Stories by Mark Fischetti

Thanks to Plants, We Will Never Find a Planet Like Earth

Earth's flora is responsible for the glaciers and rivers that have created this planet's distinctive landscape

New Orleans Protection Plan Will Rely on Wetlands to Hold Back Hurricanes

More than six years after Hurricane Katrina plowed into New Orleans and the Mississippi River delta, a plan has finally emerged to protect the area from future storms.

U.S. Science Degrees Are Up

Female students, and management dreams, are changing the mix

How to Make Science and Tech Jobs More Enticing to Undergrads

Despite studying science, technology, engineering or math, many students avoid STEM careers. Higher salaries, improved status and apprenticeships would change that. A special online-only addition to February 2012's Graphic Science...

Fracking Would Emit Large Quantities of Greenhouse Gases

"Fugitive methane" released during shale gas drilling could accelerate climate change

New Orleans Finally Gets a Hurricane Protection Plan

Jet Lag: What's Causing One of the Driest, Warmest Winters in History?

The jet stream controls winter weather, but strange forces are controlling the jet stream this season

Fracking's Future in the U.S. Comes Down to Upcoming New York State Decisions

New York State is the key battleground that will determine the future of fracking in the U.S., and January 11, 2012, is a turning point. The date ends the public comment period on proposed state regulations that will govern the process: drilling into deep Marcellus shales, fracturing the rock with water and chemicals to release natural gas, and disposing of the resulting wastewater that flows back up the well with the gas...

Ohio Earthquake Likely Caused by Fracking Wastewater

Injecting wastewater deep underground is the prime suspect, potentially widening earthquake worries linked to hydraulic fracturing

Tornadoes in 2011 Set Deadly Records

Many of us may remember the jaw-dropping images of the May 22, 2011, tornado that tore through Joplin, Mo., killing 158 people and leaving an incredible 14-mile path of destruction.

Is North Korea the 9th Nation in the World with Nuclear Weapons?

Russian and U.S. nuclear arsenals dwarf the rest

Caught on Video: A Himalayan Glacier Deflates

Interior lakes drain and refill with melting ice in mere days

Federal Agency Encourages Its Scientists to Speak Out

SAN FRANCISCO—The public at times questions scientific results produced by government agencies, thinking that the findings may be meant to support particular political policies or positions or to deflect criticism of those policies...

2-Degree Global Warming Limit Is Called a "Prescription for Disaster"

SAN FRANCISCO—A mantra that has driven global negotiations on carbon dioxide emissions for years has been that policy-makers must prevent warming of more than two degrees Celsius to prevent apocalyptic climate outcomes...

Fukushima Earthquake Moved Seafloor Half a Football Field

The massive shift, laterally and upward, caused the epic March 2011 tsunami

Can U.S. Cars Meet the New 54 mpg CAFE Standards? Yes They Can

A new car in 2025 will go twice as far on a gallon of gasoline than a 2012 model does now, if automakers comply with new federal standards released today.

Physics or Fashion? What Science Lovers Link to Most

Science aficionados have odd and surprising interests

Physics or Fashion? What Science Lovers Link to Most [Interactive]

Science aficionados have odd and surprising interests

World Population Set to Hit 9.1 Billion in 2050

Forecasters expect to see a total of 9.1 billion humans on Earth by 2050

Computers versus Brains

Computers are good at storage and speed, but brains maintain the efficiency lead