Articles

1915 document shows that penguins are extremely sexually depraved

England’s Natural History Museum at Tring recently rediscovered a 1915 report about penguin behavior that had been buried for almost 100 years — because it was considered too X-rated to be suitable for publication. Which, okay, yes, people from 1915 were prudish, but also, penguins are getting up to some freaky shit.

Jess Zimmerman Culture

Estimates of Michigan’s Enbridge spill were way (way) too low

It's almost impossible to know how much oil spilled into the Kalamazoo River in 2010. One thing we can know: It was more than Enbridge reported.

Philip Bump Energy

Solving the climate crisis means saying yes and no

When it comes to climate work, yes and no are the interdependent and mutually reinforcing faces of responsible action.

KC Golden Politics

Giant Truth or Dare game turns New York into a middle-school party

A lot of people (celebrities, misanthropes, the funny-looking) cherish New Yorkers’ studious lack of eye contact. But designer and copywriter Chelsea Davison wanted to make the city a friendlier place for a day. So she printed up 300 cards offering a “truth” question and a “dare” action, posted them around Washington Square Park, and waited for […]

Jess Zimmerman Cities

U.N. tries to inspire world bike revolution, doesn’t

Perhaps you read about the U.N.'s event on Friday, dedicated to getting people to ride bikes? If so, you're in the minority. And there's a good reason why.

Philip Bump Transportation

Local Solar Could Solve ‘Massive Supply-Demand Imbalance’ in Renewable Energy Financing

In the next two years, the U.S. may get a lot less solar and wind power than it could. It’s not a shortage of solar panels or the cost of turbines. Rather, it’s a problem of the perverse nature of federal incentives for renewable energy. Right now, the owner of a solar or wind energy […]

John Farrell Uncategorized

Senegal’s salt lakes look like Pepto-Bismol

This is Lake Retba in Senegal, NOT the contents of your stomach when you drink too much Strawberry Quik and then have to chase it down with Pepto-Bismol and tiny boats. The lake itself is actually not in danger, but given that I just yelled “WHAT IN BLAZES?” and nearly dropped a cup of coffee […]

Jess Zimmerman Food

Clean energy investments climb, along with Big Oil’s blood pressure

OK, well maybe they're not overly worried just yet. But the investment trend – particularly in the United States – is encouraging.

Philip Bump Economics

This graphic novel about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch looks awesome

I’m Not a Plastic Bag is a graphic novel about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the agglomeration of plastic flakes that is swirling around in the Pacific Ocean. The book follows the journey of several pieces of trash destined to become part of the patch. The images are beautiful, and the story’s reminiscent of The […]

Sarah Laskow Health

$28 cabbage, $65 chicken, and other insane food prices in Northern Canada

In the farthest-north part of Canada, food is so outrageously expensive that the basic necessities of life are beyond normal people's reach.