Clik here to view.
Iraq's marshlands, nearly destroyed under Saddam, are coming back
It’s easy to believe, when you’re in Iraq’s southern marshes, that civilization really did begin there.Sunlight sparkles as herons dart from the reeds to spear fish, while women in long wooden boats...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Snapchat gives a voice to survivors of sexual abuse
Snapchat’s line of face-altering filters have undoubtedly sparked a selfie revolution. However, one journalist is using the app for something more: He’s enabling sexual abuse survivors to share their...
View ArticleBlood-forming stem cells likely hold the key to curing many types of disease
Researchers at Stanford are reviving a technique that can use uncontaminated, blood-forming stem cells to treat a patient with cancer, autoimmune deficiency and other diseases. Beginning in the 1960s,...
View ArticleAn app that tells you what’s outside your plane window
Peering out the window on a cross-country flight, you can watch the short grass prairies of the Midwest transition into the ragged ranges of the Rocky Mountains. But identifying the specific geological...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Canadian city is putting warning labels on gas pumps
Imagine going to fill up your tank and seeing a label on the pump that says what you are doing was causing climate change.The city of North Vancouver in Canada is launching a new program to encourage...
View ArticleThis Republican says his party's denial of climate science is 'courting...
A "hoax." A "con job.""Bull----." These are among the phrases Donald Trump has used in recent years to express his contempt for the science of climate change.And while the new Republican presidential...
View ArticleGreen spaces alongside US highways are potential conservation areas
The next time you’re tooling down the highway somewhere in America, take a look around: Those miles of medians and roadsides along our highways offer unexpected environmental benefits.All those broad,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Will heat waves cause more deaths as the climate warms?
In June, a heat wave in the American southwest sent the mercury soaring over 115 degrees in parts of Arizona. At least four deaths were linked to that heat wave.Considering that 2016 is predicted to be...
View ArticleThis is how radically unrecognizable life might be on other planets
Researchers have found that Saturn’s moon Titan could have the right chemical conditions to create precursors to life, although the chemistry — based on hydrogen cyanide and a molecule called polyimine...
View ArticleThe GOP is leading an effort to block the military from planning for climate...
In June, House Republicans attached an amendment to the defense authorization bill that stopped the Defense Department from spending money to plan for climate change.The amendments blocked funding...
View ArticleNuclear reactors in California and New York State are on different paths
The Diablo Canyon nuclear power station in California, which was built in an earthquake zone 30 years ago, is now scheduled to close by 2025. But not far from New York city, the operators of Indian...
View ArticleIf you like squash, you can thank this one particular pollinator
The honey bee gets all the headlines, but other species of bees pollinate our plants and help sustain food production. Take the squash bee, for instance.There are 20 species of bees that specialize in...
View ArticleShould we be protecting historic sites in space?
Nearly 47 years ago, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin emerged from Apollo 11 and became the first humans to set foot on the moon. In addition to leaving their iconic footprints, the crew left...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How a permaculture garden led to a bountiful harvest — and true love
With nurturing, even a degraded backyard can yield a delicious bounty of produce — and maybe even true love. Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates have become accomplished permaculture gardeners in an...
View ArticleNewcastle's biggest university says no to more coal
A city built on coal wealth is turning away from the fossil fuel. Or at least, its biggest university is.Newcastle University has become the most recent UK university pledging to divest from fossil...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What does the solar system sound like?
“In space, no one can hear you scream” was the tagline of the 1979 box office film success Alien. And it’s true. Sound waves propagate mechanically as a vibration and therefore need a medium — solid,...
View ArticleThis is your brain on laughter
Sophie Scott is fascinated by laughter — and she thinks that cognitive science and psychology are missing out by ignoring it.“It does seem to completely overwhelm your motor system,” Scott says. “You...
View ArticleInterior Department steps in to alter coal leasing on public land
Critics have long argued that the royalties coal companies pay for mining on US public lands are well below fair market values. Now, the Department of the Interior has moved to close a major loophole...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Congress approves rules for GMO labeling, but not everyone is happy
Congress recently approved a bill that would require food processors to tell consumers which products contain genetically modified ingredients. Unfortunately, the new bill has done nothing to quell the...
View ArticleHow math can help us understand terrorist networks
Extremist groups like ISIS have utilized social media platforms to extend their global reach and message. Even with companies suspending accounts affiliated with these groups — for example, since...
View Article