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China and the Soybean Challenge
Some 3,000 years ago, farmers in eastern China domesticated the soybean. In 1765, the first soybeans arrived in North America, but they did not soon catch on as a crop. For 150 years or so the soybean languished as a curiosity in gardens. Then in the late 1920s, a market for soybean oil began to […]
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Washington GMO-labeling initiative flames out
Heavy spending by industry buries the state's grassroots-driven labeling law.
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It’s Election Day, and the Koch brothers have more votes than you do
As polluting billionaires pour money into races and courts strike down campaign-finance rules, your vote counts for less.
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Five charts that explain the great energy shift
Or, the rise of fracking and the decline of coal.
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On November 5th, Local Power is on the Line
In 2011, citizens of Boulder, CO, opted to explore alternatives to their monopoly, corporate electric utility that pumps coal-fired energy into town and sucks millions in energy profits out. They won at the ballot box despite being outspent more than 10-to-1. But tomorrow they have to win again against deep corporate pockets, or lose everything […]
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The “Electrifying Movement” that Continues to Fight Coal Exports
There are a handful of decisions that are going to be made in the U.S. this decade that will be pivotal in the fate of our climate. The six proposed coal export terminals in the Pacific Northwest are among them. If these terminals are approved, they will unleash one of the biggest carbon sources on […]
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These fish are eating the plastic you throw into the ocean
Thanks for cleaning up after us, guys! And, uh, sorry.
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Leaked IPCC report: Humans are adapting — but hunger, homelessness, and violence lie ahead
Findings from a leaked copy of the IPCC's next report aren't pretty, but they contain some glimmers of hope.
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The Digital Life
Inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts that before mid-century the exponential acceleration of information technologies, robotics, medical science, and artificial intelligence will result in a “singularity”, a point at which humans will essentially merge with their technology. Such an event may seem implausible, but discoveries of how technology and humans really interact are being made […]
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Seeds on seeds on seeds: Why more biodiversity means more food security
Seed banks and libraries provide an important resource for farmers hoping to hedge their bets in times of uncertainty. It's time for the rest of America to get on board.