Stories by Alex Ruppenthal

Regulators plan to clean up the soil of several residential yards with high levels of brain-damaging manganese, but they have yet to finalize a plan for addressing homes with elevated levels of lead in the soil.

About 4 percent of women incarcerated in state prisons across the U.S. were pregnant when they entered jail, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health. 

A first-of-its-kind report shows how climate change is threatening the Great Lakes, and how their ongoing transformation figures to impact the entire region.

Mining for coltan, a mineral compound used to make cellphones and other small electronics, has displaced large numbers of Eastern gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Environmentally sensitive development of the Chicago River system would sustain more than 1,600 jobs per year while also improving water quality and recreational space, according to a new study. 

Chicago Animal Care and Control was so packed with cats late last summer that it sent out an urgent call for adoptions. Now, the department seems to have found a solution to one of its biggest challenges: overcrowding.

With conditions perfect for flooding, the Better Business Bureau’s Chicago division is urging area residents to take precautions when hiring contractors to address flooding-related damages. 

With the help of volunteers who classify sounds from recordings of seismic events, scientists could learn more about the conditions under which earthquakes occur. 

Proposed legislation would require the federal government to examine potential health risks from exposure to petroleum coke, a solid byproduct of the oil refining process that had for years been stored in uncontained piles on the Southeast Side. 

The complex and relatively advanced cultures of chimpanzees are disappearing as human beings encroach on previously undisturbed areas of African forest, according to a new study involving researchers from Lincoln Park Zoo.

On average, people in the U.S. generate 220 pounds of plastic waste each year, even though much of those materials could be recycled. Here’s the lowdown on the types of plastic that can and can’t be recycled. 

A severe drought earlier this year forced a large group of flamingos to flee a nesting site in South Africa. That’s when Lincoln Park Zoo and other wildlife conservation groups from around the world stepped in.

A new Northwestern study is the first to show that female scientists receive less money when applying for federal grants than their male counterparts. 

Children who are regularly exposed to coal tar-based pavement sealants are 38 times more likely to develop cancer, according to the environmental group the Sierra Club. 

The unnamed pup, born Dec. 15, can be seen alongside his mom on select days in the zoo’s “Tropic World: Africa” exhibit.

The Clean Energy Jobs Act aims to move Illinois to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050 while modernizing the state’s transportation sector and creating thousands of new jobs.

Chicago police have spent nearly $1.5 million on a social media monitoring software called Dunami since 2014, records show. The ACLU of Illinois has called on CPD to end its use of the "spying software." 

The Litter Free Chicago River project will soon include a stretch of the river from North Avenue to Foster Avenue, where the North Branch connects with the North Shore Channel.

Poet Eric Elshtain is one of the museum’s newest additions, and he represents the institution’s latest effort at using art to change the way visitors interact with nature.

Watco Transloading says it will no longer handle materials with high concentrations of manganese, a heavy metal used in steelmaking that can cause brain damage at high exposure levels. 

What can CT scans tell us about the diseases or injuries Sue the T. Rex might have had? Scientists are hoping to determine just that, but needed to remove several bones Tuesday for testing.

A rare yellow-hued Blanding’s turtle who called Chicago home has moved out to the suburbs, where she’s helping to spread the word about the plight of her endangered species throughout Illinois.

A tiny African antelope that belongs to one of the smallest species of its kind in the world received a name befitting his Feb. 14 birthday.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announces a plan for transitioning Chicago buildings to 100 percent renewable energy by 2035. But community advocates say the plan ignores existing environmental threats in some parts of the city.

The U.S. solar energy industry lost nearly 8,000 jobs last year, but Illinois was one of just eight states that saw a significant increase in solar jobs.

Unlike the industry serving health-conscious humans, there are no books, infomercials or 12-week programs to help dolphins optimize their diets. But there is an app for that, thanks to new research by animal welfare specialists.