2026 Science Story

Former Xinjiang government engineer Nureli Abliz, who saw firsthand how surveillance technology flagged thousands of people in China for detention, even when they had committed...

Former Xinjiang government engineer Nureli Abliz, who saw firsthand how surveillance technology flagged thousands of people in China for detention, even when they had committed no crime, is illuminated by cellphone infrared facial recognition beams as he sits for a photo in Mannheim, Germany, where he’s currently living in exile, July 23, 2025. Photo taken using an infrared filter on a modified visible, infrared and ultraviolet sensitive camera.

Wensheng Wen, rear right, and his wife, Lou Guangyzing, along with their children Xin, 11, from right, Gehua, 9, Jinghua, 3, Rou, 6, and Younghua,...

Wensheng Wen, rear right, and his wife, Lou Guangyzing, along with their children Xin, 11, from right, Gehua, 9, Jinghua, 3, Rou, 6, and Younghua, 3, members of a Chinese church living in exile after fleeing from China, are illuminated by beams of pulsed laser light from a cellphone's LiDAR scanner as they sit for a photo, Oct. 12, 2025, in Midland, Texas. Photo taken using an infrared filter on a modified visible, infrared and ultraviolet sensitive camera.

Retired Chinese official Li Chuanliang, who openly criticized the Chinese government after seeing first-hand how surveillance technology built up the government’s power and is now...

Retired Chinese official Li Chuanliang, who openly criticized the Chinese government after seeing first-hand how surveillance technology built up the government’s power and is now being accused of corruption by Beijing, is illuminated by cellphone infrared facial recognition beams as he stands for a photo in the oil fields of Midland, Texas, where he’s currently living in exile, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. Photo taken using an infrared filter on a modified visible, infrared and ultraviolet sensitive camera.

Dong e Li, a member of a Chinese church living in exile after fleeing from China, is illuminated by cellphone infrared facial recognition beams as...

Dong e Li, a member of a Chinese church living in exile after fleeing from China, is illuminated by cellphone infrared facial recognition beams as she sits for a photo in her home, Oct. 13, 2025, in Midland, Texas. Photo taken using an infrared filter on a modified visible, infrared and ultraviolet sensitive camera.

Alek Schott, who filed a lawsuit alleging violations of his constitutional rights when Texas sheriff’s deputies stopped and searched his vehicle at the request of...

Alek Schott, who filed a lawsuit alleging violations of his constitutional rights when Texas sheriff’s deputies stopped and searched his vehicle at the request of Border Patrol agents, is photographed as an infrared beam of light from a Flock Safety automatic license plate reader records passing vehicles driving near his neighborhood, Oct. 16, 2025, in Houston. Photo taken using an infrared filter on a modified visible, infrared and ultraviolet sensitive camera.

Alek Schott drives past the infrared beam of an automatic license plate reader recording vehicles along Interstate 10, a route he occasionally takes for work...

Alek Schott drives past the infrared beam of an automatic license plate reader recording vehicles along Interstate 10, a route he occasionally takes for work trips, near Seguin, Texas, Oct. 15, 2025. Photo taken using an infrared filter on a modified visible, infrared and ultraviolet sensitive camera.

Guigiu Chen, who escaped China with her daughters after her husband, prominent rights lawyer Xie Yang, was detained, is illuminated by cellphone infrared facial recognition...

Guigiu Chen, who escaped China with her daughters after her husband, prominent rights lawyer Xie Yang, was detained, is illuminated by cellphone infrared facial recognition beams as she sits for a photo, Oct. 12, 2025, in Midland, Texas, where she’s living in exile. Photo taken using an infrared filter on a modified visible, infrared and ultraviolet sensitive camera.

An image of the Dalai Lama and Namkyi, a Tibetan former political prisoner who was arrested and imprisoned at 15 for protesting Chinese rule, are...

An image of the Dalai Lama and Namkyi, a Tibetan former political prisoner who was arrested and imprisoned at 15 for protesting Chinese rule, are illuminated by cellphone infrared facial recognition beams as Namkyi sits for a photo at the Office of Tibet, Oct. 7, 2025, in Washington. Photo taken using an infrared filter on a modified visible, infrared and ultraviolet sensitive camera.

An infrared beam of light shines out of an automatic license plate reader recording vehicles passing along U.S. Highway 83, Oct. 13, 2025, in Laredo,...

An infrared beam of light shines out of an automatic license plate reader recording vehicles passing along U.S. Highway 83, Oct. 13, 2025, in Laredo, Texas. Photo taken using an infrared filter on a modified visible, infrared and ultraviolet sensitive camera.

Infrared facial recognition beams are emitted from a cellphone held by a Uyghur man who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, as he’s photographed...

Infrared facial recognition beams are emitted from a cellphone held by a Uyghur man who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, as he’s photographed in front of the U.S. Capitol, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Washington, where he’s living in exile after escaping China. Photo taken using an infrared filter on a modified visible, infrared and ultraviolet sensitive camera.

An infrared beam of light shines out of an automatic license plate reader as it records vehicles driving by, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Laredo,...

An infrared beam of light shines out of an automatic license plate reader as it records vehicles driving by, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Laredo, Texas. Photo taken using an infrared filter on a modified visible, infrared and ultraviolet sensitive camera.

Pastor Pan Yongguang, right, and his son Paul, members of a Chinese church living in exile after fleeing from China, are illuminated by cellphone infrared...

Pastor Pan Yongguang, right, and his son Paul, members of a Chinese church living in exile after fleeing from China, are illuminated by cellphone infrared facial recognition beams while sitting for a photo in the community room of the ranch compound where they’re living in Midland, Texas, Oct. 11, 2025. Photo taken using an infrared filter on a modified visible, infrared and ultraviolet sensitive camera.

A badger carries a diamondback rattlesnake in its mouth as it walks along the U.S.–Mexico border wall near a small opening known as a “doggie...

A badger carries a diamondback rattlesnake in its mouth as it walks along the U.S.–Mexico border wall near a small opening known as a “doggie door.” These specially designed gaps, cut into sections of the wall, allow wildlife to move between habitats divided by the barrier. No larger than a standard sheet of paper, the openings have become critical passage points for smaller animals navigating fragmented borderlands. Border officials say more than 50 such openings were installed across Arizona between 2017 and 2020, with additional ones added since. Regional conservation groups Sky Island Alliance and Wildlands Network monitor their use through the Border Wildlife Study, using motion-activated cameras to track wildlife movement and assess how well the openings help restore ecological connectivity. Capture date: October 13, 2024

Rivers and streams carve crucial corridors for wildlife among the mountain ranges known as the Sky Islands, which straddle Arizona, New Mexico, and the Mexican...

Rivers and streams carve crucial corridors for wildlife among the mountain ranges known as the Sky Islands, which straddle Arizona, New Mexico, and the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua. Here, the Cajón Bonito River threads across Sonoran highlands managed by the nonprofit conservation organization Cuenca los Ojos. Capture date: April 10, 2025

Valerie Gordon (left), executive director of Cuenca los Ojos, stands with her mother, Valer Clark (right), whose restoration work in the 1980s laid the foundation...

Valerie Gordon (left), executive director of Cuenca los Ojos, stands with her mother, Valer Clark (right), whose restoration work in the 1980s laid the foundation for conservation across the borderlands. On her Arizona ranch, Clark began rehabilitating degraded habitat using stone erosion-control structures to capture floodwaters and reduce soil loss, later founding Cuenca los Ojos to apply these permaculture techniques more broadly. Today, the organization manages extensive Sonoran rangelands, supporting reintroduced species such as beavers and bison alongside jaguars and other predators, and demonstrating the ecological resilience of the borderlands. Capture date: November 12, 2024

Wildlife ecologist Ganesh Marín affixes a GPS collar to a tranquilized black bear, alongside veterinarian Susana Ilescas (at left) and wildlife technician Paige Satterfield. Marín’s...

Wildlife ecologist Ganesh Marín affixes a GPS collar to a tranquilized black bear, alongside veterinarian Susana Ilescas (at left) and wildlife technician Paige Satterfield. Marín’s tracking project documents how bears interact with roads, fences, and the border wall. Capture date: June 25, 2024

Construction of the border wall over the Pajarita Wilderness, AZ, where heavy machinery clears native vegetation, blasts through rocky terrain, and disrupts natural water flows...

Construction of the border wall over the Pajarita Wilderness, AZ, where heavy machinery clears native vegetation, blasts through rocky terrain, and disrupts natural water flows in an ecologically sensitive area critical for wildlife corridors connecting the U.S. and Mexico. Capture date: September 20, 2024

Pedro, a GPS-collared black bear, walks through a riparian corridor of pine, juniper, and manzanita—just under two miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Tagged in July...

Pedro, a GPS-collared black bear, walks through a riparian corridor of pine, juniper, and manzanita—just under two miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Tagged in July 2024 by researcher Ganesh Marin, Pedro’s movements show how Highway 2 blocks wildlife from crossing, disrupting natural movement patterns in the Sky Islands region and underscoring the need for safe passages. Rancho San Luis. Cuenca Los Ojos Reserve, Sonora, Mexico. Capture date: June 3, 2025

Wildlife technician Scott Patrick releases a kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) at La Cienega Ranch in Cochise County, Arizona. Conservation-oriented private ranches like La Cienega form...

Wildlife technician Scott Patrick releases a kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) at La Cienega Ranch in Cochise County, Arizona. Conservation-oriented private ranches like La Cienega form key wildlife corridors in the borderlands, linking public lands and protected areas. Managed by ranch owner Josiah Austin, the ranch supports species reintroductions, including kit foxes relocated from areas affected by large-scale solar energy development, as well as black-tailed prairie dogs and burrowing owls, helping counter habitat fragmentation and support regional wildlife recovery. Capture date: November 19, 2024

A Zuni bowl stands at the Borderlands Wildlife Preserve in southeastern Arizona, owned and managed by Borderlands Restoration Network. Adapted from ancient Zuni water-harvesting techniques,...

A Zuni bowl stands at the Borderlands Wildlife Preserve in southeastern Arizona, owned and managed by Borderlands Restoration Network. Adapted from ancient Zuni water-harvesting techniques, the structure slows runoff during rainstorms, allowing water to infiltrate the soil. These time-tested methods are being applied to modern conservation challenges, helping retain moisture in an increasingly arid landscape, support native vegetation, and restore degraded lands while improving habitat connectivity in the Sky Islands region. Capture date: April 7, 2025

Center-pivot irrigation systems operate on farmland along the U.S.–Mexico border in Chihuahua, Mexico. These large-scale agricultural fields depend heavily on groundwater in an arid region,...

Center-pivot irrigation systems operate on farmland along the U.S.–Mexico border in Chihuahua, Mexico. These large-scale agricultural fields depend heavily on groundwater in an arid region, raising concerns about long-term water availability and potential impacts on surrounding ecosystems, including the nearby Janos Biosphere Reserve. Capture date: April 9, 2025

Members of the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) with Environment for the Americas remove invasive buffel grass at Saguaro National Park in Arizona. Introduced for livestock...

Members of the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) with Environment for the Americas remove invasive buffel grass at Saguaro National Park in Arizona. Introduced for livestock forage, buffel grass spreads rapidly, displacing native plants and increasing wildfire risk in a desert ecosystem not adapted to frequent fire. The work helps protect native vegetation and wildlife while providing hands-on training for young conservationists in managing invasive species in the Sonoran Desert. Capture date: April 9, 2025

University of Sonora intern Luisa Granillos sows native seeds at San Bernardino Ranch, part of the Cuenca Los Ojos reserve, in the San Bernardino Valley...

University of Sonora intern Luisa Granillos sows native seeds at San Bernardino Ranch, part of the Cuenca Los Ojos reserve, in the San Bernardino Valley along the U.S.–Mexico border. The seed mix includes native grasses and wildflowers adapted to arid conditions, where many seeds remain dormant until sufficient rainfall. Ecological restoration projects like this help counter habitat fragmentation caused by human-made barriers, reestablish native vegetation, and support wildlife movement across the borderlands while training the next generation of conservation practitioners. Capture date: July 4, 2025

Chairman Verlon M. Jose stands with Baboquivari Peak rising behind him—a sacred site for the Tohono O’odham people. Through years of advocacy, the Nation secured...

Chairman Verlon M. Jose stands with Baboquivari Peak rising behind him—a sacred site for the Tohono O’odham people. Through years of advocacy, the Nation secured a historic LandBack agreement that restored ancestral stewardship and established a co-management framework with the Bureau of Land Management, reaffirming Indigenous leadership in the protection of this culturally and ecologically significant landscape in the Sky Islands region. Capture date: July 9, 2025

Amy Bowers-Cordalis fishes for salmon with her father, William Bowers, in their traditional family fishing hole in Rek-woi, Calif. on Friday, Aug. 16, 2025.

Amy Bowers-Cordalis fishes for salmon with her father, William Bowers, in their traditional family fishing hole in Rek-woi, Calif. on Friday, Aug. 16, 2025.

Yurok and Shasta tribal members tour the site of Copco 1, which is slated to be removed next year, in Siskiyou County, Calif. on Saturday,...

Yurok and Shasta tribal members tour the site of Copco 1, which is slated to be removed next year, in Siskiyou County, Calif. on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. The dam is one of four to be removed in the largest dam removal project in the world.

James Hildebrandt, of Arcata Playhouse, and members of Yurok Tribal Court, preform a dam removal skit during the Yurok Tribe’s 59th-annual Salmon Festival in Klamath,...

James Hildebrandt, of Arcata Playhouse, and members of Yurok Tribal Court, preform a dam removal skit during the Yurok Tribe’s 59th-annual Salmon Festival in Klamath, Calif. on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. This year’s festival celebrated the removal of four hydroelectric dams and the restoration of the Klamath River.

Amy Bowers-Cordalis and Molli Myers release a tagged Chinook salmon at the confluence of Jenny Creek and the Klamath River near the former Iron Gate...

Amy Bowers-Cordalis and Molli Myers release a tagged Chinook salmon at the confluence of Jenny Creek and the Klamath River near the former Iron Gate dam site in Hornbrook, Calif. on Mon, Oct. 19, 2025. Tagging the fish allows Bowers-Cordalis, Myers and their team with their Indigenous Conservation Group to keep track of the salmon’s location as they make their historic migration since dam removal.

K’iow Colegrover, center, touches a freshly caught salmon as members of Amy Bowers-Cordalis family gather to process fish at her grandmother’s home in Rek-woi, Calif....

K’iow Colegrover, center, touches a freshly caught salmon as members of Amy Bowers-Cordalis family gather to process fish at her grandmother’s home in Rek-woi, Calif. on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025.

Nuxalk dancer Lyle Mac and his daughter during the drumming at the ooligan ceremony on banks of the Bella Coola River, in the town of...

Nuxalk dancer Lyle Mac and his daughter during the drumming at the ooligan ceremony on banks of the Bella Coola River, in the town of Bella Coola, central British Columbia, Canada in March 2025. The annual ooligan ceremony welcomes the return of the ooligan, a type of smelt, that is central to the cultural and spiritual life of the Nuxalk. Each year cedar bark regalia is created and a totem pole is dressed during the ceremony. Once almost completely gone, 2024 marked the largest return of ooligan in decades, a product of Nuxalk stewardship efforts over years.

Spawning pink salmon swim in the shallows of the Saloompt River, a tributary of the Bella Coola River, in Bella Coola, Canada, in September 2025....

Spawning pink salmon swim in the shallows of the Saloompt River, a tributary of the Bella Coola River, in Bella Coola, Canada, in September 2025. In a time of dwindling salmon runs, pink salmon have begun returning to the Nuxalk territory in enormous numbers, due to Nuxalk stream restoration efforts and changing ocean conditions. The joining of different First Nation Marine Protected Areas to form the Great Bear Sea has created a vast habitat for fish like salmon that migrate great distances.

Portrait of Blair Hans, Nuxalk Guardians Watchman, on the Kwatna Estuary, near the town of Bella Coola, central British Columbia, Canada in March 2025. The...

Portrait of Blair Hans, Nuxalk Guardians Watchman, on the Kwatna Estuary, near the town of Bella Coola, central British Columbia, Canada in March 2025. The Guardians monitor and manage the seas and coastal areas of the Nuxalk territory, an enormous region, on few resources– propelled by cultural and spiritual reasons in addition to livelihood.

Mike Tallio adds wood to a fire as he cooks and smokes butterflied spring salmon in preparation for a Nuxalk potlatch, in Bella Coola, Canada,...

Mike Tallio adds wood to a fire as he cooks and smokes butterflied spring salmon in preparation for a Nuxalk potlatch, in Bella Coola, Canada, in September 2025. Potlatches were banned by settlers and the Canadian government, but have begun to have a resurgence. Salmon for the feasts are critical as cultural and spiritual keystones to the Nuxalk. The joining of different First Nation Marine Protected Areas to form the Great Bear Sea has created a greater chance for migratory fish like the salmon to thrive.

A giant pacific octopus ventures out into the open reef to hunt, at God's Pocket, in the traditional waters of the Kwakwaka'wakw off of Hurst...

A giant pacific octopus ventures out into the open reef to hunt, at God's Pocket, in the traditional waters of the Kwakwaka'wakw off of Hurst Island near Canada's Vancouver Island, in March 2025. The creation of the Great Bear Sea has created a vast network of marine protected areas that protects the world's most beautiful temperate seas. These waters remain exceptionally well-stewarded, deemed by Jacques Cousteau as the best coldwater diving in the world.

Colorful soft corals and anemones cover the rock reef of Browning Wall, near God's Pocket, off of Hurst Island near Canada's Vancouver Island, in March...

Colorful soft corals and anemones cover the rock reef of Browning Wall, near God's Pocket, off of Hurst Island near Canada's Vancouver Island, in March 2025. The creation of the Great Bear Sea has created a vast network of marine protected areas that protects the world's most beautiful temperate seas. These waters remain exceptionally well-stewarded, deemed by Jacques Cousteau as the best coldwater diving in the world.

Two male killer whales, of great cultural importance to the Nuxalk, hunt silently as the Nuxalk Guardians Watchmen patrol boat observe from a distance, along...

Two male killer whales, of great cultural importance to the Nuxalk, hunt silently as the Nuxalk Guardians Watchmen patrol boat observe from a distance, along North Bentnick Arm, near the town of Bella Coola, central British Columbia, Canada in March 2025. The Guardians perform an enormous amount of sovereign data science within their waters, which cover 18,000 square kilometers.

A crab shelters in the eelgrass beds recently restored in Baikie Slough, as part of a Wei Wai Kum Nation and Greenways Land Trust project,...

A crab shelters in the eelgrass beds recently restored in Baikie Slough, as part of a Wei Wai Kum Nation and Greenways Land Trust project, the largest marine stewardship project in Canada, in September. The Wei Wai Kum have been stewarding their waters to great success for decades- and the herring runs have returned alongside enormous eelgrass beds like this one, covering 12,000 square meters.

A crab shelters in the eelgrass beds recently restored in Baikie Slough, as part of a Wei Wai Kum Nation and Greenways Land Trust project,...

A crab shelters in the eelgrass beds recently restored in Baikie Slough, as part of a Wei Wai Kum Nation and Greenways Land Trust project, the largest marine stewardship project in Canada, in September.

Nuxalk dancer Lyle Mac leads the ooligan ceremonial procession on banks of the Bella Coola River, in the town of Bella Coola, central British Columbia,...

Nuxalk dancer Lyle Mac leads the ooligan ceremonial procession on banks of the Bella Coola River, in the town of Bella Coola, central British Columbia, Canada in March 2025. The annual ooligan ceremony welcomes the return of the ooligan, a type of smelt, that is central to the cultural and spiritual life of the Nuxalk. Each year cedar bark regalia is created, danced, and a totem pole is then dressed during the ceremony. Once almost completely gone, 2024 marked the largest return of ooligan in decades, a product of Nuxalk stewardship efforts over years.

Shanti Tallio-Milton, a Nuxalk river guide, rows a raft on a bear viewing drift, on the Atnarko River, a tributary of the Bella Coola River,...

Shanti Tallio-Milton, a Nuxalk river guide, rows a raft on a bear viewing drift, on the Atnarko River, a tributary of the Bella Coola River, in Bella Coola, Canada, in September 2025. Shanti builds on Nuxalk stewardship efforts by speaking about the cultural and spiritual significance of brown bears and salmon to tourists at the Atnarko.

A brown bear (Lucy) and her calf Diamond, hunt and eat salmon along the banks of the Atnarko River, a tributary of the Bella Coola...

A brown bear (Lucy) and her calf Diamond, hunt and eat salmon along the banks of the Atnarko River, a tributary of the Bella Coola River, in Bella Coola, Canada, in September.