The Sciences
Tiny Ocean Plants Geoengineer Brighter Clouds
Marine life seems to create a reflective sunshade above the Southern Ocean
Stories by David Biello
The Sciences
70 Years Since the First A-Bomb, Humanity Still Lives in Its Afterglow
Iran’s attempt to develop nuclear weapons will not be the last challenge faced in a journey that began with the world’s first fission bomb test during World War II
Sustainability
Zero Carbon or Bust
Scientists remind policy makers that CO2 pollution must end--and soon
The Sciences
Book Review: The Only Words That Are Worth Remembering
Books and recommendations from Scientific American
Sustainability
Flight Takes Off across the Pacific Powered Only by Sunshine
A solar-powered plane will fly for an estimated five days and nights—or ditch in the ocean
Sustainability
Why Carbon Is the Best Marker for the New Human Epoch
Black balls that litter the planet may prove the best marker for a new geologic epoch recognizing humanity's outsized impacts
Evolution
A Multitude of Microscopic Wonders Discovered in the World's Oceans [Slide Show]
The four-year study took thousands of samples at hundreds of sites
Health
BP Oil Spill Responsible for Gulf of Mexico Dolphin Deaths
New autopsy results confirm mass dolphin strandings largely stemmed from BP's 2010 Macondo well blowout
Sustainability
Nuclear Power Seems Doomed to Dwindle in the U.S. [Infographic]
The transformer fire at Indian Point Energy Center on the Hudson River is just the latest incident plaguing the U.S. nuclear industry
Health
How to Prevent More Deaths When the Earth Quakes
The solutions are simple but not easy to adopt, as the Nepal example shows
The Sciences
Wheat Genes Could Bring Back Chestnut
Scientists have introduced genes into the American chestnut from wheat that help disarm the fungus that killed almost all three billion of the trees in the eastern U.S. David Biello reports ...
The Sciences
How Microbes Helped Clean BP's Oil Spill
The microscopic organisms bloomed in the wake of the Macondo well disaster
Sustainability
What to Wear to Swim in America's Most Polluted Waters [Video]
A swim with sewage aims to call attention to cleaning the Gowanus Canal, and other polluted waters in the U.S.
Sustainability
Small Screen Looks at an Electrified America
Scientific American 's David Biello hosts a new episode of the TV series Beyond the Light Switch, focusing on the means to and effects of a more electricity-powered country. Steve Mirsky reports
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Health
Oil May Have Killed Gulf Dolphins
Mass deaths likely stemmed from the BP spill in 2010, researchers say
Sustainability
Can the U.S. Go All-Electric?
New homes wired with the latest smart gadgets cluster together around shared park spaces. Blue-black panels that transform sunshine into electricity grace a majority of roofs.
Health
Gulf Seafood Officially Safe, but Questions and Oil Linger
Testing of shrimp, crabs and fish, among other seafood harvested in the Gulf of Mexico, continues
Sustainability
How BP's Blowout Ranks among Top 5 Oil Spills in 1 Graphic
BP's Macondo well disaster was bad but U.S. oil addiction is worse
Sustainability
The Enduring Mystery of the Missing Oil Spilled in the Gulf of Mexico
It's on the beach, in the marshes, on the continental shelf and under the deep sea—and still not all of the oil has been found
Sustainability
Did the Anthropocene Begin in 1950 or 50,000 Years Ago?
Scientists debate whether hunting, farming, smallpox or the nuclear bomb define the start of irreversible human impacts on our planet
