Environment

The Pandoravirus is so big you can see it in an ordinary microscope. Scientists say its size may have helped fool amoebas and other potential hosts into eating it. But this virus doesn't pose a threat to humans. It's more of a Trojan virus than a surprise from Pandora's Box.

Over the past decade, fires in the American West have grown in intensity and size. "We're on a growth trajectory that is very scary," says one fire tracker. "And if we think it's expensive and dangerous now, we're just now seeing the very beginnings of how big this problem is going to be very soon."

In Montana's Centennial Valley, conservationists made a grievous mistake while trying to save the trumpeter swan — they nearly wiped out Arctic grayling. Now they're looking for ways to make sure both species get a place on the ark.

Government investigators are trying to solve an agricultural whodunit: How did genetically engineered wheat that was never approved for sale end up in a farmer's field in Oregon? Some are raising the possibility of sabotage; others suspect simple human error.

The building housing the Environmental Protection Agency got a new name on Wednesday: it's now the William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building. The former president tallied his administration's accomplishments at a renaming ceremony.

Russia is preparing for the 2014 Winter Games — turning a sleepy valley in the Northern Caucasus Mountains into an Olympic village, with brand-new facilities for every Alpine sport. Officials say it will be a world-class destination for winter-sports enthusiasts long after the Games are over. Environmentalists say it's an ecological disaster in the making.

July 10 is the 100th anniversary of the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth, and a large crowd is expected in Death Valley to celebrate it. In fact, summer is the area's busiest tourist season. Many of these "heat tourists" come from Europe, eager to feel temperatures they don't get at home.

The chicken-size sage grouse is as much a part of America's Western range as antelopes and cowboys. The birds nest beneath sagebrush, and as it disappears, so do the grouse. Biologists hope to protect the bird without starting a 21st century range war.

Across the Midwest this summer, scientists are wading into 100 streams to collect water samples and check cages for fish eggs. It's part of a large study to understand how pesticides and agricultural chemicals from farms are affecting the nation's streams.

Two longtime gardeners share the changes they've seen over the years at Hillwood Estate in Washington, D.C. As blooming times become more sporadic, new flowers stand out as stars and an unwelcome fungus springs to life. Take notes: Your garden might benefit from some adjustments.