climate, energy, ecology, and the systems that keep the planet running.
Tractor trains haul fuel across Antarctica at walking pace to spare precious cargo flights
Sep 17, 2026
A gardener's slug fix became Scotland's million-pound ecological crisis
Sep 17, 2026
Dead battery waste becomes seawater desalting filter that removes 99.6 percent salt
Sep 17, 2026
Retired car batteries are becoming the grid's most valuable energy storage
Sep 17, 2026
Wind farm cameras caught 6 bird collisions—all happened in daylight, none at night
Sep 17, 2026
AI data centers are driving up electricity costs for American farms
Sep 17, 2026
One electrical tower hosted nine white stork nests, straining Spain's power grid protection efforts
Sep 17, 2026
Rural Virginia rejected a massive data center project that threatened its farming economy
Sep 17, 2026
Soviet planners drained the Aral Sea to grow cotton in the desert
By Daniel Moran · Sep 16, 2026
Clerical error at wildlife sanctuary triggered three-decade battle to eradicate invasive ducks
Sep 16, 2026
Solar panels shield French nectarine crops from deadly spring frosts
Sep 16, 2026