Stories by Alex Ruppenthal

Brookfield Zoo welcomed a newborn gray seal on Dec. 26. The male pup weighed 36 pounds at birth and is expected to weigh more than 120 pounds by the time he is weaned at three weeks. 

A team led by Field Museum conservation ecologist Corine Vriesendorp has worked for 15 years to protect one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. This week, it was designated as a national park.

Brookfield Zoo is leading a first-of-its-kind study to collect data from dolphins and other aquatic mammals using a Fitbit-like device that figures to revolutionize human understanding of the animals’ behavior.

If scuba diving with whale sharks or kayaking past glaciers sounds like you’re kind of thing, Shedd Aquarium has a trip for you this year.

In 2015, Noah Strycker became a birding legend after a yearlong journey across seven continents to see more than half the world’s 10,000-plus bird species. He speaks this month in Chicago about the adventure and his new book “Birding Without Borders.”

Public and abandoned properties in the Chicago area might appear a little less cluttered. The Illinois EPA collected 598.5 tons of used tires in December as part of a state program to mitigate hazards associated with them.

Confused about when the city makes blue cart pickups? You can now look up recycling and garbage pickup schedules online as Chicago looks to boost its dismal recycling rate. 

A trio of tropical birds has landed in Chicago this winter to show off their vibrantly colored feathers and occasional dance moves – but they won’t be here for long.

Chicago public health officials have signed off on a Southeast Side company’s updated plan to cut emissions of brain-damaging manganese dust that regulators say pose a health risk to nearby residents.

A Southeast Side company must install air monitors to detect levels of dust emissions from heavy metals processed on-site, according to a letter issued by the city this week.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim alleges that Baxter violated a federal permit several times over a five-month span by releasing contaminated water that exceeded pollution limits. 

A paternity test to determine the sire of four Japanese macaques born since 2014 at Lincoln Park Zoo came back with a surprising result. 

Children on Chicago’s Southeast Side have higher levels of manganese in their toenails than children in other parts of the city, according to preliminary results of a study aiming to measure the impact of toxic metals on children’s health. 

Former Wisconsin politician Cathy Stepp “will bring a fresh perspective” to the EPA, agency chief Scott Pruitt said Tuesday. But the announcement drew blunt criticism from the group’s national employee union.

Meet Drake, Magdalena, Pebbles and Wellington. They are the first penguins to turn 30 at Shedd Aquarium, and among the oldest penguins in human care across the U.S.

Bird enthusiasts are enjoying an “invasion” of snowy owls in Chicago and across northeastern Illinois this winter. Check out our map of recent snowy owl sightings.  

From siblings with snowballs to wrestling chimpanzees, playful behavior is usually easy to spot. But the question of why we play – and whether we all play for the same reasons – is less apparent.

Babies born within 2 miles of a fracking site are more likely to suffer negative health effects, according to a new study co-authored by a professor at the University of Chicago. 

Over the past year, staff from Shedd Aquarium’s Animal Response Team have come to the aid of animals across the globe. Here’s an update on how some of them are doing.

Thanks to a new U.S. Department of Energy grant, UIC’s Energy Resources Center will promote and help install high-efficiency combined heat and power systems across the Midwest.

A new team led by biologist Andrew Casper will expand Shedd Aquarium’s research of animals that live in local waterways—and how to protect them.

Gov. Bruce Rauner has thus far ignored calls to commit Illinois to meeting goals set in the Paris climate agreement, which aims to slow global warming through reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Chicago is looking to transform two vacant lots into affordable housing, a proposal that’s part of an international sustainability contest the city hopes will help boost interest among potential developers.

A good chunk of the U.S. will stay in the Paris climate agreement, despite President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the accord. That was the message Tuesday from former President Barack Obama and several mayors from the U.S. and around the world. 

Public officials gathered Monday to celebrate the completion of stage one of the McCook Reservoir, which will offer 10 billion gallons of storage capacity to prevent flooding once complete in 2029. 

Organizers from several Chicago environmental groups are demanding more action from the city to combat air pollution in industrialized neighborhoods as Mayor Rahm Emanuel prepares to host a high-profile summit on climate change.