A U.S. federal judge has ordered the Interior Department to decide within 16 days whether polar bears should be listed as a threatened species because of global warming.

Fourteen-foot-long rays—perhaps the largest freshwater fish—are thriving not far from Bangkok. But overfishing may still threaten the giants.

A limited range and specialist diet mean that the Arctic porpoise may be slightly more sensitive to habitat changes linked to global warming, a new report says.

The biggest squid ever caught has begun defrosting in a huge tank. Already it's yielding clues to the species' behavior and giant size, scientists say.

A pink-flowering mint and a 5-foot-tall (1.5-meter-tall) herb, both last seen in the 1800s, have "reappeared" in far northern Australia, experts say.

Arctic precipitation has risen more dramatically in the past 50 years than predicted, so estimates of future change "may underestimate what's coming down the pipeline," researchers say.

See a noxious volcano blazing, a steaming sacrifice, uncanny underwater robots, Europe's biggest waterfall turned blue, and more.

Earth's seas have become much stormier over the past three decades, according to analyses of faint tremors caused by ocean waves.

Insect infestations are turning forests in British Columbia into net carbon sources, according to new research that may force researchers to revise climate change models.

Earth's high-altitude winds may be changing due to global warming, possibly making it easier for more powerful storms to form, a new study says.

Insecticides and mercury seeping into the heavy industralized Chinese river have created a new setback for the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise.

A UN ruling has extended the size of the continental shelf controlled by Australia, expanding the continent's territory by an area five times the size of France.

A gift exchange between Asian rulers several centuries ago may have inadvertently saved a population of elephants from extinction, according to a new study

Chinas strategy to produce sunny Olympic ceremonies may be a washout, experts say. But many believe the future of weather modification is looking brighter.

A UN official has warned that action must be taken to preserve endangered species or medical researchers will be robbed of a bevy of potentially powerful new drugs.