Energy/Environment

A floating island is playing peekaboo on Williston Lake in British Columbia. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe chats with BC Hydro's Bob Gammer about this natural mystery.

The Western U.S.'s wildfire season has been one of the worst in years. More than 8 million acres have burned, at least seven wildland firefighters have died, and hundreds of homes have been destroyed.

New research at the American Chemical Society meeting showcased a potentially edible cookie made out of — plastic!

The American chestnut once dominated the Eastern woodlands. NPR's Scott Simon talks to Andrew Newhouse, an environmental biologist, about efforts to bring these trees back from the brink of extinction.

NPR's Regina Barber and Nate Rott talk about a new way to spot archaeological fakes, how hurricanes may have influenced lizard evolution and the health effects of extreme heat.

City leaders say they've been planning for years and no one will run out, but keeping taps flowing is expensive.

Research published in the journal Science illuminates a "missing piece" in the biological understanding of profound autism and offers new targets for drug development.

The elephantnose fish is native to Africa and a darling of neuroscientists, for its specialized cerebellum-like brain. Scientists have mapped the neurons in a part of the brain that senses electrical signals in detail, and found that how it filters out electrical noise is more complex than they thought.

The Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded this week for humorous yet thought-provoking research. This year, the ceremony came with a twist.

Tropical Storm Edouard made landfall late Tuesday near Johnson Bayou, Louisiana, and barreled towards Houston.