Latest Articles

Stunning map shows 100 years of earthquake data

This image is the work of data visualizer Josh Nelson, and it represents over 100 years of earthquake data, from 1898 to 2003 — 203,186 quakes that rated 4 or higher on the Richter scale. 

The suburbs are still winning

We reported last week that many large American cities are growing at a faster rate than their suburbs. But a closer look at the numbers is not so encouraging.

Mickey Mouse pushes fossil fuels in this 1985 comic book

Matt Novak of Paleofuture has been posting photos of a 1985 Disney comic touting the benefits of oil pipelines and coal. What’s really striking is how much it genuinely sounds like Republican talking points. I guess Goofy is the American public, Mickey is the GOP, and whoever does Mickey’s voice is the Koch brothers.

Why our biggest moral challenge doesn’t act like one

Al Gore tried to invoke the moral imperative for climate action.  “It’s not about right and left;” he said, “it’s about right and wrong.”  Climate deniers cynically pounced on Gore’s leadership as an opportunity to assert the exact opposite. (Really, it’s about both, but we’ll get to that later.  See footnote if you can’t wait.) […]

Me, on The Alyona Show, talking climate and wildfires

On Friday, I was on The Alyona Show to talk about wildfires and climate change. I apologize to viewers that my head is so enormous. I mean, it’s naturally enormous, but, you know, looming like that. It’s not to give you a closer view of the beard, it’s just that I forgot to adjust my […]

What those extreme temperatures look like on the ground

Roads buckling, farmers fainting, air-conditioners going kaput, and Instagram going down -- all effects of the scorching weather.

Spray-on batteries could turn your coffee cup into an energy collecting device

A team of engineers have figured out how to make spray-on, rechargeable batteries that could transform any surface, anywhere, into a device for collecting and storing energy.

After the Earth Summit, young people push for real change

World leaders failed to deliver in Rio. But there was other progress, and a call for fundamental economic change. Now, says one young observer, it’s time to raise some hell.

Primal time: How green is the ‘caveman diet’?

A curious eater visits PrimalCon and wonders: Is it possible to stick to the paleo diet without ruining the environment?

This abandoned Walmart has been reclaimed as a public library

The McAllen Public Library is the size of 2.5 football fields -- the largest single-story library in the United States.