Green & indigenous News

Google unveiled an artificial intelligence tool Wednesday that its scientists said would help unravel the mysteries of the human genome—and could one day lead to new treatments for diseases.

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Pneumocystis is an unwieldy genus of fungal pathogens that cause severe pneumonia, particularly in immunocompromised people like those with HIV/AIDs or who have received organ transplants. However, the mechanisms by which it infects a host organism—and how it acquires resistance to known treatments—remain largely unknown, which makes devising new therapeutics a formidable challenge.

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January 28, 2026 – The Trump administration is suing Michigan to overturn a law that bans cages on egg farms in the state and mandates all eggs sold in the state come from cage-free systems. It filed a similar lawsuit against California in July of 2025.

In both complaints, Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers make the case that the cage-free egg laws have raised prices and that a federal law, the Egg Products Inspection Act, preempts state laws. “It is the prerogative of the federal government alone to regulate the quality and inspection of eggs in interstate commerce,” they write.

Michigan ranks seventh in the country for egg production, according to Michigan Allied Poultry Industries, with its farms producing about 5 billion eggs each year. About 75 percent have completed the transition to cage-free systems.

“This lawsuit disregards settled law, ignores industry realities, and does nothing to address the real challenges facing egg producers and consumers alike,” Wayne Pacelle, president of animal welfare advocacy group Animal Wellness Action, said in a statement.

Animal welfare concerns have driven a broader shift toward cage-free production across the country, after years of advocates driving consumer awareness of cramped conditions for hens in caged systems. Michigan is one of 11 states that ban caged production and one of eight that only allow the sale of cage-free eggs. The USDA estimates close to half of the country’s egg production is now cage free, and some large companies like McDonald’s have switched completely.

The Supreme Court upheld California’s animal welfare law—which applies to cage-free eggs and crate-free pork—in 2023 and declined to take up another challenge brought by the pork industry last year.

However, a farm bill draft, expected in late February, will likely reignite the fight on Capitol Hill: Republicans in Congress have indicated they’ll try to include a provision to overturn the state laws. The pork industry has pushed hard in support of that effort, while a new coalition of independent meat producers is lobbying to defend the state laws as beneficial for small, family farms. (Link to this post.)

The post Trump DOJ Sues Michigan to Overturn Cage-Free Egg Law appeared first on Civil Eats.

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Polluted air causes an estimated 7 million deaths worldwide each year, according to the World Health Organization. Much of the mortality comes from PM2.5, particulate pollution smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter that can enter the lungs and bloodstream and cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems. In addition to particles emitted directly into the atmosphere, ammonia (NH3), nitrogen oxides (NOX), and sulfur dioxide (SO2), which are emitted by factories, ships, cars, and power plants, are all precursors that can contribute to the formation of PM2.5. The effects of particulate pollution are not evenly distributed, however.

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A new University of Virginia study led by environmental scientist Justin Richardson shows that phosphorus pollution driving algae blooms in Virginia's Lake Anna may come from residential areas as well as farms, but a more significant source of these toxins are legacy mines that continue to release toxic metals like arsenic and lead into local waterways.

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A warming climate is disrupting the delicate balance of nature. An international team of scientists led by entomologists from the Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences has found that higher temperatures significantly reduce the success of parasitoids—tiny wasps that help regulate insect populations in nature. This is also bad news for farmers, who rely on these wasps as part of plant protection against insect pests.

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ACARÁ, Brazil — In August 2024, a wildfire broke out in Acará, a rural municipality in Brazil’s eastern Amazon state of Pará. Local civil defense coordinator Edson Abreu dos Santos, 48, knew he had to act quickly. Acará has no fire brigade, no water trucks, no firefighting drones and no helicopters. And because the fire was burning along the stream Itapecuru, accessible only by boat, vehicle support was out of the question. As the flames advanced into the forest, Santos set up an improvised command post in a ribeirinha (riverside) stilt house. From the porch, he used WhatsApp to message dozens of community members asking for help. More than 100 neighbors answered the call, pulling up to the house in rabetas — small, narrow wooden boats designed to navigate the winding Amazonian rivers. He instructed volunteers to fill 20-liter (5.3-gallon) water barrels — known locally as carotes — with river water. Forming a single line, they carried the containers on their shoulders for nearly a kilometer (0.6 mile) into the dense forest, throwing the water on the flames one barrel at a time. Many made the trek in flip-flops, while the men worked shirtless due to the intense heat. The small but steady effort managed to hold the line of fire until 30 firefighters arrived from a neighboring municipality, Macarena, more than 100 km (62 miles) away. They brought support in the way of backpack sprayers and a single water hose. In a makeshift setup, they patched the hose to…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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Large-scale melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet is irreversible and happening at a rapid rate, and now a new international study is the first to understand why. A University of Waterloo scientist and a team of international collaborators found that airborne mineral dust and other aerosols are directly connected to how much algae grows on the ice. The algae interfere with albedo, or the reflection of the sun's rays, exacerbating melting. The work is published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

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With wildfires growing in size, frequency, and intensity, more and more people are being exposed to their smoke, sometimes thousands of miles from the flames. In the wake of recent historic fires in Canada and the United States, a growing body of research is showing how harmful that smoke can be to human health.

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Murkowski Calls for Homeland Security Secretary Noem to Resign, and, “Know Your Rights” webinar for Native Americans looks at what to do, if approached by ICE agents.

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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology today announced the release of a new online tool for studying biodiversity and the evolutionary relationships among birds: the illustrated Birds of the World Phylogeny Explorer. Available on Birds of the World, the Phylogeny Explorer offers a captivating experience for exploring avian evolution, discovering closely related species, and grasping the timescales at which they evolved.

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AYACUCHO, Peru — High in the Peruvian Andes, fear of wildcats once meant survival. Pumas, pampas cats and the elusive Andean cat were seen only as threats to livestock — and were hunted without hesitation. But one woman’s journey has helped transform her community’s story. Through women-led conservation, camera traps and weaving traditions, Ida and her neighbors are finding new ways to coexist with the wild. This documentary follows her path from fear to respect, showing how cultural revival, science and empowerment intertwine to protect endangered species and reforest the mountains they call home. Mongabay’s Video Team wants to cover questions and topics that matter to you. Are there any inspiring people, urgent issues, or local stories that you’d like us to cover? We want to hear from you. Be a part of our reporting process—get in touch with us here! Banner image: Collage featuring a puma and Ida Isabel Auris Arango, shepherd and Quechua woman. Saving Mexico City’s ancient floating farmsThis article was originally published on Mongabay

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Editor’s note: This is one in an occasional series on “forgotten” ancestors who may not have been fully recognized for their achievements.

Raymond Wilson
Special to ICT

Woody Crumbo of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation was an acclaimed artist, dancer and musician, but he also played a major role in convincing the non-Native American arts community to recognize and accept Native artistry as a significant art form.

He’s perhaps best known for a series of wall murals he began painting in 1939 for the U.S. Department of the Interior’s building in Washington, D.C., where they still can be seen today. He’s also noted for a mural, “The Rainbow Trail,” painted in 1943 on the wall of the U.S. Post Office in Nowata, Oklahoma.

His works went far beyond murals, however. Known for his art techniques that included silkscreen, watercolors, oil and egg tempera, etching, and printmaking, his works can be found in major art museums, including the Smithsonian Institution, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma, among others.

Citizen Potawatomi artist Woody Crumbo’s artwork is in major museums across the U.S., but his work behind the scenes in the early 1900s and beyond helped future generations of artists. Credit: Oklahoma Hall of Fame

Woodrow Wilson Crumbo was born Jan. 31, 1912, on his mother’s allotment in Indian Territory near Lexington, Oklahoma. His father, Alexander Crumbo, was non-Native, but his mother, Mary Hurd, was Citizen Potawatomi.

Woody, as he was known, was the youngest of 12 children, and for a brief time attended Riverside Indian School near Anadarko, Oklahoma.

In 1919, Crumbo became an orphan and lived with relatives and other Native families. For several years, he did not attend school, and instead herded cattle and horses, made flutes, and sketched friends and  animals, especially horses and birds.

In 1929, Woody returned to school, enrolling at Chilocco Indian Agricultural School near the Oklahoma/Kansas border, north of Ponca City, Oklahoma.

Susie Peters, a non-Native artist, helped develop his artistic talents, and she played a role in Crumbo’s first major art sale: the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s purchase of over 20 of his paintings in 1932.

By then, he was attending the American Indian Institute in Wichita, Kansas, on a scholarship, and he graduated valedictorian in 1933.

He then attended Wichita University, taking mural painting courses from non-Native professors Olaf/Olle Nordmark and watercolor painting from Clayton Staples. Crumbo also developed  a long-lasting relationship with Thurlow Lieurance, a Wichita University professor of music and a composer who recorded Native American music and held performances that included Native dances.

Crumbo next attended the University of Oklahoma from 1936-1938, and took painting and drawing courses.

During his years in school learning different art techniques, Crumbo helped finance his education by dancing and playing the flute. He and other Native dancers performed at  several reservations sponsored by a government program, and many of his artworks portray Native people dancing and playing the flute.

From 1938-1941 and again from 1943-1945, Crumbo served  as director of the Art Department at Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. And in 1939, the federal government chose Crumbo and other Native artists to paint wall murals at the new  Department of the Interior building in Washington, D.C.

Between 1941 and 1943, in the midst of World War II, Crumbo worked as a designer at Cessna Aircraft in Wichita and later at Douglas Aircraft in Tulsa.

In 1945, the Thomas Gilcrease Institute in Tulsa hired him as an artist-in-residence to create an American Indian art collection. Crumbo worked on the project for three years, and he and Gilcrease became good friends.

Crumbo also worked at other museums, including the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa and the El Paso Art Museum, to improve their Native American art collections.

At Philbrook, he helped establish an annual Native American art fair in the mid-1940s that lasted for over 30 years and  emphasized the importance of Native art. During his time in El Paso, he served as curator and acting director.

Besides living in Oklahoma and Texas, Crumbo loved parts of the West and Southwest, living in La Junta, Colorado, and in Taos and in Cimarron, New Mexico.

Over the years, his reputation grew, and he sold many of his works. For example, complete, numbered sets of his silkscreens and etchings are owned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and by the late Queen Elizabeth II of England.

Among his honors are the Julius Rosenwald Foundation Fellowship, 1945; the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, 1975; state chairman of the Oklahoma Bicentennial Commission, 1976; the Oklahoma Arts Council, 1979-1984; and Oklahoma Ambassador of Good Will, 1982.

Crumbo died on April 4, 1989, at age 77, in Cimarron, New Mexico, and is buried in Pierce, Oklahoma.

Sources: Library of Congress; Voices of Oklahoma; Wichita State University; Oklahoma Arts Council; Robert Perry, “Uprising!  Woody Crumbo’s Indian Art” (2009).

The post LEST WE FORGET: Artist Woody Crumbo appeared first on ICT.

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Kevin Abourezk
ICT

An Osage educator and leader in higher education will serve as the interim president of Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, the Bureau of Indian Education announced Monday.

Alex Red Corn, who holds a doctorate in education, currently serves as director and associate professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Kansas, as well as associate vice chancellor for sovereign partnerships and Indigenous initiatives. His career has been dedicated to advancing educational opportunities for Native students and building capacity within tribal communities.

“Dr. Red Corn’s deep understanding of education and his longstanding commitment to Native students make him an ideal leader for Haskell during this time,” said BIE Director Tony Dearman in a press release. “This partnership with the University of Kansas is a model for how we can strengthen institutions through collaboration and shared purpose, allowing us to bring in exceptional talent from within the community to lead Haskell during a pivotal time.”

Red Corn takes the helm of one of only two post-secondary institutions controlled by the BIE through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The other is the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Taking the leadership role comes at an uncertain time in Native higher education, which has been the target of the Trump Administration. On Feb. 14, 2025, the administration laid off all probationary federal employees, which led to Haskell losing nearly a quarter of its staff, nearly all of whom have been rehired since then.

Red Corn founded the Indigenous Educational Leadership Graduate Certificate program at Kansas State University, and he established a similar program at the University of Kansas in 2025. He has also led partnership programs with the Osage Nation, increasing the number of graduates with master’s degrees in education. He has served as executive director of the Kansas Association for Native American Education and as chair of the Kansas Advisory Council for Indigenous Education.

His scholarship has focused on empowering tribes to take a leading role in their citizens’ education.

He holds a Doctor of Education in educational leadership and a graduate certificate in qualitative research methods from Kansas State University, along with master’s and bachelor’s degrees in social studies education from the University of Kansas. His numerous honors include the 2023 Wilma Mankiller Memorial Award from the National Education Association and recognition as an Emerging Scholar by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education in 2022.

“I’m motivated by this exciting opportunity to be in community with Haskell students, faculty and staff as we collectively continue the good work of enhancing student success and advancing tribal sovereignty in service to Indian Country,” Dr. Red Corn said.

The BIE is employing Red Corn through a federal program called the Intergovernmental Personnel Act program, which enables the department to make temporary assignments, typically lasting up to two years, between federal agencies and eligible organizations. His assignment is a partnership between the federal agency and the University of Kansas.

The BIE plans to continue searching for a permanent president for Haskell, which has an average enrollment of more than 1,000 students each semester, with students representing 140 federally recognized tribes from across the United States.

The post Osage higher education leader to take reins at Haskell University appeared first on ICT.

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Deep in the coastal woods of South Carolina, behind high fences, guard dogs, and security cameras, is a group of people who know more about turtles than you. Posters and paintings of turtles and tortoises are plastered on every wall in the moss-green classroom where they meet. A turtle-themed library occupies one corner, complete with ceramic turtle decor. Looking around, I count dozens of turtle shirts, turtle hats and turtle stickers on water bottles and laptops. There are more than a few turtle tattoos. This is the Turtle Survival Center in Cross, South Carolina, USA, and it’s hosting the third annual “Turtle School” (officially the “Chelonian Biology, Conservation, and Management Course”). Imagine Hogwarts, but for turtle nerds. Students watch a plumbing presentation during the 2025 Chelonian Biology, Conservation, and Management Course at the Turtle Survival Center in South Carolina. Photo by Liz Kimbrough for Mongabay. Cris Hagen, Turtle Survival Alliance’s director of animal management and collections sports a turtle tattoo on his ring finger. Photo by Liz Kimbrough for Mongabay. In September 2025, 16 students from three countries traveled to the Deep South for a weeklong crash course. Most are specialists from prominent zoos across the U.S. But there’s also a vet from Argentina, a glass artist focused on sea turtle conservation and Madeline Tesolin, a T-shirt seller at concerts from Ontario, Canada, who also drives injured turtles to vets in her spare time. Over the seven-day intensive, they’ll learn from turtle and tortoise conservation celebrities how to care for…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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Trees play a central role in life on Earth. They store CO₂, provide habitats for animals, fungi, and insects, stabilize soils, regulate water cycles, and supply resources that humans rely on—from timber and food to recreation and shade on a hot day.

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A recent review of over 312 studies has identified dozens of unique uses of roadkill in scientific research. The review, published in Biology Letters, discusses the advantages of using roadkill instead of live wildlife and encourages researchers to consider this option more frequently.

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University of Queensland hearing tests conducted across kilometers of ocean off the Australian coast show humpback whales react to higher frequency sounds than expected. Associate Professor Rebecca Dunlop from UQ's School of the Environment said the discovery has implications for the mitigation of noise-related human activity along whale migration routes.

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A great white shark is a masterwork of evolutionary engineering. These beautiful predators glide effortlessly through the water, each slow, deliberate sweep of the powerful tail driving a body specialized for stealth, speed and efficiency. From above, its dark back blends into the deep blue water, while from below its pale belly disappears into the sunlit surface.

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The recent discovery of glycoRNAs on the cell surface upended the world of cell biology. These glycoRNAs were found to form highly organized clusters with cell surface RNA binding proteins (csRBPs), but their purpose remained unknown.

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For almost 60 years, scientists have tried to understand why DNA doesn't replicate wildly and uncontrollably every time a cell divides, which happens constantly. Without this process, we would die. These essential, ongoing cell divisions involve a cell copying its unique genetic material, DNA, and then forming new cells. Cells know exactly when and how to do this during the roughly 24 hours it takes to complete a division, and they also know what type of cell they should become: a liver cell, a brain cell, or a skin cell.

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As the next wave of hot days approach, researchers from Murdoch University are urging people living near bushland to be extra vigilant about preparing for arson.

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Accounts from early expeditions to the Seychelles more than 250 years ago described crocodiles as common along the coasts of the archipelago. But after the first settlers established a permanent presence in 1770, the Seychelles crocodiles were completely wiped out within 50 years. A new genetic study now shows that the crocodiles on the remote Seychelles islands did not belong to a separate species. Instead, they represented the westernmost population of the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus). The result confirms an earlier hypothesis that had been based solely on external characteristics.

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A new study using Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) has revealed land-use change—particularly deforestation and unplanned agricultural expansion—is dramatically intensifying heat waves across Africa, with findings that carry direct implications for Australia's warm climate. Although the research focused on Africa, the physical mechanisms behind this amplification are universal.

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Limpopo, in northern South Africa, home to 6.6 million people, several large mines and the Kruger National Park (one of Africa's largest game reserves), experienced unusually severe floods in mid-January 2026. Rural villages remained cut off from the world following the week-long heavy rains. The Kruger National Park was evacuated after camps and roads were flooded. The flooding caused an estimated R1.7 billion (US$106 million) worth of damage to homes, schools, roads and bridges. Climate change adaptation researcher Ephias Mugari explains that the impact of the floods was worsened by the poor shape of key infrastructure and limited plans for community-level evacuation. Clearer warnings, simple community measures and better flood preparedness could have saved lives.

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