An amazing looking super cell storm cloud forming on the east coast of Queensland, Australia.

Ecosystems and Extreme Weather Events

Cyclones, droughts, and other severe climate events produce a variety of ecological responses, some of them irreversible.
A computer-generated image of the Project CyberSyn operations room

The Chilean Wide Web?

Salvador Allende’s attempt to network the national economy mirrored his government’s struggle to balance centralization and decentralization.
Das Vogelkonzert (The Bird Concert) by Jan Brueghel the Younger, c. 1640-1645

Every Good Bird Does Fine

Is birdsong music, speech, or something else altogether? The question has raged for millennia, drawing in everyone from St. Augustine to Virginia Woolf.
Plants and saplings growing in a previously logged area of a foggy forest in the Cascade Range of Oregon.

Reforestation: It’s A Trade-Off

While reforestation may help address the climate crisis, implementation requires long-term flexibility, careful listening, and an ability to compromise.
Vials of Smallpox vaccinations alongside the medical tools to administer the vaccine

How the US Handled Its First Mpox Outbreak

Can the CDC and other health organizations apply the lessons learned in 2003?
An electric car charges at a mall parking lot on June 27, 2022 in Corte Madera, California.

How Much Does It Cost to Reduce Carbon Emissions?

Analyses including both static and dynamic costs can help us make better decisions while developing technologies to address climate change.
A 19th century advertisement for tomato seeds

Tomatoes as Medicine

Tomatoes, once believed by Americans to be poisonous, became an unquestioned staple of a healthy diet thanks to doctors and popular cookbooks.
Photograph: German strongman Eugene Sandow lifting weights and dumbbells, c. 1890

Buff Boys of America: Eugen Sandow and Jesus

Under the influence of Muscular Christianity, Jesus transformed into a muscle-bound Aryan, saving souls through strength and masculinity.
Humulus Lupulus No. 50 Common Hops, C. S. Rafinesque, Medical flora, 1828-1830. Rare Book Collection, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.

Plant of the Month: Hops

As the craft beer industry reckons with its oppressive past, it may be time to re-examine the complicated history (and present) of hops in the United States
A White-crowned Sparrow

A Noisy City Affects Birdsong

As anthropogenic ambient noise increases in urban areas, birds adapt their songs to make themselves heard.