Natural History

The United States and the Soviet Union had been locked in the Cold War for nearly two decades, and it looked like things were about to turn hot: Soviet ships were steaming towards an American blockade of Cuba, and it wasn’t clear whether the two superpowers would resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis...

We’ve officially launched my new podcast called the Bear Grease Podcast. This is MeatEater’s storytelling, history podcast about life lived close to the land. It’s an eclectic, documentary-style listen exploring things for forgotten but relevant, searching for insight in unlikely places, and telling...

The world knows two different Johnny Appleseeds: the Disney version and the real version. The fictitious Johnny traveled the Midwest with a tin pot on his head and seeds in his pocket. As he wandered the Heartland barefoot, he’d cast out apple seeds to spread his favorite fruit.

What exactly is the largest living organism is the subject of some debate. There’s the largest animal—the blue whale—weighing up to an estimated 330,000 pounds and taping out beyond 80 feet in length. There’s the biggest tree—a giant sequoia in California named General Sherman that’s 275 feet tall...

Teddy Roosevelt could have wrote a pretty damn good autobiographical Dos Equis commercial for their “Most Interesting Man in the World” campaign. He spared a black bear’s life in Mississippi, inspiring a shopkeeper to create a stuffed animal that’s now in the National Toy Hall of Fame—the “Teddy...

Russian scientists recently unearthed an unusual specimen—the intact remains of a long-extinct cave bear, providing a lens into understanding one of the largest predators to ever roam the planet. The preserved carcass, revealed by melting permafrost and still barring its teeth, was discovered by...

Disasters, like politics, are local. So, ask about the baddest storm and chances are you’ll hear “Sandy” in the mid-Atlantic, “Katrina” in New Orleans, “Camille” in Mississippi, and “Andrew” in Florida. But the truth is this: America’s deadliest storm hit 50 years before storms wore official name...

Myths, lies, and old wives’ tales loom large in the outdoor pursuits. Here at MeatEater, we’re dedicated to separating facts from bullsh*t, so we created this series to examine suspect yarns. If there’s a belief, rumor, or long-held assumption you’d like us to fact check, drop us a note at...

Myths, lies and old wives’ tales loom large in the outdoor pursuits. Here at MeatEater, we’re dedicated to separating facts from bullsh*t, so we created this series to examine suspect yarns. If there’s a belief, rumor or long-held assumption you’d like us to fact check, drop us a note at factchecker...

There’s a difference between book smart and bar smart. You may not be book smart, but this series can make you seem educated and interesting from a barstool. So, belly up, pour yourself a glass of something good and take mental notes as we look at the Yellowstone earthquake that shook the Rockies...

Post a photo of a live snake on social media and see what happens. Odds are, the comments will follow a common theme: “Kill it.” A photo of a one-foot garter snake basking on the edge of a dock and a full-grown rattlesnake ready to strike will often draw the same response: “The only good snake is a...

Myths, lies and old wives’ tales loom large in the outdoor pursuits. Here at MeatEater, we’re dedicated to separating facts from bullsh*t, so we created this series to examine suspect yarns. If there’s a belief, rumor or long-held assumption you’d like us to fact check, drop us a note at factchecker...