Apple News In Conversation This science writer has seen Earth’s most amazing places. Here’s what she’s learned.
Jan 22, 2026
Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Elizabeth Kolbert discusses her extensive reporting on climate and environmental change. She shares insights from her journeys to spectacular ecosystems and the urgent need to catalog vanishing species like caterpillars. Kolbert explores innovative projects like AI decoding sperm whale communication and legal rights for nature. She emphasizes the importance of carbon removal efforts, reflects on U.S. climate policy, and encourages personal stewardship to foster local biodiversity.
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Caterpillar Road Trip Discovery
- Elizabeth Kolbert rode with entomologist David Wagner as he collected caterpillars across southern Texas using a beating sheet and pill bottles.
- Some specimens they collected turned out to be species new to science, highlighting how many insects remain undocumented.
Insects Hold Ecosystems Together
- Insects underpin ecosystems by decomposing, pollinating, and feeding many birds, making them crucial to ecological stability.
- Kolbert warns that declines in insect populations could cause cascading ecosystem collapses.
At Sea With Whale Language Project
- Kolbert joined Project SETI researchers tracking sperm whales to record clicks and observe behavior, including witnessing a calf birth.
- The team hopes to feed click recordings into AI to decode whale communication patterns and link sequences to actions.
