Stories by Alex Ruppenthal

One year after welcoming its first baby reindeer in nearly four decades, Brookfield Zoo added another newborn fawn this week.

For the first time, Shedd Aquarium will host a full week of events leading up to Earth Day on April 22. 

A young suburban gymnast goes to the police in 1997, accusing her coach of sexual abuse, but charges are never filed. Now she is sharing her story. “Everything that happened to me I think people should know,” she said.

A camera set up near Rosehill Cemetery captured an unusual photo of a flying squirrel last fall, but the image was only recently discovered.

An ordinance to protect residents from a potentially brain-damaging pollutant is passed by the City Council. But does it go far enough?

The grocery store chain released more details this week about its plans to phase out a practice that animal welfare advocates consider inhumane. 

The yet-to-be-named chick is healthy and being hand-reared by animal care staff, the zoo said this week.

Despite the industry’s recent decline and new tariffs, Illinois’ solar market is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, according to a new report. 

St. Patrick’s Day festivities kicked off a day early at Brookfield Zoo last week, where seals, camels, lemurs, orangutans and gorillas got shamrock-shaped and green-colored treats.

The 14-year-old female polar bear who recently arrived in Chicago is expected to mate with 8-year-old Siku, who has lived at the zoo since 2016. 

From kindergartners to college professors, citizen scientists helped Field Museum researchers examine more than 100,000 plant samples that could hold clues to key scientific questions. 

A brightly colored moth rarely seen in the U.S. (and bigger than a human hand) emerged from its cocoon Friday at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum – but you better get there fast if you want to see it.

The Chicago River is cleaner today than it has been in generations, but “cleaner” is a relative term. One local advocacy group wants the city to aim for a trash-free river.

Want to become a certified beekeeper? A new six-course program covers the history and economics of beekeeping, taxonomy of insects, botany, pollination and what to expect during your first year.

How local scientists played a key role in the arrest of three well-known elephant poachers in the Republic of Congo. 

Air pollution kills more than one million people every year in India. A team of Chicago students are now developing an app they think will give Indians the tools needed to confront the deadly problem.

A new study by researchers at Northwestern University could help tech developers incorporate smell into virtual reality systems, adding a new wrinkle to technology that has, thus far, focused primarily on visuals and audio.

A recent warm-weather spell might make it tempting to dig into your garden. But with another cold spell likely, Chicago Botanic Garden’s Boyce Tankersley says it’s too early to break out the garden shears.

A new investment strategy calls for Chicago to redirect funds toward companies that prioritize environmental responsibility and social causes, but local climate activists say the plan falls short.

A brain-damaging pollutant found at high levels near thousands of Southeast Side homes would be banned at future industrial sites under a new ordinance introduced by city officials Wednesday.

Recently introduced legislation would update Illinois’ fracking law to increase protections for land owners and require more information from oil and gas companies applying for fracking permits.

Despite a commitment from the state’s top environmental official, Illinois EPA will not hold public meetings to gather input on the state’s plan for spending $107.8 million in Volkswagen settlement money.

Get a glimpse of life beneath the waves and see the “vibrant beauty of marine life” found in waters across the globe at the Shedd Aquarium this spring. 

Chicago could see a significant increase in electric cars by the end of the next decade, but drivers will need the city to install thousands of new charging stations to keep those cars on the road.

A first-of-its-kind study involving nearly 60 stingrays at Shedd Aquarium indicates that the animals do not suffer from their interactions with humans – and might even enjoy it. 

Melting snow and more than 2 inches of rain have caused flooding and sewer backups in and around Chicago.