"The handful of rangers who protect one of Earth’s most remote and biologically diverse reefs have only each other for company for months at a time. They worry about running out of gas for boat patrols, their drinking water can get dangerously low and rising seas are nipping away at the tiny island that hosts their station."

"New reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission reveal payments around the globe. One takeaway? The U.S. government might be getting a bad deal."

"Countries are expected to reach a deal at this month's U.N. COP16 nature summit on how the world uses and pays for genetic information extracted from nature, according to negotiators."

"two different U.N. committees found that Finland violated the rights of the Sámi by granting mineral exploration permits in Finnish Sápmi — the homelands of the Sámi peoples that cross Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia."

"One of the rarest species of whale in the world has increased slightly in population, encouraging conservationists to call on the federal government and the shipping and fishing industries to do more to bring the giant animals back from the brink of extinction."

"By learning the secrets of 2,000-year-old cement, researchers are trying to devise greener, more durable modern options."