To Study Today’s Ecosystems, Look to History
An unlikely source of data about the decline of trout in modern Spain: a book from the 1850s.
What Makes Vaccine Mandates Legal?
Historically, the Supreme Court has held that forgoing vaccines is a threat to public health and therefore beyond the bounds of liberty.
Will Chocolate Survive Climate Change? Actually, Maybe
The forecast has been bad for domesticated cacao. But some environments in Peru might hold the key to the future of the world's sweet tooth.
How Computer Science Became a Boys’ Club
Women were the first computer programmers. How, then, did programming become the domain of bearded nerds and manly individualists?
How Ornithologists Figured Out How to Preserve Birds
A very nineteenth-century-science problem: lots of decaying avian specimens.
Sharks Are Hiding from Scientists in Plain Sight—Almost
Marine biologists need to count sharks to save them, but the common practice of using video cameras to record populations could be improved.
Why Do Vaccination Rates Plateau?
Two experts discovered a paradox that can lead people to think disease isn't a problem.
Plant of the Month: Robusta Coffee
What’s there to love about “bad” coffee? For much of the world, plenty.
Could Our Love of Clothing Promote Sustainable Fashion?
There are some clothes you hang on to, year after year, because they're durable and amazing.