Doctors Without Borders Fight on Ebola's Front Lines
Scientific American health and medicine correspondent Dina Fine Maron talks with Armand Sprecher of Doctors Without Borders, who has fought Ebola in Guinea and Liberia. And Steve talks Ebola with Stanford's David Relman, chair of the Forum on Microbial Threats of the Institute of Medicine
Military May Play Key Role in Responding to Climate Change
For a professional blowhard, there is no worse fate than being ignored. So I’m always—well, almost always—delighted when my posts get pushback, especially from people who are smart, well-informed and thoughtful.
Should American Wood Fuel European Power?
Growth of wood-fueled power generation in Europe spurs protests from Southern environmentalists in the U.S.
Has Support For Fracking Really Decreased? Maybe Not.
According to a new poll out by Pew of 1,353 Americans, support for the increased use of fracking has declined over the past year with 41% of Americans in favor of the practice and 47% opposed.
Critically Endangered Gecko Discovered in Madagascar
The island of Madagascar is home to a pretty amazing and diverse collection of geckos, with nearly 70 species from 10 different genera. Now you can add one more species to the list: Paroedura hordiesi, a highly camouflaged nocturnal gecko that was recently discovered in northern Madagascar.
New Amazon Carbon Maps Could Slow Deforestation
Forest managers can use new observations to track tree cutting but also carbon sequestration
Mapping Mistake Threatens 1,400 Chimpanzees and Newly Discovered Endangered Plant
How’s this for irony?: A newly discovered plant named after the reserve in which it is supposedly found is endangered because the reserve isn’t actually located where people thought it was.
How Zooplankton Bust a Move
Though plankton drift with the ocean currents, that doesn’t mean they’re incapable of any movement. Many of them can move to find food or mates, and they do so in some surprising and sometimes entertaining ways.
Snake DNA Left in Bite ID's Serpent Assailant
A first-of-its-kind study finds it’s possible to analyze snake DNA left in a bite victim’s wound to identify the species—and thus the correct antivenom. Dina Fine Maron reports
How Green Is Green Energy?
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to attend Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak's keynote presentation during the 2014 Energy Thought Summit in Austin.
Ethanol Scheme to Clean Air in Billions of Kitchens Goes Up in Smoke
An effort to build a scheme involving crop rotation, ethanol and clean cookstoves in Mozambique was defeated by bad roads, old trucks, slow carbon credits, civil unrest and tradition
Protected Areas Get Short Shrift
Protected land and sea areas serve the wildlife within them as well as the humans who live near them. But countries are backtracking on their financial commitments to these vital regions. Steve Mirsky reports