State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

biology

  • A Conversation With a Coronavirus

    A Conversation With a Coronavirus

    A biology professor shows us the virus’s perspective on the pandemic.

  • The Otherworldly and Elusive Life Beneath Antarctica’s Ice

    The Otherworldly and Elusive Life Beneath Antarctica’s Ice

    While renowned for the penguins, Antarctica is perhaps equally well known for what it doesn’t have: basically, anything else. But scientist Steven Chown says the view that the icy continent lacks life is “simply not true.”

  • What Lies Beneath Arctic Ice?

    What Lies Beneath Arctic Ice?

    On Thursday we lowered a camera into an ice borehole to get a look at the underside of the ice. In the following video, you can clearly see the algae living in the bottom of the ice due to their pigments, which they use to harvest light.

  • Scientists Discover New Species of Monkey

    Scientists Discover New Species of Monkey

    In a gigantic and remote rainforest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a team of scientists have discovered a new species of Old World monkey known as the “Lesula.”

  • Katherine Pollard: What Makes Us Human?

    Katherine Pollard: What Makes Us Human?

    For the past six years Katherine Pollard has been working with the Chimpanzee Sequencing and Analysis Consortium comparing the genes of chimps and humans in order to more fully understand how the human genome has evolved. Using the software she created to study genomic data, Pollard was able to identify the areas of the human…

Earth Month Graphic Collage: "Our Power, Our Planet - April 2025"

The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. This Earth Month, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.

  • A Conversation With a Coronavirus

    A Conversation With a Coronavirus

    A biology professor shows us the virus’s perspective on the pandemic.

  • The Otherworldly and Elusive Life Beneath Antarctica’s Ice

    The Otherworldly and Elusive Life Beneath Antarctica’s Ice

    While renowned for the penguins, Antarctica is perhaps equally well known for what it doesn’t have: basically, anything else. But scientist Steven Chown says the view that the icy continent lacks life is “simply not true.”

  • What Lies Beneath Arctic Ice?

    What Lies Beneath Arctic Ice?

    On Thursday we lowered a camera into an ice borehole to get a look at the underside of the ice. In the following video, you can clearly see the algae living in the bottom of the ice due to their pigments, which they use to harvest light.

  • Scientists Discover New Species of Monkey

    Scientists Discover New Species of Monkey

    In a gigantic and remote rainforest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a team of scientists have discovered a new species of Old World monkey known as the “Lesula.”

  • Katherine Pollard: What Makes Us Human?

    Katherine Pollard: What Makes Us Human?

    For the past six years Katherine Pollard has been working with the Chimpanzee Sequencing and Analysis Consortium comparing the genes of chimps and humans in order to more fully understand how the human genome has evolved. Using the software she created to study genomic data, Pollard was able to identify the areas of the human…