Society & Policy13341 articles archived since 1845

What Happens after Coal?

When coal-fired power plants close communities can face painful transitions, and the debate over one Massachusetts facility shows the local impacts of a national shift to cleaner power

Can We Control the Weather?

Governments and farmers worldwide spend millions every year trying to control the weather. New science suggests they might be on to something

Beauty and the Beasts: The U.S. Should Ban Testing Cosmetics on Animals

There are more effective, efficient and humane ways to be sure products are safe

The Private Tragedy of Living with a Mass Killer in the Family

Interviews with parents and siblings of several juvenile shooters reveals that the families never come to terms with who their child really was and what he did

Nobody Is Neutral When It Comes to Net Neutrality

The FCC has asked for comment on whether the Internet should be reclassified as a public utility to preserve net neutrality—but the motion faces political and legal hurdles

Twitter to Release All Tweets to Scientists: A Trove of Billions of Tweets Will Be a Research Boon and An Ethical Dilemma

A trove of billions of tweets will be a research boon and an ethical dilemma

Millions of Cars to Be Scrapped in Anti-pollution Push

Pope Francis Pleas for the Environment

In a May 21 speech Pope Francis warned that despoiling the environment would come back to haunt humanity. David Biello reports

 

Hurricane Amanda Strengthens Quickly, Wheels Far Off Mexico

ID’ing a Skull Just Got Easier

CT scans may soon link human remains to missing persons

Chinese Woman First to Climb Everest after Deadly Nepal Avalanche

African Nations Aim to Address Scarcity of Scientists

Africa has the lowest scientific output of any continent, despite being the second most populous. Combined, its 54 nations generate approximately the same amount of scientific research as the Netherlands...

Call of the Orangutan: Conservation Success Stories

Having made it to Sumatra, the first location for my field research, I've endured another frustrating few weeks waiting for yet more permits to come through.

How New York City Grew Rich with Water [Excerpt]

New York City struggled to overcome water pollution as Ted Steinberg details in his new book Gotham Unbound

One Hurricane Is Enough to Ruin Your Year

GOWANUS—The surge of sewer water, toxic sludge and “Brooklyn whitefish” (aka condoms) stopped one short block away from my house back on the long night of October 29, 2012...

China Finds It's Hard to Trade Global Warming Pollution

Pilot cap-and-trade schemes in various places in China have faced a host of difficulties, including a lack of trading

Where Do Baby Sea Turtles Go?

Tracking the transatlantic journey of young sea turtles reveals surprises

Facebook Encourages Yentas to Share Info about Friends

The social network hopes to fill in the info blanks for its low-profile members by having their friends supply the details. Larry Greenemeier reports

 

Warm Pacific May Paradoxically Cause U.S. Winter Freeze

What if We All Just Stopped Trying to Lose Weight? [Video]

By focusing on weight, we may be missing the broader picture of what it means to be healthy. Brian Mattson is not the picture of health. Few would look at him and say: "There's a healthy fellow." But that's a shame, because Mattson is a pretty healthy guy...