Stanford VR coral world

Can Virtual Reality Emerge as a Tool for Conservation?

New advances in technology are sparking efforts to use virtual reality to help people gain a deeper appreciation of environmental challenges.
Cougar

Bringing Back the Cougars

A controversial proposed solution to the Eastern United States' deer population problem.
Agnes Chase

Women’s Fight for Scientific Fieldwork

How did women scientists fit into the naturalists and botanist mix during their earliest days in the field?
Enigma machine

Will Reading Romance Novels Make Artificial Intelligence More Human?

Google is feeding its natural language AI thousands of romance novels in an effort to humanize its “conversational tone.” Will this give it "humanness?"
Victorian woman reading

A Novel Defense of the Internet

Novel reading was once regarded as an idle occupation, just as Internet use is now.
Saturn's moon Enceladus

The Mysterious Ocean of Enceladus

Saturn’s moon Enceladus has a secret. For some years, scientists have been convinced that there is a liquid ...
synthetic stingray

The Next Frontier in Synthetic Biology

Researchers have built something pretty weird­—an artificial stingray. Ethicists and legal experts are still debating the rise of synthetic biology.
American Bison

The Bison Is America’s New National Mammal

The American bison joins the bald eagle as the second national animal. What will the designation mean for its conservation status?
private beach

Can Anyone Own the Beach?

The perennial battle of beach access: who owns the beach front? 
frigate bird

The Astounding Adaptations of Long-Distance Flyers

Frigate birds are truly champion fliers. The birds can fly for weeks without stopping. How do they do it?