Smoke Pollution from Prescribed Burns vs. Wildfires
Government can regulate air quality. But some policies on smoke might be self-defeating.
Space Medicine for the Inexperienced Astronaut
The promise of commercial spaceflight raises questions about how untrained travelers will endure the extreme hostility of space.
Plant of the Month: Cork
Why is cork so strongly associated with bottle stoppers? The answer goes back centuries.
ADHD: The History of a Diagnosis
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has been a controversial diagnosis since it was first described, back in the 1940s.
How Do Scientists Define a Heat Wave?
It seems that every summer brings record temperatures. But there's more to a heat wave than daytime highs.
The Little Plankton That Could
Arguably the world's most abundant animal, calanoid copepods can leap like whoa Nelly. And check out their enigmatic embryos!
Restoring Native Grasslands to Help Birds
Grassland birds, such as the prairie chicken, plover, and bobolink, need a complex environment of varying structure, area, and grass types.
The Bitter Truth About Bitters
A bottle of bitters from about 1918 had significant amounts of alcohol and lead—and not a trace of the supposed active ingredient.
Soil Health Can Positively Affect Farm Revenue
In a case study from Italy, researchers found that biodiverse soil had good economic results for farms.
Where Did the Oil from the Deepwater Horizon Spill Go?
The public's focus eventually turned away from the 2010 disaster. Scientists, however, are still learning the scale of the devastation.