Latest Articles

NASA: ‘Unprecedented,’ ‘extraordinary’ ice melt in Greenland

It's not clear how soon the melted ice will be coming to a shoreline near you.

Nature, revised: In a brave new world, we write the rules

Eco-critic Ursula Heise talks about the tired stories we tell about the planet, and suggests that we find some new ones.

Sally Ride pushed us to understand our climate and our world

After becoming the first American woman in space, she went on to inspire kids to learn about science and coauthor a book about climate change.

Wolverines refrigerate their food

Wolverines are loners, and they don’t like to share. They try not to hang out anywhere near other wolverines or other mammals, a social preference that some of us can relate to. And like other grumpy, anti-social creatures, wolverines do not like to share their food. You’d think that they’d be safe by living in […]

This beer coaster can grow into a tree

It’s a little too easy to create a ton of waste while you’re getting wasted. Unless you’re near a store that provides growlers or you invest in a keg, drinking a lot of beer creates a lot of empty beer cans. And if you happen to be drinking at one of those bars that hands […]

Watch the winner of the first cross-country bike race cross the finish line — in 1982

In August of 1982, four men rode out of Los Angeles on the Great American Bicycle Race, the first transcontinental bike race ever — what ABC’s Wide World of Sports called “the latest bizarre product of this country’s rapidly burgeoning ultra-endurance cult.” The route began at the Santa Monica Pier, where a small crowd of […]

Another reason to bug out: Drought puts electrical production at risk

Traditional fossil-fuel-based power generation requires an enormous amount of water. No water, no power.

Buzzkill: EPA rejects beekeepers’ pesticide petition

In March, beekeepers and environmentalists petitioned the EPA to take the pesticide clothianidin -- a suspect in bee die-offs -- off the market. Last week, EPA said no.

GMO sugar beets get the green light

Last week, the USDA fully deregulated herbicide resistant sugar beets. And while the shift isn't a surprise to most advocates, it does hint at larger problems within the system.

Security hawks should be freaked about population growth

Civil conflicts tend to crop up in countries with lots of young people and not enough jobs. See: Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, and the Palestinian territories.