A trail near Tampere, Finland.

How Forest Fires Work in Finland

Finland's forest fires aren't as destructive as California's. That has more to do with climate and population than with forest management.
A family of elephants around a broken ivory tusk

DNA Forensics Can End Ivory Trafficking. Will Countries Play Along?

Scientists pinpoint poaching hotspots, but authorities aren’t always eager to join the fight.
A bee on a flower.

Bees’ Thoughts, Disappearing Bugs, and Giant Snails

Well-researched stories from The Boston Globe, Pacific Standard, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Robots working on a production line.

Questions for the Age of Automation

Back in the 1960s, scholars were making predictions about what the Age of Automation would look like. Where they right?
An illustration from War of the Worlds

What The War of the Worlds Had to Do with Tasmania

H. G. Wells's famous science fiction novel imagines what would happen if Martians did to Great Britain what Europeans did to Tasmania.
Aerial view of the Amazon Rainforest

Indigenous Reserves and the Future of the Amazon

Swathes of the Amazon rainforest are set aside for Indigenous peoples to manage. While they aren't conservation areas, they are important to the ecosystem.
A bandaged hand

People Who Can’t Feel Pain

While exceptionally rare, congenital analgesia, or a total insensitivity to pain, is a real condition that can be quite dangerous.
General Electric Mazda Lamps

Light Bulbs for Beauty

When electric lighting was first introduced to U.S. households, marketing departments tried to convince women that better lighting would be flattering.
Installation view of Ai Weiwei: Life Cycle

Ai Weiwei’s Readymade: Politics

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been making political waves for decades, but his current shows are especially relevant to the United States.
Depiction of the financial panic of 1873

How Business Got Risky

The word “risk” took on new meaning in the 19th century, when it became a way of understanding the interactions between individuals and economic markets.