A Massive Eruption 74,000 Years Ago Affected the Whole Planet
Archaeologists use volcanic glass to figure out how people survived.
Is AI Good for the Planet?
The algorithms that promise to predict wildfires and optimize energy grids are powered by servers that drink up rivers and belch out more carbon than cars.
Better Farming Through Endophytes
Scientists look to “probiotics” for crops as a new green revolution in agriculture.
Underground Conquest: Cave Exploration and Nationalism
As cave exploration became more popular and speleology developed as an academic discipline, cave explorers were drawn into a problematic European nationalism.
What the Trees Are Telling Us
Markers of both environmental change and periods of stability, trees have a lot to tell us about nature—but also about humanity.
Using Pollen To Make Paper, Sponges, and More
Reengineered, the powdery stuff could become a range of eco-friendly objects.
Lite Intermediate Black Holes
Meet the supermassive black hole’s smaller, much more mysterious cousin.
An Untimely Death at Sycamore Gap
The outcry over the violent felling of a beloved tree in 2023 affirms the power trees hold in our cultural memory.
The Pomegranate in History and Myth
Used heavily in early medicine and at times for opposing aims, the pomegranate shows a marked versatility in its cultural connotations and connections.
Taking “Stock” of Salmon and Word Choice
The long debate over spawning habits and genetics belies the problems caused by categorizing fish with a term associated with finance and breeding.