02/12/2015  --  New England has been hit hard by snow in the last month. Storm after storm has left unprecedented amounts of snow to be removed from the streets in cities like Boston, Massachusetts. Where does all of this snow go and what happens to it? Listen to hear how the City of Boston is dealing with mounds of snow.

02/01/2015  --  The demand for electricity in India is rising, but India relies on coal for the majority of their power. The hope of a new deal with the United States is to help India transition from dirty coal to cleaner nuclear energy. U.S. companies will sell nuclear technology to Indian power companies so they can transition to a cleaner energy source. This might be good for the earth, but what about for security? Listen to learn about the pros and cons of this international energy deal, then discuss the pros and cons of nuclear power and nuclear threats.

01/11/2015  --  Solar power is becoming an attractive alternative to traditional electric as solar panels become more affordable. This shift away from traditional electricity is worrying utilities companies that provide energy and the electric grid itself. This audio file captures how this battle between electric and solar is playing out in sunny California and Colorado.

12/22/2014 - College students are turning to a new way to fight global warming. They are encouraging their universities to take a stand against climate change and remove the school’s money from investments in fossil fuel companies - like coal and oil. This story can be used to introduce the idea of divestment and encourage students to think of ways they can help slow climate change.

11/16/2014 - This week the European Space Agency landed a probe on a comet 300 million miles from Earth. The probe will give scientists an opportunity to better understand comets and their role in providing the foundations for life. This story will give your students a totally new image of comets!

Access the audio file and lesson plans at the Listen Current website (you can register for a free account to access all teaching materials): https://listenwise.com/current_events/253-comet-landing

This story, about the discovery of ancient cave paintings in Indonesia would be a great starting point for a discussion of human origins and geology. Cave painting has long been thought to be developed by early humans in Europe. This discovery in Indonesia is pushing scientists to look even farther back to our human origins in Africa.

Nearly two years ago Hurricane Sandy devastated communities on the New Jersey coast, leaving governments, scientists, architects, and citizens looking for innovative solutions to protect against natural disasters. This public radio story looks at the design and thinking behind the New Meadowlands Project in New Jersey. From the appeal of a new Central Park, to the protection wetlands provide neighboring communities from flooding, this story will get your students thinking about the benefits and challenges of implementing big environmental protection projects.

Last week NASA’s MAVEN probe began orbiting Mars in an effort to measure and map the Martian atmosphere. Today, Mars, known as the red planet, is bone dry and it’s atmosphere is being broken down by the sun’s solar winds, but evidence shows that it was once much more like Earth. From liquid channels to lake beds, there is clear evidence that Mars once had water as well as a magnetic field. So what happened to this water? These are the answers the MAVEN is searching for by mapping Mars’ current atmosphere. Listen to learn more about this important mission.

This story, about the discovery of a long lost ship, is a fascinating way to discuss early exploration efforts as well as global warming. In 1845 two ships led by Sir John Franklin left England searching for a northern route across the globe, known as the Northwest Passage. They never returned. 169 years later, a helicopter pilot found a clue that led the Canadian government to one of the missing ships. From sonar imaging to video cameras on submarines, archeologists have confirmed that this is one of the abandoned ships from the famous expedition.

A recent report shows carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rose at a record rate in 2013. Humans aren’t the only species affected by these changes. A new report by the National Audubon Society makes it clear that bird species in the U.S. and Canada are at risk of losing their habitats and potentially their lives due to climate change.