David Biello is a contributing editor at Scientific American.
Conservation Works: Falcons, Ferrets and Forests Benefit from Preservation Efforts
Modern conservation efforts worldwide deliver measurable effects, from rebounding ferret populations to less destructive logging in the Peruvian Amazon
Coral Reefs Losing Ground Throughout the Pacific
Surveys of coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean reveal that the critical marine ecosystems are disappearing at a rapid clip, outpacing even rainforests
Requiem for a Freshwater Dolphin
It's official: the Yangtze River dolphin is extinct
Inside Every Girl Mouse Brain Is a Swaggering Boy Mouse [Video]
All it takes is a little genetic manipulation or brain surgery to make female mice act like pelvic-thrusting, rump-sniffing, aggressive males
What Explains Toddlers' Linguistic Leap? Math
Simple math may explain why toddlers experience a sudden burst of words—and why some talk earlier and more than others
Brown Haze from Cooking Fires Cooking Earth, Too
The brown haze over Asia warms the atmosphere just as much as greenhouse gases
Ancient Europeans More Diverse, Genetically Speaking, than Modern Ones
Bubonic plague may be responsible for reducing the genetic diversity of present-day Britons
Stronger Link Found between Hurricanes and Global Warming
A century's worth of records suggests that hurricanes are on the rise and a warming Atlantic is to blame
Sun-Swilling, Heat-Resistant Extremophile Discovered in Yellowstone
New microbe not only loves the high heat of volcanic hot springs, it also drinks in the sun's energy
Heavy Metal Filter Made Largely from Air
New material proves an adept filter for heavy metals as well as an efficient semiconductor, once freeze-dried into an aerogel
Blighting Plants, Choking Lungs, Warming World Among Smog's Effects
In addition to its direct contribution to global warming, ozone may worsen climate change by preventing plant growth that would otherwise capture carbon dioxide
Nuclear Mishap or Meltdown?: It's All a Matter of Degree
An obscure scale helps communicate the relative severity of a nuclear accident
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows of sustainable paper
Impropriety or merely the appearance thereof?
Golf Course as Nature Preserve: A Place for Tiger and Amphibians
Among the things you might find in a golf course pond are errant balls, clubs hurled in anger and native amphibians
The Empress and a latter day Noah (of turtles)
What Finnish Grandmothers Reveal about Human Evolution
Biologist Virpi Lummaa's work reveals that humans may be the best subject to study for evolutionary effects across generations
Want Clean Water and Rich Soil? Save More Species
Specific species matter in delivering specific ecosystem services, but for the broad range of those functions the number and diversity of species matters, too
Out of Thin Air: New Test Reveals Thousands More Potentially Dangerous Chemicals
Studying the interactions of industrial chemicals in air reveals that thousands may accumulate in fat as they travel up the food chain
Need a Cigarette and a Cocktail? Just Pop a Pill Instead
Smokers who use the drug varenicline to help them stop lighting up may discover it also reduces their urge to drink
Proof on Ice: Southern Greenland Was Once Green; Earth Warmer
Using ice cores from Antarctica and Greenland, researchers have extended the climate record back 800,000 years and have shown that the world's largest island may have been sealed in ice for at least that long
Water Too Hot? Hope for a Hurricane
While tough on reefs directly in their path, hurricanes actually help reefs further afield by cooling oceans that have grown too warm
Humans Gobble One Quarter of Food Chain's Foundation
In some areas of the world, up to 63 percent of all the energy produced by plants—energy that would normally fuel native ecosystems—has been pressed into service for humankind
Fact or Fiction?
Does Premium Gasoline Deliver Premium Benefits to Your Car?