This episode of Earth Focus (Season 6, Episode 4) spotlights tree-planting efforts across Southern California aimed at cooling urban areas hardest hit by heat islands. These important projects not only beautify neighborhoods, but strategically bring shade, improve air quality, and bolster public health—especially in underserved communities.

Viewers are introduced to researchers, local nonprofits, public agencies, volunteers, and residents who collaborate to plant and care for trees where they are most needed. The episode emphasizes that planting is only the first step: species selection, maintenance, and equitable placement are critical to ensuring that green canopies thrive and have lasting cooling effects.

By weaving together compelling storytelling, community voices, and environmental science, the episode positions tree planting as a tangible climate solution that blends environmental justice and urban resilience. It argues that shade-filled neighborhoods are vital for healthier and more sustainable futures.

• Trees
• Shade
• Climate Change
• Environmentalism
• Ecology
• Extreme Heat
• Urban Trees
• Tree Canopy

From biscuits to BBQ: Ted Lasso Season 4 kicks off production in Kansas City! ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/UDKgXqw68d

Today, notes Wolfe, city-related dialogues are more focused on day-to-day realities than grand visions of the City Beautiful.

Beyond architecture and urban design critiques, cities and towns face the affordability crisis, the complex push for zoning revisions, and ever-evolving dialogues around public safety. Even the reimagining of downtowns in a post-COVID era now directly confronts these pressing concerns.

For example, last week in Santa Fe, Chainbreaker—a local social justice group—convened a panel on housing and the unhoused. Community members gathered to share their experiences and concerns about housing and homelessness in Santa Fe. A panel discussion (among a journalist, activist, a former unhoused person, and a leading housing organization representative) ranged from the urgent need for increased housing supply to concerns about rising rents and displacement, the prospect of stricter controls on short-term rentals, and the role of pending revisions to the comprehensive plan and land use code. 

Noting a rich discussion that lacked the presence of all key stakeholders, Wolfe underscores the challenge around many divisive urban issues: how to bridge divides in a way that might foster true collaboration?

He provides a new name for a fine-tuned approach that centers on proper issue identification, contextual knowledge of a place, and an assurance that the appropriate stakeholders can move forward: the way of the“Place Sherpa,” a specialized urbanist and guide who empowers individuals, organizations, and communities to gain a deep understanding, observe, and collaboratively shape their built environments. 

Unlike traditional experts who might primarily diagnose problems and prescribe top-down solutions, a Place Sherpa walks alongside stakeholders, suggests Wolfe:

They provide a toolkit to demystify urban complexities, foster acute observation, and facilitate locally-informed, more innate placemaking. They bridge the gap between expert knowledge and lived experience, ensuring that urban evolution is empathetic, sustainable, and truly beloved by its inhabitants. 

If such a Sherpa doesn’t immediately demand a podium or command a climb, and their nature is to walk alongside, patiently ask questions, and share knowledge gleaned from other journeys and examples, one key question is whether planners could add the way of the Sherpa to their professional roles. 

• Place Sherpa
• Placemaking
• Community Development

California is making steady progress toward its ambitious 30x30 conservation goal — an initiative to protect 30 percent of the state’s lands and coastal waters by 2030. As reported by Lila Seidman, the state has now safeguarded 26.1 percent of its land and 21.9 percent of its coastal waters, representing significant gains since the initiative’s formal launch in 2022. Recent milestones include the designation of two new national monuments — Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands — and the establishment of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, which collectively added more than a million acres of protected land and water.

However, this progress faces potential setbacks. The Trump administration has signaled a willingness to reverse federal protections, including rolling back the designations of the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands monuments. Since nearly half of California’s land is federally owned, such reversals could jeopardize the state’s ability to meet its 30x30 targets. Conservation advocates also raise concerns about whether areas like the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary should count toward the goal, citing the allowance of certain industrial activities that may undermine biodiversity protection.

Despite these uncertainties, state leaders remain committed to the 30x30 initiative as a cornerstone of climate resilience and environmental justice. Officials are now focused on integrating privately owned inholdings into existing state parks and enhancing management plans to strengthen biodiversity protections. As climate change accelerates, the 30x30 framework is seen as a critical strategy to sequester greenhouse gases, preserve ecosystems, and safeguard resources vital to both wildlife and human communities.

• Conservation
• 30 by 30
• Ecology
• Public Lands

Today’s world runs on digital computers, but there was a time when people relied on their analog siblings. Instead of electrical signals, mechanical computers utilize complex systems of gears, weights, and other physical implements to perform tasks. As recently as the 1960s, accounting devices like the Soviet Union’s Ascota 170 could even perform square roots, but some of the earliest mechanical computers may even trace all the way back to the famous Antikythera mechanism. Discovered in an ancient shipwreck near Crete in 1901, experts now believe ancient Greeks built the device around 100 BCE to calculate astronomical positions.

Mechanical computers may not oversee today’s automated tasks, but it’s still possible to build your own using literal children’s toys. That said, one YouTuber’s ongoing DIY mechanical computer project looks so dizzyingly complex that—for the time being—most people will likely stick with their smartphone’s calculator app.

The inventor who goes by Shadowman39 on YouTube is a longtime Knex aficionado. His previous projects built from the connectible, plastic building pieces include everything from coin sorters, to gigantic motion machines, to even a functioning Skee Ball cabinet. More recently, he opted to design and construct a device capable of performing basic calculations like addition and subtraction. Although he’s planning on expanding its abilities, the YouTuber recently uploaded the first look at his Knex 8-bit mechanical computer—specifically its “very simple” arithmetic logic unit, or ALU.

“Very simple,” in this case, refers to a roughly 3.5-foot-tall contraption built using thousands of Knex pieces, wheels, and conveyor belts. All those parts are divided up into eight columns, each one responsible for a single bit of binary data represented as a 0 or 1. The 8-bit system is capable of handling operations using the numbers 0-255, although Shadowman39 notes (using some rather dense mathematical reasoning) that it can also work with the number range of -128 to 127.

While there is an electrical line to power initial movement, the actual calculations themselves take place through mechanical means. Depending on the user’s input, the Knex computer will use its rack and pinions to initiate cranks capable of rotating 360 degrees while anchored by a pair of weights and counterweights. These actions compound across the eight columns until a calculation is completed.

“It looks like a mess but I promise it’s just organized chaos,” the inventor says at one point.

You might just need to take his word for it on that front. In any case, the YouTuber promises additional videos are coming that will delve into how data and program storage will work in its RAM and ROM. It may not find its way onto desktops, but the Knex project highlights the uniquely tactile and ingenious designs required to construct even the most rudimentary of mechanical computers.

The post Inventor builds mechanical computer with thousands of Knex pieces appeared first on Popular Science.

A new art exhibition at Descanso Gardens, titled “Roots of Cool: A Celebration of Trees and Shade in a Warming World,” explores Los Angeles’ climate and urban equity challenges through the lens of shade access and environmental justice. Co-curated by climate researcher Edith de Guzman and artist Jolly de Guzman, the exhibition brings together artists whose works reflect on the social and spatial disparities in access to trees, shade, and climate resilience. As reported by Marcos Magaña, the exhibition begins outdoors with installations like Leslie K. Gray’s “Bus Stop of the Past,” which highlights the dangers of unshaded infrastructure, especially for women of color who rely on public transit.

Inside the galleries, the exhibition progresses through past, present, and future visions of urban life and vegetation. In the “past” room, artists such as Kim Abeles and Diana Kohne illustrate historical inequities in green infrastructure and the consequences of planning focused on efficiency over comfort. The “present” gallery immerses visitors in the heat of urban reality, featuring installations like “Every Bench Deserves a Tree,” which contrasts life with and without shade. Finally, the “future” gallery imagines climate-responsive design through works like “Suspended Garden,” using repurposed plant material to envision sustainable, community-centered shade solutions.

Throughout the exhibition, visitors are invited to reflect on their own experiences with shade and participate in data collection on heat and equity in their neighborhoods. The show aims to bridge science and art to engage the public emotionally and intellectually. As Edith de Guzman puts it, this intersectional approach helps people imagine the city they want and deserve — one where shade is not a privilege, but a right shared equitably across communities. Roots of Cool will run through October 12 at Descanso Gardens’ Sturt Haaga Gallery and Boddy House.

• Los Angeles
• Shade
• shade equity
• Public Health
• Extreme Heat
• Urban Heat Island Effect
• Trees

Across the United States, hundreds of thousands of orphaned oil and gas wells — abandoned and often undocumented — pose a growing threat to public health, the environment, and the climate. These wells, many of them decades or even a century old, were never properly plugged and are now leaking methane and other pollutants into the air, soil, and water. As reported by Camila Domonoske, these relics of the fossil fuel industry are hidden in forests, farmland, neighborhoods, and even riverbeds, where their presence is often unknown and their damage unchecked.

The first step in addressing this issue is finding the wells, a task made difficult by sparse records and outdated maps. Experts like Dan Arthur, a petroleum engineer, use everything from gas-detection cameras to drones and historical research to hunt down these forgotten sites — often likening the process to fossil hunting. While the federal government has allocated $4.7 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help states locate and plug these wells, the sheer scale and cost of the problem remain daunting. Many wells are still being orphaned today due to loopholes, weak regulations, and companies going bankrupt or transferring liability.

Beyond methane, orphan wells can release toxic substances and contaminate ecosystems long after they’ve stopped producing oil or gas. Experts argue that without stronger policies, such as requiring higher surety bonds, limiting non-productive wells, and holding companies accountable, the problem will only grow. While some states are making progress, the current pace and funding fall far short of what's needed. As Domonoske reports, advocates and tribal leaders like Everett Waller stress that the stakes are too high to ignore, calling for sustained efforts to map, monitor, and finally sunset this harmful chapter of America’s energy past.

• Orphan Wells
• Oil Drilling
• Energy Infrastructure
• Oil Wells

• 2026 Foldable iPhone: All the Leaks So Far

As the early-2000s bop goes, you would not believe your eyes, if 10 million fireflies lit up the world as I fell asleep. While 10 million may not be the exact number of the summer staple lighting up the sky, several states across the country are reporting increased sightings of fireflies–or lightning bugs. 

“The whole forest was blinking,” Kimberly Mackowski of West Allis, Wisconsin told Wisconsin Public Radio. “It’s like someone put blinking lights on, right at the forest entrance.” 

Parts of Pennsylvania, Illinois, and even primarily urban areas like Washington DC and New York City have experienced an uptick in this summertime natural wonder. Their yellow, green, or red glow when paired with chirping crickets or cicadas buzzing signals hot and hazy summer days. While there may be as many as 2,400 species of firefly on Earth, these insects have faced years of decline due to increased light pollution, habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change.

The insects are still in trouble, but this summer’s increased reports are a welcome sight to scientists and citizen scientists alike.

Despite their name, fireflies are not flies at all. They are a type of beetle in the family Lampyridae. Their signature flashes are signals emitted to attract mates.

“Those flashing sequences that seem random to us are full of species-specific communication,” entomologist Emma Grace Crumbley tells Popular Science.

A 2024 study found that the glow of the Lampyridae family may have evolved due to a particularly stressful situation. A key ingredient in firefly bioluminescence called luciferin has antioxidant properties and firefly ancestors evolved and diversified it when atmospheric oxygen levels rose during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event. This mass extinction event roughly 183 million years ago during the Early Jurassic caused oxygen levels to plummet in the world’s oceans. Since surviving that and a few other periods of mass death on Earth, this family of luminescent beetles has developed the flashy mating signals that we see today.

[ Related: Spiders may be hacking firefly signals to trap dinner. ]

“Male fireflies fly around looking for mates while females remain close to the ground and signal in tall grass – those flying fireflies you catch are almost all males,” explains Crumbley.

Fireflies thrive in sheltered areas that will protect their eggs as they develop, but will also conceal themselves during the day

“If your location (your lawn, backyard, or neighborhood) lacks long grass, ground cover plants, or leaf litter, then fireflies are less likely to establish,” says Crumbley. 

There are several reasons why some places might be seeing more of these glowy beetles this summer. The first is wet weather. Several parts of the United States saw decent amounts of rainfall this spring. Fireflies seek out moist soil to lay their eggs and take shelter and thrive in covered foliage.

“If your region receives consistent, moderate rainfall and experiences warm, humid temperatures throughout the summer, it is well-equipped to foster firefly populations,” says Crumbley. “Areas that are too cold, too dry, or too exposed do not harbor fireflies as easily.” 

The second reason is a potential lifecycle gap. Fireflies operate on a two-year gap between generations, with adult fireflies living about one to four weeks depending on the species and environmental conditions. This means there could be a fluctuating prevalence year after year, and this year might be a banner year in some places.

“It could be that you live in a warm, wet part of the US with plenty of forest or field space for fireflies to thrive in, yet you still aren’t seeing as many fireflies this year,” explains Crumbley.
“Even if the environmental conditions are correct, the firefly lifecycle may be the reason you don’t see as many flashes this year.” 

Another reason has to do with the more than 150 unique fireflies that live in the US. Their ranges all vary from species to species, with the East Coast seeing more Photinus pyralis, or common eastern firefly.

“It may be that your area is only home to a select few species of fireflies, making it appear that you have fewer than someone a few states over,” says Crumbley. “Synchronous fireflies, for example, are only found in Appalachia (prominently in the mountains of Tennessee). If you were to compare the synchronous fireflies you see outside of this range compared to the annual numbers tracked throughout the Great Smoky Mountains, it may seem like you experience fewer fireflies than usual, when in fact, these fireflies are not found in your area at all. 

Even with these synchronous events and reported sightings, fireflies are still in trouble and at serious risk of extinction. 

“It’s unfortunate, but it may simply be that the threats to fireflies (habitat loss, light pollution, pesticide use, and climate change) are the reason for their decline or abandonment in your area,” says Crumbley. “It’s not too late to promote firefly populations local to your area, and there are several things you can do to encourage fireflies to reestablish.”

[ Related: The land of lost fireflies is probably a humble New Jersey bog. ]

Building a firefly habitat in your own backyard or asking community leaders to build some in public greenspace is one way to start. According to Crumbley, Firefly.org, offers numerous resources for how to start. A firefly habitat can be as simple as leaving behind a small pile of leaves after fall cleanups, planting more native plants, or allowing the grass to grow just a little taller. Responsible pest management options, such as reducing pesticide use or finding more environmentally friendly ways to control unwanted bugs like mosquitoes or ticks can also help.

Fireflies need dark skies to find their mates, so tackling light pollution is another solution. 

“Each firefly species has a unique pattern and rhythm, but light pollution can disorient fireflies and make it difficult for males and females to find one another,” says Crumbley. “Reducing lights around your yard as much as possible at night can help restore darkness to your outdoor spaces and assist fireflies in their search for mates.”

Less light pollution can only help fireflies, but other species like moths or even sea turtles, if you live near the beach. 

The post Why fireflies are everywhere this summer appeared first on Popular Science.