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Petunias that glow in the dark are a thing now. The genetically modified flowers actually generate their own light, and are now legal to sell.

Yes, viewing a total solar eclipse can be beautiful and life-altering. But so can many other things in life.

Marijuana legalization was expected to bring the industry out of the shadows. But in some states, the black market is alive and well.

(Image credit: Martin Kaste)

A recent disruption at An Enemy of the People on Broadway by Extinction Rebellion shows a new approach to climate change activism.

Professors and students at the University of South Florida mapped pitch, rhythm and duration to data about algae blooms and depletion of coral reefs to create an original composition.

(Image credit: Joe Raedle)

The Chinook got shook when their truck got cooked. Now the salmon are swimming — but in the wrong brook.

Illegal gold mining has ravaged the Peruvian Amazon, leaving behind pollution and denuded landscapes. A group of miners are working with a U.S. charity to restore the forest.

The U.S. and tribal governments make progress against contaminated coal mine runoff from British Columbia, which has been polluting Montana and Idaho for years.

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to kill some 470,000 owls over 30 years to protect other owl species has prompted conservationists and animal welfare advocates to weigh the consequences.

(Image credit: Don Ryan Steve Legge)

Coral reefs face a dire future as oceans get hotter. Scientists are breeding corals that can handle heat better, in the hope they can survive long enough for humans to rein in climate change.

(Image credit: Marie Roman)

The Windy City has the most lead pipes of any U.S. city. A study estimates that more than two-thirds of children there are exposed to lead in their home tap water.

(Image credit: Seth Wenig)

A U.S. Forest Service burn boss was due in court on charges stemming from a controlled burn that spread onto private land in 2022. His attorneys are trying to move the case to federal court.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)

'It's like you've left the solar system and are looking back from some other world,' says science writer David Baron. He describes sensations you may feel when viewing the total eclipse on April 8.

European farmers have staged several protests against agricultural policies recently, the most recent one in Brussels featuring fireworks and liquid manure.

The price of cocoa is on a wild historic ride: It topped the all-time record before Valentine's Day and almost doubled since then, in time for Easter. The culprit is the weather.

(Image credit: Virginia Mayo)

Historic numbers of animals across the globe have become endangered or pushed to extinction. But some of these species sit in limbo — not definitively extinct yet missing from the scientific record. Rediscovering a "lost" species is not easy. It can require trips to remote areas and canvassing a large area in search of only a handful of animals. But new technology and stronger partnerships with local communities have helped these hidden, "uncharismatic" creatures come to light.

Have other scientific gray areas you want us to cover in a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org!

(Image credit: Nicky Souness)

Among the changes, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will reinstate a decades-old regulation that mandates blanket protections for species newly classified as threatened.

More than half of the Colorado River's water is used to grow crops, primarily livestock feed, a new study finds. The river and its users are facing tough decisions as the climate warms.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)

Kemmerer, Wyo., is on the front line of America's energy transition, with its coal plant slated to close and a nuclear plant in the works. But some think the rush to quit fossil fuels is impractical.

(Image credit: Kirk Siegler)

French bulldogs have soared in popularity, but they and other short-nosed dogs often have serious health problems. New Hampshire could be the first state to put health restrictions on breeders.

(Image credit: Sarah Stier)