Environment
Lead Pollution Reflects Dramatic World Events
Emissions of lead particles wax and wane with empires, plagues and revolutions
Stories by Mark Fischetti
Environment
Election Science Stakes: Environment
Scientific American senior editor Mark Fischetti talks about how this election will affect environmental science and policy.
Biology
Bizarre Bugs Found in Big City Show Nature’s Weirdness Is Everywhere
An urban expedition reveals nearly 1,000 species
Climate Change
Climate Change Increases Threat of Fire to U.S. West
Warming could scorch the region
Public Health
Coronavirus: How It Infects Us and How We Might Stop It
How does SARS-CoV-2 sneak into our body? What can our immune system do and how can the virus sometimes defeat it? How do the leading drug and vaccine candidates work? Will the virus plague us forever?...
Natural Disasters
Why Hurricane Names Are Retired
Deaths or excessive damage put Katrina, Maria, Harvey and other monikers out of circulation
Biology
The Svalbard Vault Now Has One Million Seeds
Backup seeds—held in storage as insurance against climate change—come from nearly every country in the world
Climate Change
Science on the Hill: Calculating Climate
For the fourth Science on the Hill event, Future Climate: What We Know, What We Don’t, experts talked with Scientific American senior editor Mark Fischetti about what goes into modeling our climate—and how such models are used in addition to long-term climate prediction...
Public Health
A Visual Guide to the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus
What scientists know about the inner workings of the pathogen that has infected the world
Space & Physics
Satellites in Low Orbits Are Taking over the Skies
Earth monitoring and high-speed Internet are driving demand
Engineering
Pumping Charged Particles onto Airplane Surfaces Could Reduce Lightning Strikes
Tests reveal that an imbalance of charge buildup can trigger airplane lightning
Policy
Carbon Taxes Would Boost Jobs across the U.S.
Construction and manufacturing careers would rise nationwide
Public Health
What’s Inside? Meat vs. Meatless Burgers
A look at ingredients and nutrition
Public Health
Stopping the Coronavirus: Have We Learned the Lessons from SARS?
The parallel dos and don’ts for the two viruses are striking
Climate Change
Global Warming Is Not Part of Natural Climate Variability
A common argument among skeptics is put to rest
Energy
U.S. Power Supply Is Changing Significantly
And the shifts in energy sources may be sharper than you think
EARTH
Don’t Believe the Hype: The Pumice Raft Won’t Save the Great Barrier Reef
The floating shelf of volcanic stone more than twice the size of Manhattan will nonetheless bring a fascinating array of life to the reef
Biology
Viruses Thrive in the Arctic Ocean
A surprising study overturns a common assumption
EARTH
A New Reality Up North
Climate change is dramatically altering life at the top of the world
EARTH
Nations Get Busy Inside the Arctic Circle
As ice retreats, countries are expanding military seaports, exploiting shipping lanes and exploring for oil and gas
