Environment
Zero Carbon or Bust
Scientists remind policy makers that CO2 pollution must end--and soon
Society & Policy13341 articles archived since 1845
The Sciences
Shark Bites Are Up, but Attack Risk Is Down?
California coast visitors are now 91 percent less likely to be bitten by a great white than they were in 1950, in part because beach populations of humans have risen dramatically
Mind & Brain
Mentors Matter: In Loving Memory of Nicholas J. Mackintosh (1935-2015)
Today would have been my mentor's 80th birthday. Happy Birthday Nick and thanks for showing me that mentors really do matter.
Supreme Court Decision Aside, Lethal Injection Looks Increasingly Unsustainable
Pharma companies—and maybe, eventually, the Supreme Court—will ensure that it only becomes harder to execute people with drugs in America
Health
Fungus Used to Quash Cancer-Causing Toxin
Combating chemical poison aflatoxin hinges on boosting fungal growth on African crops
Environment
Scientists Put a Sharper Edge on Climate Data
A Paris science meeting this week is designed to prepare the ground for highly anticipated UN climate talks in December
U.S. Heroin Use Jumps as Costs Drop and Prescription Opiate Use Rises
Heroin overdose deaths in the United States nearly quadrupled between 2002 and 2013, fueled by lower costs as well as increased abuse of prescription opiate painkillers
The Sciences
New Shark Week Film Shows Rarely Seen Sharks of Cuba
"Tiburones," on the Discovery Channel in early July, highlights growing U.S.–Cuban ocean science partnerships
The Problem with Artificial Willpower
The ethical threat posed by Adderall and other drugs that improve motivation
Environment
Call of the Orangutan: The Ups and Downs of Research in Indonesia
Despite the work of conservationists, poaching and habitat destruction are still major problems in North Sumatra
Environment
How BP's $18.7-Billion Oil Spill Settlement Could Help the Gulf of Mexico
Marine scientist Don Boesch on the fight to restore ecosystems damaged by the Deepwater Horizon disaster
Environment
Africa's Congo Could Lose Vast Forests
The Democratic Republic of the Congo needs aggressive protections against foreign investors who want to turn the second-largest forest stock on Earth into farmland
Environment
California's 50,000 Pot Farms Are Sucking Rivers Dry
Each plant takes five gallons of water a day from legal and illegal water diversions
Environment
Wisconsin Gov. Signs Bill Banning Plastic Microbeads
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker on Wednesday signed a bill into law that bans the manufacturing and sale of personal care products containing tiny plastic beads that are known to pollute waterways...
Environment
FEMA Does Not Know if 750,000 Homes Are Flood-Prone
The U.S. flood insurance program has inaccurate elevation data about many high-risk homes that enjoy discounted premiums
Space & Physics
Improved Solar Storm Tracking Lengthens Prep Time for Tech Disruption
We currently have a maximum of about 60 minutes to prepare for tech disruptions on Earth due to coronal mass ejections from the sun, but an improved forecasting system could lengthen that lead time by hours...
Mind & Brain
Is It Time to Rethink Life-without-Parole Sentencing?
If violent criminal tendencies peak during the teen years and seldom extend to midlife, should we still lock people up and throw away the key?
California Bill Limits School Vaccine Exemptions
California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill on Tuesday to make it harder for parents to opt out of vaccinating their children for communicable diseases
Marijuana Muddies Memory and Mixes with Alcohol to Make Trouble
People who smoke pot and drink are twice as likely to do both at the same time than to do just one, with the combo associated with bad decision-making; and chronic pot smokers who had not indulged in a month were still more likely to have faulty memories than were nonsmokers...
Environment
More Nations Pledge to Cut Carbon Emissions
Announcements from China, Korea, Brazil and U.S. boost hopes for a global climate deal
